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Brad Hogg’s unbeaten 41 and a half-century to Luke Pomersbach steered Western Australia to a tight victory after they were rocked by Ben Hilfenhaus in their chase of 180. Hilfenhaus dropped the Warriors to 4 for 36 and went on to collect 5 for 84, but he could not push Tasmania to a home-ground win.The debutant Pomersbach completed a strong game by adding an important 63 to his first-innings 74 as he lifted Western Australia out of trouble. However, his departure to Hilfenhaus left the Warriors at 7 for 148 and it was left to Hogg to guide them home.Brett Geeves and Hilfenhaus added 34 in the first session before Hilfenhaus fell to a catch behind off David Bandy. Geeves was unbeaten on 80 as the Tigers posted 477, giving the Warriors an uncomfortable chase.

Points table
ScorecardBengal grabbed the chance provided by a sporting declaration by Railways and stormed into the semi-finals with a thrilling last over win. After Railways, charged by Pagnis’s ton to reach 321 for 7, declared after batting 35 overs on the final day, Bengal rode on Abhishek Jhunjhunwala’s magnificient 139 to achieve their target with a ball to spare. Bengal, set to chase 303, were propelled by a superb 217-run second-wicket partnership between Jhunjhunwala and Subhomoy Das. Railways attempted to come back through Murali Kartik who removed both the batsmen but Manoj Tiwari brought up the winning run off the penultimate ball to charge Bengal into the semi-final face-off with Baroda.
ScorecardIt took Maharashtra only four overs on the final day to wrap up a comprehensive victory over Mumbai, registering their second win in the tournament. Mumbai, though, with 16 points in seven games, have already entered the semi-finals and will be facing Uttar Pradesh. Mumbai, having resumed the day needing 71 runs, managed just five runs. Sairaj Bahutule got rid of Rajesh Verma while Munaf Patel removed Ramesh Powar and Nilesh Kulkarni, the overnight batsmen, to bring up the Maharashtra victory.
ScorecardSubramaniam Badrinath hit a breezy 82 to allow Tamil Nadu to declare at 182 for 6, giving themselves an outside chance of bowling out Delhi, but Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Tehlan added 81 runs for the second wicket to ease Delhi – set a target of 250 – to 117 for 1 in 32 overs to register a comfortable draw at Chennai. Earlier, Rajat Bhatia, who had yesterday dashed TN’s hopes of a semi-final spot, extended TN’s agony as he added 48 runs with the tail to lift Delhi to 414 in their first innings.
ScorecardA maiden first-class century by Madhusudhan Reddy and a half century from Jasvir Singh propelled Services to 342 before Mahesh Rawat and Sumit Shara hit unbeaten half-centuries to take Haryana – set a target of 302 – to 108 for 0 in 30 overs and draw the game at the Palam A stadium in New Delhi. Amit Mishra, the legspinner, removed Reddy and Jasvir enroute to a six-wicket haul to restrict Services, overnight on 182 for 3, to 342 but couldn’t prevent a draw.
ScorecardP Kumar, promoted to open the batting, celebrated his 10-wicket haul in the match in style with a breezy 57 – his second first-class fifty – to power Uttar Pradesh, chasing 151 runs, into the semi-finals with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Andhra. Kumar picked up the last Andhra wicket to finish with a five-wicket haul, his third in a short six match first-class career.
ScorecardMukund Parmar steered Gujarat to their second win with a four-wicket victory over Karnataka at Ahmedabad. Gujarat, having started the final day needing 37 runs, lost three wickets but Parmar with an unbeaten 24 propelled them to their target. However, both teams missed out on the final four spot – Bengal edged past Karnataka with their thrilling win over Railways.
ScorecardBaroda wrapped up a comprehensive rout of Hyderabad inside four days at Vadodara, with Yusuf Pathan, the offspinning allrounder, bagging career-best bowling figures. Baroda, 150 for 3 overnight, were boosted by valuable knocks from Connor Williams and Kiran Powar despite a superb spell from Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, who also picked up his best analysis. Set 371 to get, with the entire fourth day remaining, Hyderabad hardly offered a fight and folded meekly for just 150. Pathan, who had earlier bailed Baroda out of trouble with a fine 72 in the first innings, ran through the lower order with his offbreaks after Irfan Safi Pathan rocked the top order.

Mark Boucher has been named in the South African squad for the last two Tests against England. Boucher last played for the Test side during the tour of Sri Lanka last August. He had played 74 consecutive matches before being dropped for their tour to India in November. Thami Tsolekile, who replaced him on that tour and kept wicket in the first Test at Port Elizabeth, has been released to turn out for Western Province Boland. Boucher’s selection clears the way for AB de Villiers, who has kept in the last two matches, to open the batting as there are concerns about the form of Herschelle Gibbs there.”I’m absolutely delighted, but also quite shocked to be recalled now,” Boucher told Reuters from Centurion, where he was playing for Warriors against Titans in a SuperSport Series match. “I thought my chance to be involved in the series had gone when I wasn’t selected in the second and third Test squads because we had no domestic cricket. All I’ve been able to play over the festive season is beach cricket. I’d be lying if I didn’t think at one stage that my international career might be over.”Haroon Lorgat, the convenor of selectors, explained the decision: “With the series now locked at one-all with two to play, experience is going to be a critical factor in the outcome of the last two Tests, and Mark brings plenty of that to the squad environment.”Charl Langeveldt, who fractured a bone in his left hand at Cape Town, is in the squad pending a fitness test before the fourth Test. A replacement will be called up if he is not fit.The fourth Test starts next Monday (January 13) at the Wanderers ground in Johannesburg.Squad Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Boeta Dippenaar, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Charl Langeveldt.

Hampshire’s young Academy side will have a pennant to proudly display in the Rose Bowl trophy cabinet after shattering BAT Sports four-year old unbeaten record in all-day `time’ cricket.Their comprehensive 56-run win at Southern Gardens means the Young Hawks finished with the best overall record in the nine weeks of all-day cricket and will be presented with a pennant to show for their success.At this stage, the result looks unlikely to affect BAT’s pursuit of Havant’s championship crown.The two clubs have still to meet on August 16 in one of the four remaining 50-over contests but BAT still effectively enjoy a 37-point lead at the top.BAT skipper Richard Dibden hopes the Academy defeat will act as a "wake up" call to his players that the championship race isn’t done and dusted, despite the still healthy lead.They were certainly well beaten by the county hopefuls, who daringly declared at 245-8 after 61 overs and then gradually worked their way through the BAT batting to nail the would-be champions for 189."It was an exceptional performance," glowed Academy Director Tony Middleton, who put only one contracted professional (Charlie van der Gucht) into the field.The victory over BAT came just a fortnight after the Young Hawks had beaten defending champions Havant in their own back yard."This win was even better. BAT are a better side (than Havant) and the lads bowled them out on a much better pitch," Middleton enthused.The Academy’s success was built around teenage wicketkeeper Tom Burrows, who featured in two significant partnerships after Chris Thomason (2-27) had removed openers Ed Bruce and Alex Richardson.He survived two early chances and, with wine award winner Kevin Latouf alongside, steered the Academy to a comfortable 127-2 at lunch.The pair added 95 and appeared to be heading towards half-centuries when, soon after the resumption, Latouf was slow backing up and was run out by Dan Goldstraw for an excellent 48, which contained nine fours.Burrows, the Reading youngster who caught the eye of the Rose Bowl crowd as substitute wicketkeeper against Yorkshire last season, favoured on-side shots but provided the perfect foil for Ian Hilsum (41) to really push the score along.The Islander really went for his shots, hitting eight boundaries in a crisp 41 before he too perished against an erratic BAT fielding display and was run out by Neal Parlane’s deep throw.Three wickets fell for nine runs, including that of Burrows for fine 77 (ten fours), as the Academy slipped to 206-6.But some timely strikes by Dave Griffiths (21) and Luke Merry (18) enabled Hilsum to raise a few eyebrows with a 62nd over declaration, which left BAT 59 overs to get 246 runs for victory.When the prolific Parlane thudded Griffiths over extra-cover for a six which was still rising when it hit the pavilion roof, it appeared as though Hilsum might have miscalculated.But two strikes by Matt Metcalfe (2-29) quickly accounted for Richard Kenway and Dave Banks, and left the rampant Kiwi with added pressure.Not that it appeared to concern the New Zealander, who continued to strike boundaries at will – quite impressively through the on-side – and who appeared to have found a reliable partner in Graham Noble.The pair took BAT’s reply to a threatening 94-2 at tea and set up a potentially absorbing evening session.Noble soon fell leg before to James Manning after the break , but it was at 121-3 that the match took a decisive twist.Van der Gucht replaced Manning at the tennis court end and promptly served up a juicy full-toss on to the middle of Parlane’s bat.But instead of celebrating his third six of the innings, the Kiwi picked out Manning on the deep mid-wicket boundary and departed for a thoroughly entertaining 69.It took his season’s aggregate to 767, some 248 runs behind Robin Smith’s all-time Southern League record (1,015 runs in 1982) with four matches remaining.James Schofield (32) and Chris Thomason (27) both got going, but BAT were suffering from a distinct lack of application in the middle-order ranks.Mitchell Stokes produced a useful spell of 1-33 off 14 overs when it mattered as BAT’s rear-end faltered.Griffiths (3-35) returned to bowl Schofield and then removed Terry Rawlins and Goldstraw in quick succession to leave BAT 189 all out.Dibden, left high and dry on 13 not out, criticised his players for "failing to bat time" but had no complaints at losing to an Academy side which has certainly come of age in the past two months.

There were a couple of upsets in the First League in the opening round of the 2001/2 National League on October 21, with last season’s two top teams suffering humiliating defeats at the hands of newcomers.Champions Old Hararians surprisingly travelled with only nine players to Kwekwe and they were all out after 23.3 overs with the scorecard reading 107/8. The only meaningful batting came from Nyasha Chari who made 23. The hosts used only four bowlers Travis Friend, Campbell McMillan, John Vaughan-Davies and Doug Marillier who each took two wickets.Kwekwe reached 109/3 in 26.1 overs with Dirk Viljoen unbeaten on 38. Ironically Viljoen turns out for OH in the Mashonaland Vigne Cup. Opener Marillier was the second-best batsman with 28 runs.The match between Queens, last season’s runners-up, and Mutare was played at a neutral venue, Old Hararians Sports Club, with the latter posting a convincing 97-run victory in a 45-over match. Mutare opened the batting and compiled 258 runs for the loss of seven wickets off their 45 overs.Former national team players Alistair Campbell and Guy Whittall, who were recently dropped from the national team, led by example with match-winning fifties. Opener Campbell top-scored with 79 while Whittall weighed in with 67. Mluleki Nkala was the pick of theQueens bowlers with three wickets for 42 off nine overs.In reply Queens were dismissed for 161 in 38.3 overs. Richard Sims finished with three wickets for 19 off nine overs while Ian Coulson took three for 39 off seven overs.At Bulawayo Athletic Club, visitors Old Winstonians beat the hosts by seven wickets. They fielded national team pace bowler Henry Olonga who has moved from Bulawayo.BAC were dismissed for 109 in 26.1 overs. Old Winstonians captain Rangarirai Manyande led the attack with five wickets for 42 off 10 overs. Choki Panyangara finished with three for 13 off 6.1 overs whileOlonga took two for 29 off seven overs.Old Winstonians reached 110 for the loss of four wickets in 27 overs. Stuart Matsikenyeri, who is set to leave for Australia soon, made 43.At Universals the hosts continued their poor run which has seen them lose all three games in the Vigne Cup so far with a six-run defeat to Harare Sports Club in a closely fought battle. The two teams met a week earlier in the Vigne Cup and Harare Sports Club won by nine wickets with 61 balls to spare. However, this encounter was a close call with Universals being dismissed seven runs short of their victory target with four balls remaining.Harare Sports Club made 261/9 in their allotted 50 overs with opener Mark Vermeulen the top scorer with 75 runs. Fellow-opener Trevor Gripper and Donald Campbell added 32 runs each. Ali Shah took three wickets for 35 off 10 overs while Brian Murphy took three for 41 off 10 overs.Universals were all out for 255 after 49.2 overs with Shah the leading scorer on 50. Gripper took three for 59 off 10 overs.The other match was at Alexandra Sports Club where the hosts beat Old Georgians by seven runs in yet another close encounter. Alex made 234 for nine wickets in 50 overs with Ross Liddell making the round’s best score of 81. Old Georgians could only reach 227 for nine off their allotted 50 overs with Craig Evans making 61 and Grant Flower 54.

Tasmania fast bowler Andrew Fekete is the surprise inclusion in Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Fekete and Western Australia opener Cameron Bancroft are the two uncapped members of the 15-man group, while Adam Voges has been named as vice-captain to Steven Smith for the two-Test tour next month.Australia’s selectors confirmed that Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood had been rested from the tour given their heavy workloads over the past few months, with Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle and Pat Cummins set to lead the pace attack. There were also recalls for Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell and spinner Steve O’Keefe, who made his Test debut in the UAE last year.The retirements of Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers, Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and Ryan Harris on or after the recent Ashes tour forced Australia’s selectors to look to the future with their squad for Bangladesh. A thumb injury suffered by David Warner during the ODIs in England also meant they had to find a new vice-captain, and Voges’ domestic experience tipped things in his favour.”It was a very tough decision to make, that,” national selector Rod Marsh said. “We’ve got a lot of people that have played very few Test matches. The fact that Voges has captained Western Australia, the fact that we’re playing in Bangladesh – it is quite possible to wake up in the morning and not be able to play if you’ve caught something … If Steven Smith did get crook, it would have been very tough to have anyone else captain the side but Voges.”He’s had a lot of experience at captaincy, he’s got a cool head, and I think he’ll be an excellent vice-captain for Steven on his first tour of duty away from home as captain of the Australian Test team. Having said that, we’re really going to miss David Warner. He was excited about his appointment as vice-captain and he’s bitterly disappointed he can’t make this tour.”At 35, Voges is comfortably the oldest man in a squad that is much shorter on experience than Australia is used to. The only other players aged in their thirties are Shaun Marsh, Siddle, O’Keefe and Fekete, 30.”The retirements of five players from the squad that went on the Ashes tour, as well as issues of injury, form and conditions have brought about a major change in the profile of the touring party from the one that toured the British Isles,” Rod Marsh said. “But with that change comes a fantastic opportunity for all the players going to Bangladesh.”They are going as a young group with seven of the players aged 26 or less, and all 15 have the opportunity to kick on and, in the case of Cameron Bancroft and Andrew Fekete, kick off their Test careers and establish themselves as the core of the side for years to come.”Although Bancroft’s inclusion was widely expected, as Australia sought top-order replacements for Rogers and Warner, Fekete was very much a left-field selection. He was the second-leading wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield last summer with 37 victims at 24.10, but his only prior first-class experience was six matches the previous season.The new man in Australia’s Test squad, Andrew Fekete has played only 18 first-class games•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Originally from Victoria, Fekete played a solitary one-day game for his home state before moving to Tasmania, where he made his first-class debut aged 28 in late 2013. Australia’s selectors were impressed with Fekete’s bowling on the recent Australia A tour of India, where he claimed five wickets in two first-class matches.”Andrew bowled really well last summer and followed that up on the A tour,” Marsh said. “He can generate reverse swing and that ability could be extremely useful in the conditions we expect to encounter in Bangladesh.”Bancroft, 22, is a patient opening batsman who last summer made a 13-hour 211 for Western Australia and his temperament should mean he is suited to the challenges of Test cricket. He was the third leading Sheffield Shield run scorer last season with 896 at 47.15 and he too played well on the A tour of India.”Cameron is a player who impressed everyone on the recent A tour of India,” Marsh said. “He can bat for long periods of time and scored an outstanding 150 against India A in Chennai. On that tour he played spin well, fielded brilliantly at bat-pad and his whole demeanour was that of a player who is determined to play Test cricket. He scored almost 900 first-class runs last season, he’s young, hungry and he could become a very good player for us over a long period of time.”Bancroft, Burns, Khawaja and Shaun Marsh loom as the candidates for the opening positions vacated by Rogers and Warner in Bangladesh. The make-up of the attack will depend on the pitches offered in Bangladesh, but there is every chance that a twin spin attack will be employed, with O’Keefe and Maxwell preferred to legspinner Fawad Ahmed as backup for Nathan Lyon.”Stephen did well on the A tour,” Marsh said. “We felt he bowled exceptionally well. It’s true that Fawad didn’t get many opportunities in either the West Indies or on the Ashes tour but when he did get them he didn’t bowl as well as I’m sure he would have wanted.”He will go back to Victoria and hopefully start taking wickets to give us the right type of problem to have as a National Selection Panel. With Stephen O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell we believe we have the right number and the right type of spinners for the conditions we expect to encounter.”The pace attack will be shorn of the speed of Johnson, who in challenging conditions in the UAE last year was the only Australian to average under 30 with the ball, and Bangladesh could be a tough place for Cummins to return to Test cricket for the first time in nearly four years. But Marsh said it was important that Johnson and Hazlewood were rested with six home Tests and a tour of New Zealand coming up.”Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood were not considered for the tour as, after heavy workloads over the past six months and with a significant amount of cricket to come, we wanted to make sure they are right to go at the start of our domestic summer,” he said.”We expect both players to start bowling again in the next week or so, hopefully play some Matador Cup and Sheffield Shield cricket for their states and be ready for selection for the first home Test of the season, against New Zealand.”The Australians will depart for Bangladesh on September 28 ahead of a three-day warm-up game in Fatullah from October 3 to 5. That is followed by two Tests in Chittagong and Dhaka, Australia’s first in Bangladesh since the 2006 tour on which Jason Gillespie famously made a double-century.Australia Test squad Steven Smith (capt), Adam Voges (vice-capt), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Patrick Cummins, Andrew Fekete, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

MCC won by an innings and 128 runs – ScorecardSutcliffe and Leyland gave MCC a splendid start by putting up 223 for the first wicket – a record partnership for English teams against South Australia, and when stumps were drawn the score stood at 341 for five. Leyland, who might have been caught and bowled at 93, reached his hundred out of a total of 166, and when he was caught at point had hit 14 fours, mostly beautiful stroke through the covers. Sutcliffe hit out freely when he had reached three figures, and altogether claimed two sixes and thirteen fours. He gave no chance.On the second day an admirably placed field kept Jardine from scoring quickly, but the MCC captain scored a magnificent century, the only blemish being a chance in the slips when 105. Larwood hit with terrific force, his innings which included two 6’s and ten 4’s only lasting 42 minutes. Wyatt, after a shaky start, made some powerful hooks. He and Jardine established a record for the seventh wicket for an English team v. South Australia by adding 135. Jardine and Larwood also established a record by adding 106 for the eighth wicket, the previous best for a visiting English team against this State being 102 by J. T. Hearne and W. Storer in 1897-98. Grimmett gave the impression that he was taking things easily, and did not wish to put too severe a strain on his damaged ankle.Richardson and Nitschke gave South Australia a splendid start, the latter falling to Verity after he had twice hit the Yorkshireman to square leg for 6. Richardson was very severe on Bowes, his leg strokes being extremely powerful. He was not so successful against the slow bowlers. The remaining Australian batsmen did little against some very steady bowling by Brown and Verity, and, following on, they never appeared likely to save an innings defeat. In his second innings, Catchlove, a last-minute selection, batted very stolidly for four hours for his 65. Verity was the outstanding MCC bowler, and it was noticeable that he bowled a little shorter than in England. Bowes howled medium-pace most of the time and Larwood only sent down a few overs as he was suffering from a damaged toe. The English fielding on the whole was very disappointing.

Mark Ramprakash has proved that he can cut it on the big stage after all when he was crowned BBC TV’s Strictly Come Dancing champion on Saturday night. Both the judges and the public voted for Ramprakash ahead of the rugby player Matt Dawson in the final, with each competitor performing five dances with their professional partner.Ramprakash made some difficult lifts in the final dance, the free-style, and later confessed to some nerves at performing the manoeuvres with his partner Karen Hardy: “Being a cricketer,” he said, “I might have dropped her.” Instead his footwork was immaculate and the pressure told only one story: he can handle it.The title caps a staggering year for Ramprakash, helping Surrey to bounce back immediately to the top flight of the Championship with a phenomenal 2,278 runs at 103.54. At 38 he could not earn a recall to the England Test squad for the Ashes, although he had accepted way before this series that his days at international level were way over.But his victory has at last provided some cheer for cricket fans in England.”It’s been incredible,” he smiled as he became the second cricketer behind Darren Gough to pick up the silver, sparkly glitter-ball trophy with ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ emblazoned on it in pink writing. He had started the dancing series a 15 to 1 outsider, but soon became established as the favourite – and in the end victory was a waltz.

Scorecard

Jacques Rudolph hammered an unbeaten 201 to ensure that there were no last-day shocks for the South Africans as they drew their tour match against a Western Australia XI at Perth’s James Oval. His masterclass which included 24 fours took some of the pressure off the tourists’ injury concerns and enabled the tourists to declare on 9 for 395 at tea. They set the Western Australia XI a nominal target of 388 and allowed their bowlers a last stretch before the first Test on Friday.The South Africans batting had earlier wobbled again, and it took a 175-run ninth-wicket stand between Rudolph and Andre Nel (64) to finally ensure that the match would end as a draw. Ten Western Australian bowlers were used in all, and Matthew Petrie was the pick, finishing with 4 for 78. The final session was very low key, and Shaun Pollock picked up the one wicket to fall.Jacques Kallis has now been given until Wednesday to prove his fitness for the first Test against Australia but the tourists look likely to have a worthy batting replacement in Rudolph should Kallis miss out.Kallis has had just ten minutes’ practice since arriving in Perth and tearing a tendon in his elbow and team officials said he would have to prove himself in the nets on Wednesday or miss selection for the Test, which starts on Friday. He had earlier been given until Tuesday to prove his fitness.Although this match ended in a draw, the damp and dull wicket offered the tourists little experience of the conditions they will experience on the bouncy WACA wicket which will host the Test.But it did show that Rudolph, who has been the stand-out batsman of the tour for South Africa, could easily slot in at No 4 behind AB de Villiers, Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs if Kallis is ruled out.South African coach Mickey Arthur said he was still confident of a competitive showing against the world champions despite his team’s lacklustre form. “I’m upbeat, I really am,” he said. “You just have to be at the heart of the team to see our team spirit is fantastic and the guys are up for it. It hasn’t gone our way yet, but our intensity and discipline has got better and better. I think the guys will be up for it come Friday, I really do.”Despite Arthur’s optimism, losing Kallis, currently ranked the world’s best Test batsman, would be a massive obstacle for the tourists to overcome. With a batting average of 57.07 plus 184 wickets from his 94 Test matches, Kallis rivals England’s Andrew Flintoff as the world’s premier allrounder.Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he hoped Kallis would recover in time to play on Friday. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hope he does come up, because we want to play the best South African team that we can,” he said. If he’s not the best, he’s one of the very best batsmen in the world. He’s a pretty handy bowler for them as well and he’s a vital member of their side.”Australia’s only injury concern was fast bowler Glenn McGrath who has the flu and missed training on Tuesday. “We believe he’s fine and he’s improving,” said the team spokesperson, Belinda Dennett, “and he’s expected to train with the team tomorrow.”

There was an eerie sense of calm surrounding Port Elizabeth on the eve of the first Test at St George’s Park. All that can be said has been said, and at some length as well, with both sides jostling for the psychological high ground before, during and since England’s little hiccup at Potchefstroom. But now, with just a day to go until the first ball is bowled, it comes down to two proud sides, with two even prouder records.Since England embarked on their spectacular run of 10 victories out of 11 Tests in 2004, it has been a conveniently overlooked fact just how formidable their opponents are when placed on home soil. Regardless of their slide down the ICC world rankings, South Africa have suffered just eight home defeats in 59 Tests since their readmission to international cricket in 1992, and in their last ten Tests at St George’s Park, they have won six and lost just the once – a low-scoring thriller against the Aussies in 1996-97. “This is our back garden,” has been the oft-repeated message. Over their dead bodies will South Africa allow England to dictate terms here.It is a message that has sunk in as well, if Michael Vaughan’s pre-match remarks are anything to go by. Since he returned from an attritional and ultimately disappointing tour of Sri Lanka last winter, aggression has been the watchword of Vaughan’s captaincy. In Jamaica last March, it gave us the surreal sight of Steve Harmison steaming in to a nine-man slip cordon; at Lord’s and Trent Bridge in the summer, it provided us with a pair of exuberant run-chases en route to a clean sweep against New Zealand. But on Monday, we saw the flip side of such a heady approach, as England’s top order flashed a succession of edges into the slips, and stumbled to a cocksure downfall against South Africa A.

It was an abrupt and faintly embarrassing end to their year of unmatched dominance, and called into question the wisdom of such a limited build-up to such an important series. But it was nonetheless a timely reminder of the challenge that lies ahead, and in this climate of mild uncertainty, Vaughan has called on his players to tap into their mental reserves, as they contemplate the renewal of hostilities with a side that is much changed from the one they beat so memorably at The Oval in 2003. “Patience will be our keyword,” declared Vaughan. “Patience with the bat and patience with the ball.”The mental side of England’s game is not all about introspection, however, and Vaughan let it be known that Clive Lloyd, the ICC’s match referee, could be a busy man in the coming days. “We have our plans for certain players,” Vaughan revealed. “It’s all about how a man reacts in certain situations. A few verbals in the right direction can affect some players more than others. There’ll be plenty of battles and confrontations out there, but we’re certainly up for it. We’ve done our research.”South Africa have done theirs as well, although patience doesn’t seem to rate quite so highly in their game plan. In the selection of the thrusting young batsman AB de Villiers, and the probable appearance of the raw quickie, Dale Steyn, South Africa have invested their faith in youthful exuberance. It is a gamble, albeit one that is backed up by veterans such as Shaun Pollock, who has been stealthily silent in this week’s build-up. But South Africa’s hand has also been forced by circumstance, in particular the injuries to Jacques Kallis, who will play but may not be able to bowl in the first innings, and Nicky Boje, who has been ruled out after an operation to remove his thyroid gland. Smith explained: “There are still too many ifs about his fitness at the moment. He is bowling in the nets, but he’s just not doing enough physical work to make it through a Test match.”

The pitch, though currently green, mottled and not a little unsettling at first glance, is unlikely to assist either pace battery greatly, and South Africa could well rue the absence of Boje, given the assistance that St George’s Park has offered to the spinners in the past. “It’s pretty soft,” was Vaughan’s assessment of the strip, although with a baking hot weekend and a dry westerly breeze in prospect, any early demons ought quickly to be flattened out.Whether the demons in Steve Harmison’s mind can be as easily erased is a different matter. A reluctant tourist at the best of times, Harmison was well below his destructive best on a pacy pitch at Potchefstroom, and as the world’s current No. 1 bowler, he is sure to have been targetted by South Africa’s batsmen, in particular de Villiers, who has been given licence to play his natural attacking game, and intends treating Harmison as “just another bowler”.Vaughan, however, has no doubts about the potency and variety of his four-pronged pace attack, which has carried all before it in the past 12 months. “It’s all about bowling as a unit,” he explained. “We’ve come out on top in all sorts of different situations, and on different surfaces this year. We have some fond memories to fall back on as we go into this series.”As for Harmison himself, Vaughan was adamant that his man would rise to the challenge of defending his No. 1 status. “I’m sure South Africa have a game plan to get on top of Harmo,” he said. “It’s only natural because he’s a genuine threat. But I have no doubt that at some stage of the series, he is going to produce a spell that changes a game.”South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 AB de Villiers, 3 Jacques Rudolph, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Boeta Dippenaar, 6 Andrew Hall, 7 Shaun Pollock, 8 Zander de Bruyn, 9 Thami Tsolekile (wk), 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Dale Steyn.England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Michael Vaughan (capt), 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Simon Jones, 10 Matthew Hoggard, 11 Steve Harmison.