'Beating South Africa is all I can think about' - Fletcher

Andrew Strauss works out in the gym at Durban © Getty Images

In his Christmas address to the nation, Duncan Fletcher has spoken of his pride in England's performances over the past year, but is determined that the onset of the festive season will not distract his players, as they prepare for the crucial second Test against South Africa, which begins at Durban on Sunday.

The team hotel in Umhlanga, a luxurious holiday destination on the northern beaches of Durban, has become a crèche for the week, with the players' wives, girlfriends and children having arrived en masse to brighten the mood of an already buoyant camp. It is a far cry from some of the more spartan England regimes of old, when visits from families were frowned upon. Fletcher conceded that, with just three days to go until the Kingsmead match, there was a fine balance to be struck.

"There's a real family feel on tour at the moment," said Fletcher, who pointed out that in the first ten years of his own first-class career, he never spent a Christmas at home in Harare. "It's a really nice atmosphere that everyone's enjoying, especially since we won [at Port Elizabeth]. I don't believe it's a distraction for the players, but you've certainly got to be careful."

For that reason, the squad was dispatched straight into the gym first thing this morning, as Fletcher admitted that complacency was the one factor that could upset England's rhythm. "It's essential that we maintain our routines," he stressed. "It's the old cliché when you're on a winning sequence. The next Test is harder than the previous one. We can't afford to sit back for a holiday."

By winning the first Test, the players have already made history, by becoming the first England side to win eight consecutive matches. "Right from the moment we landed in Bangladesh, I've seen something about this side," declared Fletcher. "I'm very proud of their achievements. We've played good cricket, but most importantly, we've hopefully got rid of some bad habits. These days, when things start to go wrong, we hold with it, scrap hard mentally, and turn it around for the side.

"It's all about the work ethic," Fletcher continued. "Take Simon Jones. He's been working so hard since he came back into the side - it's a good attitude and in the last game he got the results. There's a formula that I often talk about in the dressing-room. Hard work gives you confidence. Confidence enables you to win, and by winning you get enjoyment out of the game. And once you're enjoying yourself, you're more likely to put in the hard work. It goes in a circle all the time."

Graham Thorpe keeps in training in the nets at Durban © Getty Images

England's performance at Port Elizabeth was far from their most convincing effort of the year, and on paper, South Africa's team for the second Test looks like being a considerably stronger outfit, boosted by the returns of Herschelle Gibbs and the vice-captain, Nicky Boje. "Perhaps one or two of their guys will be undercooked," joked Fletcher, in reference to the accusations made about his own team ahead of the first Test. "But I'm a big fan of Gibbs," he added. "He's an exciting player, the type of individual who can change a game. It's important that we get into him early."

Gibbs was one of Fletcher's protégés during his time at Western Province, so he doubtless has several game-plans worked out for him. But more importantly, England need to keep their own counsel in the days ahead of the second Test. "We've got to stay one step ahead of the enemy," added Fletcher. "There's no doubt we have scope for improvement. If we think we've cracked it, then the teams below us will catch up, and those ahead will go further ahead. I don't think you can ever sit back and think you've reached the ultimate."

Encouragingly for England's prospects of self-improvement, the first Test was won with hardly a contribution from their leading strike bowler, Steve Harmison. But Fletcher was confident that his man would bounce back. "There's always a concern about certain players," he conceded. "No-one can hold their form forever. But in the course of the summer, we had eight different batsmen scoring hundreds, and everybody has been in the wickets as well. A lot of guys are holding hands up at present. In any given match, two or three will do something special - it doesn't have to be the same two or three."

With no injury worries, England seem certain to field the same XI that played at Port Elizabeth, and Fletcher is gunning for a 2-0 lead to take into what would potentially be the decisive third Test at Cape Town. Beyond that, however, he refuses to speculate about what lies in store for his team, although he for one is not about to allow Christmas - or his family - to deflect his attention from the job in hand.

"Beating South Africa is all I can think about at the moment," he said. "Yesterday my wife was talking to me and I wasn't even listening. It annoyed her, but there's always something throwing around in my mind. It's all I can think about. We've got to go 2-0 up this week. If we look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves."