Andrew Strauss is not an emotional man; he is straight talking and intelligent and delivers his answers during an interview in a direct, no nonsense manner, albeit it with a very loud voice. On the eve of the deciding Test at the Wanderers, looking down over the pitch, his voice definitely trembled when I asked him what the impact would be to beat Australia and South Africa back-to-back, particularly given the chaotic start to his reign a year ago.  | Kevin Pietersen's problem seems to be a technical one |
He gave his players the credit, of course, but I was left in little doubt that Strauss will be straining every sinew to finish this tour on a successful note, and to complete a remarkable double. What he must fear, however, is another batting wobble, of which there have been two in the last three Tests and might have seen South Africa holding a 2-1 lead, rather than facing a 1-0 deficit. We know all about Graham Onions' heroics with the bat - indeed, we marvel at them. But the number 11 should not have been placed in the position of having to twice stave off defeat and while the South Africans were devastated at their failure to finish off England in Cape Town, the focus of their regrouping must have been the knowledge that the tourists cannot keep escaping in this manner. There is a concern about Kevin Pietersen's form. Apart from his 81 in the second innings at Centurion, which ended when he ran himself out by the length of the pitch, he has been surprisingly short of runs. In the last game, a second ball duck was followed by a twitchy innings of six and his tally of 158 runs in five innings gives him an average of just 31. The hostile reception when he walks out to bat continues, but I would be surprised if that upsets him unduly, and his problem seems to be a technical one of aiming to hit straight balls into the leg side without taking a big enough stride down the pitch. | 606: DEBATE |
If he misses, the bowler hits and it is no surprise that bowled and lbw feature heavily in his modes of dismissal in this series. The pitch at the Wanderers is grassy and with the weather forecast threatening thunderstorms in the afternoons, as is the way here, South Africa can be expected to come out and hit England as hard as they can; to put the batting line-up under as much pressure as possible as they look for a pride-restoring win. With relations between the two teams definitely rocky after the ball-tampering rumpus at Cape Town, we can expect a fiery end to what has been a terrific series.
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