Whitewash looms as England target second spot

Match facts

Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Start time 14.30BST (13.30GMT)

Big Picture

Are England really the second-best one-day team in the world? It's a preposterous notion, and yet, by the time Kevin Pietersen's men go to bed in the early hours of Thursday morning, it could well be an officially-recognised fact. Having begun the series in sixth place in the ICC rankings, England have already climbed to No. 3, and one more win will enable them to displace South Africa at No. 2 - and their unbridled dominance in the first four matches of the NatWest Series means that that prospect is very much on the cards. South Africa's ageing one-day outfit has been no match for a resurgent England, for whom the pace, aggression and enthusiasm of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff has been the key factors. If the weather holds, it's hard to envisage anything other than another England win.

Form guide

England WWWWL
South Africa LLLLW

Owais Shah
It was on Pietersen's insistence that Shah was promoted from No. 6 to No. 3, and he justified that faith with a cultured 44 from 40 balls to guide England to victory in their 20-over thrash at Lord's on Sunday. That innings, however, needs to be the start of even greater things for Shah, who turns 30 at the end of the season, and must be tiring of the fringe status that has dogged his international career ever since he was earmarked as one of England's most promising cricketers at the end of the 1990s. A tough tour of India awaits, and a big sign-off in Cardiff would be the ideal confidence boost ahead of what promises to be a seminal winter.

Hashim Amla
Graeme Smith's tennis elbow has given Amla an opportunity to show that his talents need not be confined to the Test arena, and so far he has done his best to stake a long-term claim as a one-day opener. A solid 46 at The Oval was followed by a coruscating 34 from 31 balls at Lord's that ended with an untimely run-out but nonetheless featured eight sumptuous boundaries, including four in an over from Harmison. His fielding is a cut above that of many of his colleagues, and another good performance at Cardiff will put further pressure on the established batsmen, in particular the ageing Herschelle Gibbs.

Team news

Assuming there are no injuries, it's hard to imagine that England will seek to make any alterations to their line-up. Ian Bell and Matt Prior are settled as an opening partnership; Shah, Pietersen and Flintoff have shown their worth in the middle-order, and while Paul Collingwood and Luke Wright have had quiet series so far, that is largely because of the excellence of their colleagues. Samit Patel's sparky showings as the spinning allrounder have perfectly complemented the four-prong pace attack, and everything - for now - is rosy.

England (probable) 1 Ian Bell, 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Owais Shah, 4 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Luke Wright, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison.

South Africa's team is not so easy to second-guess. Injuries have blighted their best-laid plans, with Smith sidelined until December and Albie Morkel still struggling with a shoulder problem. Makhaya Ntini was dropped for Lord's in favour of Andre Nel, so it is hard to imagine he'll be seen again this summer, while Jacques Kallis's batting form is reaching crisis point. An unchanged side is probable, but South Africa could hardly be less stable at present.

South Africa (possible) 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Jean-Paul Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Vernon Philander, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Andre Nel.

Pitch and conditions

Britain's weather has been at its obnoxious worst in the past 24 hours, with England's pre-match net session cancelled due to the adverse conditions. Quite what effect all this rain will have on the pitch remains to be seen, but it's safe to assume there will be plenty assistance for the bowlers, as and when the covers are peeled off on Wednesday afternoon.

Stats and Trivia

• Only once, against Zimbabwe in a hastily-arranged series in October 2001, have England wrapped up a 5-0 victory in an ODI series. They were, however, beaten 5-0 by Sri Lanka in 2006.

Quotes

" We'll try our hardest to win the series 5-0 because there would be no greater satisfaction than to finish at 10.30pm and know we are second in the world. That's the most important thing, not Stanford."
Though the million-dollar match in Antigua is looming large, Kevin Pietersen insists that his team is focussed on victory, not money.

"We pride ourselves on our results - and even though there were positive signs here, we don't accept losses very well."
Jacques Kallis admits that South Africa's morale isn't tip-top at the moment.