South Africa's tour of England 2012 l Build up and Discussion Thread

[Anfield]

Man to man comparison
Smith------------------------------------Strauss-------------------->> Smith
Petersen--------------------------------Cook------------------------>>Cook
Amla-------------------------------------Trott------------------------>>Tie
Kallis-------------------------------------Pietersen---------------->> Kallis
Devilliers--------------------------------Bell----------------------->>Devilliers
Rudolph---------------------------------Bairstow----------------->> Tie (?)
Boucher---------------------------------Prior-------------------- ->>Prior
Steyn------------------------------------Andersen--------------->> Steyn
Morkel-----------------------------------Broad-------------------->> Broad
Philander-------------------------------Bresnan --------------->>Philander
Tahir------------------------------------Swann------------------->> Swann


South Africa: 5, England 4.

Batting.
Not much to choose amongst these two teams. Both teams have world class batsmen, capable of playing big innings and turning it on when required.

Man to Man there isn’t much to choose, however if we break it further down…. England holds an edge due to home conditions and better combination.

Openers: Strauss and Cook>> Smith and Petersen.
Middle order: Trott, KP, Bell and Bairstow = Amla, kallis, Devilliers and Rudolph.
Lower order: Prior, Broad, Bresnan, Swann, Andersen>> Boucher, Steyn, Morkel, Philander, Tahir.
Overall: A slight edge in opening department and a clear edge in lower order batting to England.

Bowling:
Again, not much to choose amongst the two teams. Even though Saffer has the best pace bowling attack, with Steyn being the best pace bowler by a country mile, their spin bowling department is weak. Tahir is garbage. We have seen time and time, South Africans aren’t able to bowl the teams out on the 5th day of a test match because they don’t have a decent spinner to exploit 5th day tracks. It happened when England toured South Africa, it happened last year against Pakistan and this year against New Zealand and most probably it will happen against England this series.

Overall: Steyn, Morkel, Philander, Tahir and kallis = Andersen, Broad, Bresnan and Swann.

My prediction: 2-1 to England. (assuming rain stays away from all 3 matches)

[PakFan2010]

South Africa look stronger but if Steyn/Morkel/Philander gets injured then there side looks weak while England have depth.

[ads101]

Smith------------------------------------Strauss-------------------->> Smith
Petersen--------------------------------Cook------------------------>>Cook
Amla-------------------------------------Trott------------------------>>Trott
Kallis-------------------------------------Pietersen---------------->> Kallis
Devilliers--------------------------------Bell----------------------->>Devilliers
Rudolph---------------------------------Bairstow----------------->> Probably Rudolph
Boucher---------------------------------Prior-------------------- ->>Prior
Steyn------------------------------------Andersen--------------->> Steyn
Morkel-----------------------------------Broad-------------------->> Broad
Philander-------------------------------Bresnan --------------->>Philander
Tahir------------------------------------Swann------------------->> Swann

Think England will win.

[Bullet Drive]

Sa to win. Will be one of the best series in a long time. Should have been a 5 match test series and these Eng-Aus ODI's shouldn't have gone ahead!

[Pakprideuk]

South African middle order is better than England's. It is not equal, Rudolph is much better than Bairstow/Bopara at Test Level.

[Mobashir]

I hope it's a cracking series. Both teams have great players.
I think SA will win due to a better bowling attack. Yes a better bowling attack because Steyn is so much superior to any of the other bowler that he will win the series for his country.
On the other hand, England will need an in form KP to defy Steyn.

[Alexander]

Teams are pretty even, England have home advantage. 2-1 England

[pakistanalltheway]

cant wait to see steyn bowl

[Square Drive]

Should be a cracking series. England to win though, because of home conditions.

[leatherface58]

england are htb's like india. they wont lose the series. saffers are extremely strong too. so will be draw or england to win weather permitting

[cricketworm]

OP got pretty much on the spot!

Two changes, Rudolph will do better. And KP will do better than Kallis.

[cricketworm]

Originally Posted by leatherface58 england are htb's like india. they wont lose the series. saffers are extremely strong too. so will be draw or england to win weather permitting

They did beat England in 2008 I think, phew changes since then. Phillander being the big plus this time around. If Morkel maintains his form, England better be ready with Plan B.

[Random Aussie]

Originally Posted by Bullet Drive Sa to win. Will be one of the best series in a long time. Should have been a 5 match test series and these Eng-Aus ODI's shouldn't have gone ahead!

SA side always looks stronger on paper, but they just dont win when they should.

[leatherface58]

Originally Posted by cricketworm They did beat England in 2008 I think, phew changes since then. Phillander being the big plus this time around. If Morkel maintains his form, England better be ready with Plan B.

yes. but england didnt have awesome jimmy then. jimmy was merely good then. now he is very good. plus broad > flintoff(although flintoff is my favourite allrounder he isnt exactly a great).

england are much stronger now.

even then saffers have a couple of lethal weapons like philander and steyn. morkel is a wild card. tahir is not that impressive though.

[James]

Swann is the only clear difference between the sides. He needs to have one of those uber series that he has now and again, otherwise I reckon we will lose.

[chacha kashmiri]

Hopefully petiersen and trott's family will come to support them too

Steyn should be pretty much unbeatable on the pitches

sa are way stronger on paper but eng will manage to win it somehow

[James]

England are favourites at the Oval because of Swann. I'm not a statistics fiend these days but he always seem to excel there. And South Africa are favourites at Headingley because of their seamers. Lord's is a toss-up.

[LethalSami]

gonna be one hell of a series........lots of saffers will be playing against each other

can't wait for it.

totally agree with OP's head-to-head comparison


agree with James that only advantage ENG have is Swann.......if Swann can pull a rabbit outta the hat, Eng might take the series........else its Saffer's to take (unless they're high on that Choka Cola )

[cricketworm]

Originally Posted by leatherface58 yes. but england didnt have awesome jimmy then. jimmy was merely good then. now he is very good. plus broad > flintoff(although flintoff is my favourite allrounder he isnt exactly a great). england are much stronger now. even then saffers have a couple of lethal weapons like philander and steyn. morkel is a wild card. tahir is not that impressive though.

Agreed. England is also stronger. If SA wants to win their batsman must play one or two epic inning like Kallis played against us. I think De Villers and Amla hold the key. I don't see other batsman step up!

However, I won't mind Smith value his wicket (since no left hander bowler in England side) And he repeats what he did in 2008. Then England are in trouble. Must mention Dark horse Alviro Petersen (SA), he has been playing county, let's see if he is improved and has become better batsman.

I know, there are lots of ifs and butts, I rate England's bowling but I still don't rate their batting. They can collapse and beaten, if you bowl well. But their bowling, you have to be patient and skillful against them. You have to raise your bar against their bowling. (all these points when England play in England of course, it changes when they go elsewhere.)

I just can't call yet, who is going to win, as we probably will see rain here and there, ruining the game.

[Bullet Drive]

Imran Tahir will be a huge bonus to SA due to his county experience in England. He knows how to bowl on these tracks and England generally struggle against leg-spin. Tahir is a quality leg-spinner and I'm sure his googly will do for a lot of the English.

Others with English county experience of late are Philander, Rudloph & Alviro Peterson. I really do believe SA will win this series. A few bright sparks from the English but it will be 2-1 to SA.

Kallis has also done poor in England before. His last time ever in England so he'll look to score big. 2 big double tons of late. Let's see how he goes.

[Random Aussie]

Originally Posted by Bullet Drive Imran Tahir will be a huge bonus to SA due to his county experience in England. He knows how to bowl on these tracks and England generally struggle against leg-spin. Tahir is a quality leg-spinner and I'm sure his googly will do for a lot of the English. Others with English county experience of late are Philander, Rudloph & Alviro Peterson. I really do believe SA will win this series. A few bright sparks from the English but it will be 2-1 to SA. Kallis has also done poor in England before. His last time ever in England so he'll look to score big. 2 big double tons of late. Let's see how he goes.

With all due respect, I totally disagree. He is a hack.

[LethalSami]

Originally Posted by Random Aussie With all due respect, I totally disagree. He is a hack.

You have to consider that he'll be playing against England

[Anfield]

English batsmen play spinners well in their own backyard..

[Jo_Don]

Comes down to which middle order will do better IMO.

As mentioned, Swann is ahead of Tahir, but his strength is left handers and the only lefties in the team are Smith and Rudolph. Otherwise the bowling is pretty much even, maybe a slight edge to us on the pace front.

In terms of injuries we'll have De Lange and Tsotsobe as backup bowlers, and I reckon they'd do well in those conditions.

And let's not forget that Smith has made a habit of sending English captains to retirement whenever he tours there The guy is a machine against England and in England. He along with Swann will be the game changers for their teams IMO.

[Taurus]

It will be 0-0 if this weather keeps up.

Personally, I fancy England to win it. I don't know why, it's just a hunch. I'm hoping Pietersen rises to the challenge and plays sensibly when in sight of hundreds, unlike last time.

[Mobashir]

Originally Posted by James Swann is the only clear difference between the sides. He needs to have one of those uber series that he has now and again, otherwise I reckon we will lose.

What about Dale Steyn?

[BD-fan]

Originally Posted by ads101 Smith------------------------------------Strauss-------------------->> Smith Petersen--------------------------------Cook------------------------>>Cook Amla-------------------------------------Trott------------------------>>Trott Kallis-------------------------------------Pietersen---------------->> Kallis Devilliers--------------------------------Bell----------------------->>Devilliers Rudolph---------------------------------Bairstow----------------->> Probably Rudolph Boucher---------------------------------Prior-------------------- ->>Prior Steyn------------------------------------Andersen--------------->> Steyn Morkel-----------------------------------Broad-------------------->> Broad Philander-------------------------------Bresnan --------------->>Philander Tahir------------------------------------Swann------------------->> Swann Think England will win.

Annoying Trott over Alma?
+++
SA wins handily in my books.

[James]

Trott over Amla for me. Trott is England's key batsman. He can score a hundred against any bowling attack, in any sort of conditions, in any innings.

The genuine match-winners in the SA batting lineup are Smith, Kallis and ABDV. Two greats and one possible future great.

[speed]

2-0 england

[Anfield]

I don't think Swann would win the series for England as some of you're saying.. He won't run through South African batting line-up unless it's a 5th day pitch and conditions are in his favor.

I am not sure about Smith too this time. He is not the batsman he was 4 years ago. I hope I am proven wrong..

[Anfield]

I am so annoyed that I won't be able to watch it live. It starts at 6 am here and it's impossible to watch it unless it's a weekend.

[James]

Swann took 20 wickets at 30 in 4 tests in SA, a superb performance in a country which cannot even produce spinners itself let alone give foreign spinners fair game. And Swann will be even more of a threat in English conditions. He's definitely the key.

[Looney]

SA should win easily if they don`t ch***

[ads101]

Originally Posted by James Trott over Amla for me. Trott is England's key batsman. He can score a hundred against any bowling attack, in any sort of conditions, in any innings. The genuine match-winners in the SA batting lineup are Smith, Kallis and ABDV. Two greats and one possible future great.

totally agree.

Amla's good, but Trott's better IMO.

[KingKhanWC]

Trott is nowhere near Amla's level. Amla can play on any surface against any type of bowling, he can also bat at pace when required, changing the game in his teams favour.

Bairstow won't be playing at 6, it will most likely be Bopara but Morgan should get a look in imo.

South Africa with a weaker team last outing managed to beat England 1-0, both teams have improved so should be a good contest.

Trott was cheering a Saffer victory 4 years ago in the Warwickshire dressing room.

[Hassan Qureshi]

England will steamroll the choking Saffers

[leatherface58]

Originally Posted by KingKhanWC Trott is nowhere near Amla's level. Amla can play on any surface against any type of bowling, he can also bat at pace when required, changing the game in his teams favour. Bairstow won't be playing at 6, it will most likely be Bopara but Morgan should get a look in imo. South Africa with a weaker team last outing managed to beat England 1-0, both teams have improved so should be a good contest. Trott was cheering a Saffer victory 4 years ago in the Warwickshire dressing room.

Rofl that could be true you never know.

[James]

Originally Posted by KingKhanWC Trott is nowhere near Amla's level

Tee hee.

[KingKhanWC]

Originally Posted by leatherface58 Rofl that could be true you never know.

I know, it was true.

Win win situation for Trott, this time round.

Vernon Philander if in any kind of form will tough for the English batsmen. If they get past him, Steyn comes next. Good luck KP.

[James]

Trott has a whopping record and pedigree in test cricket.

[leatherface58]

Originally Posted by KingKhanWC I know, it was true. Win win situation for Trott, this time round. Vernon Philander if in any kind of form will tough for the English batsmen. If they get past him, Steyn comes next. Good luck KP.

for all i know tahir could get him out the most. and not always because he bowled well.

kp likes getting out to the lesser ones. Jeewan Mendis, Yuvraj Singh. Tahir is better than them. but still not a quality spinner on the international scene yet.

for all i know, Alviro Peterson could get him out.

[KingKhanWC]

I never suggested Trott wasn't a very good test player, he's proved his consistency over a period now. He's no Amla though, someone who has all the shots against all types of bowling. Trott can be worked over as Pakistan bowlers have done both in England and in the UAE, Saffers have the bowlers to accomplish this. Amla doesn't really have any such weaknesses, it will require very good deliveries to take him out.

I don't see Tahir being used much, the weather hasn't been hot enough to dry out the wickets around England, pacers will enjoy all of this summer unless a heatwave arrives pretty quickly. Tahir will be used to give the pacers a rest when the ball gets old and if he can pick up the tail or one of the top order batsmen it's a bonus.

On the other hand Swann will be the key bowler for England, has a good record against Saffers who traditionally don't play spin too well, although over the last few years with Amla and Kallis at 3/4 have been more solid.

[James]

Trott dominated Asif, Amir and Ajmal for 180 at Lord's, and was England's best batsman in what was a bowler's series. Stunning player in English (and also Australian) conditions. I don't know why you used the example of Pakistan bowlers.

[KingKhanWC]

Yes his only century in seven matches against Pakistan. Pakistan in England and the UAE had defined plans for Trott. In England we got him nicking off towards slips, playing the angle and away from his body. In UAE...well we don't need to go there.

In a way this is also a compliment to Trott who is very good at making the bowlers ball to him, in his areas. Any opposition without a plan will suffer, if they know his weakness and plan towards it they can take him out. It may not happen very innings but will work overall.

[Anfield]

mentioning 180 in the spot fixed match is comical. Their world was turned upside down after being caught and the last thing on their mind was getting English batsmen out. Trott is a good bat but definitely he didn't dominate Pakistani bowlers.

[James]

He scored the runs before the scandal came out. Nothing comical about any of that. There was no underperformance as was evident from Amir's epic performance; there were only three no-balls. So did Trott dominate three top-quality Pakistani bowlers in that innings - yes. It's not even up for debate, my dear Anfield.

As for the straw man points on the UAE: what does a spin bowler's series in the Middle East have to do with England versus South Africa in England?

[Bullet Drive]

Originally Posted by Random Aussie With all due respect, I totally disagree. He is a hack.

Disagree, he's a good bowler. A quality bowler. You've probably only seen him play in SA. The pitches over there are absoulutely horrible for spin. He did very well in the world cup and since then hasn't played much ODI cricket for SA.

[KingKhanWC]

Originally Posted by leatherface58 Rofl that could be true you never know.

Here you go.

Jonathan Trott celebrated with South Africans, claims Michael Vaughan Michael Vaughan has accused Ashes hero Jonathan Trott of celebrating with South Africa's players after Proteas' victory over England in 2008. Vaughan claimed he saw Trott - born and raised in Johannesburg - congratulating Graeme Smith's side after the match at Edgbaston. South Africa sealed a series victory by winning the game, which was Vaughan's final Test. Writing in his new autobiography, Time to Declare, Vaughan said: "It was a sad day for English cricket that on my last day against South Africa I saw Jonathan Trott celebrating with South Africa, when the week before he had been our 12th man at Headingley. "I was going into the press conference and I saw him patting them on the back. It hit home what English cricket has become like." Trott enjoyed a dream Test debut in August of this year when he memorably hit a century on debut as England clinched the Ashes at The Oval. Vaughan added: "The selection of Jonathan Trott after much fevered speculation proved an excellent decision. He immediately had that look about him of being comfortable at the highest level, and could prove to be a more stubborn version of Kevin Pietersen. "I suppose you might wish Trott was a bit more English, but after such a brilliant debut it appeared we had found another high-quality batsman." The Warwickshire right-hander, though, has insisted that his commitment to the England cause is absolute. Trott said: "My commitment to England is 100 per cent. I've spent seven years working hard to be able to wear the Three Lions and in that time my allegiance has never wavered."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cri...l-Vaughan.html

Come the first test Trotty will be singing both anthems.

[leatherface58]

^^ this is what you get for hiring out players.

Sent from my MT11i using Tapatalk 2

[DeadlyVenom]

Smith Vs Strauss--> Smith
Petersen Vs Cook--->>Cook
Amla VS Trott--->>Trott
Kallis VS Pietersen---->> Kallis
Devilliers VS Bell-->Devilliers
Rudolph Vs Bairstow----------------->> Rudolph
Boucher Vs Prior -Prior
Steyn Vs Andersen--------------->> Jimmy at home
Morkel Vs Broad-->> Broad
Philander Vs Bresnan -----Philander
Tahir Vs Swann--> Swann


South Africa 5 England 6 on a player V player Basis.

In some cases the gap on a player v player basis is HUGE though

Swann is way better than Tahir
Cook is way better than Petersen
Prior is way better than Boucher
Smith is way better than Strauss.

On paper the English have the edge but as we all know cricket isn’t played on paper.

Should be an absolute cracker of a series and I can’t wait!

[style_guru]

Player vs player comparison in cricket is a farce. This isnt a one on one sport where any two players compete and then leave.

It'll all depend on which players would apply themselves better. There may come a time when a certain player from a team would have an uber series and will perform better then 2-3 or even 4 players combined from the opposition.

My money is on Saffers. And interestingly, we have saffers in both the teams

[Bullet Drive]

When's the first test etc? Cannot wait!

[rooster]

I guess most of these player-player comparisons were of their overall stats but if you look at it from English conditions, more than a few of them will be towards England.

I have to wait and see if Vernon will be half as good as he is now, you know he toured England before but beaten all around in Limited-overs but he's a hugely improved bowler in longer format. TBH I could if its the same Vernon who's beaten all ends up in shorter format. I once heard he played some 90odd matches in 2009/10 season to get back into the side.

Another big big job for Vernon and Morkel will be to part those two left-handers opening for Eng, Steyn usually struggles a bit agains lefties, luckily for SA all Eng middle-order were Right-handers.

My pick for SA would be Petersen and Devil in batting, bowling is hard to guess for me, have a hard feeling Steyn will be outbowled by either of the other two.

England have big injury worries, jimmy and swann, who according to me are the key bowlers for England. A bit of scare over Kp's form and the no.6 slot, which is the key here as SA are very much capable of running through the top-order at anytime, so no.6 has a huge task in his hand to guide the lower order along with Prior.

My pick for Eng would be Trott and Bell(no spin threat), in bowling it will be Jimmy and Swann.

Having said that each member from either side is capable of giving a match winning performance which is why the series is expected by a lot.

It will be a great series even if it's as half as good as 2005 ashes.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Random Aussie SA side always looks stronger on paper, but they just dont win when they should.

Aye, they will go 1-0 up and then choke and lose the last match.

[Luton Bad Boy]

This is the tour that will make or break Imran Tahir's test career...

South Africa, have the best away record and England have the best home record...

The likes of Steyn, Philander and Morkel vs Strauss, Cook, Pieterson, Trott and Bell will make for excellent viewing

I am going for 2-1 victory to South Africa and the end of Smith retiring as test captain....whilst beating the No.1 test team at home!!

[Bullet Drive]

Strauss is apparently Morkel's bunny. Cannot wait!

[saad1024]

I'm soooo excited about this series...but why only three Tests?

[Anfield]

Originally Posted by Robert Aye, they will go 1-0 up and then choke and lose the last match.

This! They choke/relax after winning the first test of a series.

[Shayan]

As long as the weather holds up this will be a fantastic series. Can't wait.

[Anfield]

Originally Posted by James He scored the runs before the scandal came out. Nothing comical about any of that. There was no underperformance as was evident from Amir's epic performance; there were only three no-balls. So did Trott dominate three top-quality Pakistani bowlers in that innings - yes. It's not even up for debate, my dear Anfield. As for the straw man points on the UAE: what does a spin bowler's series in the Middle East have to do with England versus South Africa in England?

My bad I thought the Scandal broke on 2nd day. But my point still stands, you cannot be sure what was happening behind the scenes. Things seemed fishy on day 2.. And one innings doesn't mean he got better of the bowling/bowlers.. Azhar Ali and YK's score in the final test don't mean they got better of English bowlers in that series.. Said that.. Trott is a good player and he is very capable of scoring against a good attack.

[chacha kashmiri]

Trott coming out today to bite at suggestions he's not british


''Trott, reluctantly looking ahead from matters at hand, the NatWest Series against Australia, responded to South Africa's arrival in England by saying: "I feel completely British. I went back to South Africa for my brother's wedding in April last year and I didn't enjoy it at all in Cape Town.

"Every time I've been back to Cape Town - for weddings, a holiday or whatever - I've always moved my flight so I can go home earlier. It's nothing to do with crime or political reasons. I just didn't enjoy being away from home. And home is Birmingham.

"I don't mind the rain. You get some good days here. Let me tell you: when the sun shines, there is no better country in the world than England. You can have the mountains and the oceans, but May and June in England are perfect. There's nowhere better.

Trott had a strong response for those who still depict him as a South African-born mercenary, cynically making use of the England system. "Do they see me putting my pounds in a South African bank account? And the answer is no. And do they see me buying property outside England? Or planning on a future elsewhere? No. I'm thinking about which school my daughter is going to go to here.

"It's quite evident when someone is a mercenary. People can sniff it from a mile away."

[Lethalweapon]

Originally Posted by James He scored the runs before the scandal came out. Nothing comical about any of that. There was no underperformance as was evident from Amir's epic performance; there were only three no-balls. So did Trott dominate three top-quality Pakistani bowlers in that innings - yes. It's not even up for debate, my dear Anfield. As for the straw man points on the UAE: what does a spin bowler's series in the Middle East have to do with England versus South Africa in England?

Originally Posted by James Trott over Amla for me. Trott is England's key batsman. He can score a hundred against any bowling attack, in any sort of conditions, in any innings. The genuine match-winners in the SA batting lineup are Smith, Kallis and ABDV. Two greats and one possible future great.

that is very close to contradicting your own statement.
this is why I dislike Eng fans and media (not players), and then blame Indians.
what was Trott's performance on SA tour two years back? do you remember?

[ethan hunt]

it would be absolute madness on the part of england to keep Finn out of the playing 11 for the first test vs the saffers , bresnan might have done nothing wrong but Finn is the sort of bowler that can run through a side in a session.
englands batsmen regularly pile up huge scores in these conditions and their bowling is second to none .
Dont see england losing tbh.

[Ruri]

Originally Posted by ethan hunt it would be absolute madness on the part of england to keep Finn out of the playing 11 for the first test vs the saffers , bresnan might have done nothing wrong but Finn is the sort of bowler that can run through a side in a session. englands batsmen regularly pile up huge scores in these conditions and their bowling is second to none . Dont see england losing tbh.

Finn is consistently overhyped. Very good ODI bowler, but Bresnan has proven his worth and can bat, which we need against Steyn and Morkel (bah Philander!)

And Finn is nowhere near as skilled as Broady and Anderson. The one outing he had, he was mediocre.

Onions is sick good tho.

SA to win. Less than amused with England following the relative mediocrity against Marlon Samuels / Ramdin / Sammy.

Going down to the Oval tomorrow to see if I can get cheap tickets for Saturday day 3.

[Anfield]

Yes England were not ruthless against West Indies but it's human nature to let your guards down/be careless against a weaker opponent. I am sure this English side is capable of raising their game and beat Saffers.

[shahidafridi123]

Who are you supporting in Eng - SA series?, I think both teams are very even but I might just go for England, who are you guys going for? Mods can we please have a poll?

Obviously vote if your not English or South African

[ddss]

Cricket and not supporting rain

[kerala porotta]

South Africans... Guru Gary FTW

[shahidafridi123]

lol but what if you had to chose? who would you go for? yea I hope rain doesn't ruin the quality of the cricket

[trogger]

As others have said im supporting no rain, don't really care who wins as long as we get some quality cricket and no rain.

[LegCutter]

Saffers definitely. I really like their team; Amla, Steyn, Kallis, Devilliers, Philander and even Morkel.

I'm not a fan of any England player except Cook and Swann.

[Anfield]

The word is Devilliers will be keeping in the first Test. is it the right thing? And If he does.. at what position should he bat?

[*syed59*]

both really... looking forward to watch some tough games.

[Anfield]

Saffers.. but really looking forward to some serious competition. There was so much anticipation last year too but India failed miserably.. I hope this time that's not the case. Pretty Sure England will put up a great fight, it's up to South Africa to show ho good they are..

[khalil1986]

Saffers

[MRSN]

England

[James]

Obviously no need for me to answer, but in terms of who will win the series Boucher's retirement and De Lange's injury has made England the slight favourites.

[GujjarSher]

Should be fascinating. Can't remember the last time I was this excited about a series not involving Pakistan. Hoping for some great matches.

[speed]

england are my second team but i will support sa because of dale steyn, love watching him bowl.

still think england will take the series 2-0.

[LethalSami]

if ENG win 2-0 or 3-0, then PAK moves to #3 on the rankings............

but still, i want SA (my second fav team after PAk) to win...

rankings don't matter much anyways.

want to see the saffer whoop the saffer B team