England celebrated their seventh win of the summer

They whitewashed West Indies with a 10-wicket victory at The Oval to become the third England side to claim seven successive Test triumphs.

Their sights turn to South Africa this week, naming a tour squad on Wednesday.

"We're expecting to win when we go to South Africa. We have good batters and a good bowling attack that should bowl well on those wickets," said Fletcher.

The last time England won in the Republic, by a 1-0 verdict in 1964-5, they were captained by MJK Smith.

Victory in the first Test in Port Elizabeth, which begins on 17 December, would see them break new ground with an eighth successive win.

But Michael Vaughan's men face a tough tour, with five Test matches in a 40-day span.

We need a bowling all-rounder to help us bat a bit more in depth Duncan Fletcher

England's last trip there 1999-2000 was Fletcher's first tour in charge and they were beaten 2-1 after choosing an experimental squad including several uncapped players.

"I can honestly say I'm a lot more confident about the side and it's a lot more balanced than the last time we went out there in 1999," said the former Zimbabwe captain, who lives in South Africa.

"Now I feel we have a side that is a total package and is looking pretty solid.

Fletcher gave an insight into the relentless desire for improvement he instils in his side, arriving for the fifth Test after the most testing match of the series in Manchester.

"I don't know if I'm a perfectionist, but when we arrived at The Oval the other day I got them all together and told them it wasn't good enough at Old Trafford," he revealed.

"It was mainly to make sure they weren't getting complacent and I did say to them that I had to be hyper-critical because if I wasn't then we weren't going to go forward.

England in South Africa: 2004-05 tour itinerary

Fletcher will not rest as he looks to carry on the improvement of the side but believes they are close to the finished article.

"I do believe we still have to find another all-rounder in the side," he stressed.

"We need a bowling all-rounder to help us bat a bit more in depth and that's something that I think we should be looking at, but outside of that I think the balance is pretty good.

"But I also I know we can play better than that - I don't believe we're playing to our true ability yet."