South African pace battery could be the determining factor against England, feels http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Isaac-Vivian-Alexander-Richards-c64548 – Cricket News Update
The legendary http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AJ-Strauss-c964 and his men of an intimidating South African pace attack, as the world number one ranked Test side gears up to host the second ranked Proteas in a three-Test
series, in July.
The 60-year-old Caribbean great, who covered the recently concluded Wisden Trophy between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 and West Indies as a Test Match Special pundit for BBC, admitted that the Poms will have home advantage when the two Test cricketing giants
clash next month, he however, refused to predict them as favourites to win the enthralling series.
"England are at home so they are going to be favourites, but I'm not going to predict this one,” the Caribbean batting veteran,
who captained the Windies from 1984 to 1991 told BBC Sport.
“The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Imran-c64193 Tahir can offer variety too,” he added further.
Vernon Philander, the rookie South Africa pacer who has recently claimed the CSA Player of the Year award, will be South Africa’s trump card in the upcoming series. The 26-year-old Bellville-born cricketer is a promising right-arm medium
pacer who has had stunning success in the first five months of his Test career, which saw him bagging fifty wickets in only 139 days from his debut – the second-fastest ever in Test history.
England rose to the top of Test rankings in August last year, inflicting with a 4-0 whitewash over the then Test No. 1 side, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750. Their number one status will be on the line in when second-ranked Test side, South Africa, visits them for three matches
in July and August.
Sir Richards, the veteran of 121 Tests and 187 One Day Internationals, sees next month’s contest as the ultimate test of England’s Test credentials.
"...you are going to have a much more difficult series. This series will determine where England should go and where they can end up," said the West Indies batting prodigy.
The three-match Test series between England and South Africa kick starts at Kennington Oval, London, on July 19.
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