A rundown of Strauss' side

After moving to the Daily Mail from the Guardian, Lawrence Booth has started off a new weekly mail called 'Top Spin'. The first installment is out, in which Booth profiles England's players making the tour of South Africa.

The beginning of the rest of his career? Possibly, although his Ashes-winning five-for at The Brit Oval has raised the bar to an unfair degree. The talent is there, but he needs direction too. Those close to him say Broad is not the enforcer England crave: his bouncers go for too many runs. He himself nominates Glenn McGrath – the human-form-made-metronome – as his role model. But will the management listen? As for his batting, No 8 seems perfect, especially in the land of Shaun Pollock, who averaged nearly 31 in that slot.