England vs South Africa, 4th ODI at London, Aug 31 2008 - Cricket Stats

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

The only one of Kevin Pietersen's plans that hadn't quite come off, at least until Sunday at Lord's, was Owais Shah's promotion to No.3

England were once again able to exploit the soft underbelly of South Africa's batting, thanks to a three-wicket haul from Andrew Flintoff and a lacklustre display from an inexperienced lower-order

And so the juggernaut rolls on. Not even the rain, increasing gloom or a return to form for Hershelle Gibbs could stop England's one-day bandwagon, while an early-morning back spasm was no hindrance to Andrew Flintoff