SA Eng ODI 5 Preview: Rain Dampens ODI Hopes As Hosts Named Squad For 1st Test

Still standing, seems to what Graeme Smith is saying. But the South African captain would be feeling denied after rain has delayed, and possibly threatens to rule out play, at Durban, leaving Kingsmead and South Africa with an air of resignation of surrendering the ODI series to England. Michael Vaughan certainly seems to be digging into South Africa after losing the battle against them on the field. 2010 FIFA Football World Cup draw would be a better bet at the moment.
Andrew Strauss, the England captain, would have liked to have marked his 100th ODI with a thumping win that lets England win the series 3-1. But preventing that has been persistent rain which appears to be already having its say.
For the South African captain, the result will be a disappointing one, given that only Australia have beaten South Africa in an ODI series in South Africa previously. South Africa would have wanted to make amends for their 4-0 loss to England in 2008, but it appears that the bus may have been missed.
Already one game of five has been a wash out because of rain and now it appears a second one will be as well. South Africa certainly have to put some plans in place if they are to give a strong run into the 2011 World Cup.
But already the focus appears to have shifted to the Tests, and South Africa could lose their number one position in the ICC Test rankings should India beat Sri Lanka in Mumbai at the Brabourne Stadium. Keen to retain their ranking and hold, South Africa have named a squad that is not likely to give confidence to the outsider given that there are four rookie personnel in the fifteen man squad and Jacques Kallis’ name is only provisional.
The man who is given to ‘artballing’ these days, former England captain, Michael Vaughan has dug into the hosts and in particular, into Graeme Smith, stating that the England team would not be fearing South Africa in the forthcoming Test series either because in his opinion, England have the better bowling attack.
Stating that England could prepare for the series simply by facing the bowling machine, he was echoing Allan Donald’s words of supposedly the South African coach Mickey Arthur’s concerns about the ability of the team to pick up twenty wickets barring Dale Steyn.
All shall be tested in a few days’ time. Vaughan’s torrid affair with South Africa that saw him give up his England captaincy last year has at least ended on the field.
For the moment, all eyes on the remote possibility that play may just be possible, although the skies seem against it.

In the meantime, here’s the South African squad for the first Test against England:

GC Smith (captain), HM Amla, MV Boucher (wkt), AB de Villiers, F de Wet, JP Duminy, PL Harris, JH Kallis, R McLaren, M Morkel, M Ntini, WD Parnell, AN Petersen, AG Prince, DW Steyn