 Zimbabwe, England and South Africa will compete in 10 matches |
Which team will win the NatWest Series and who are the players to keep an eye on? The Test Match Special team has run the rule over England, South Africa and Zimbabwe, drawing conclusions and making predictions.
Aggers and co find it hard to split England and South Africa for top honours in the triangular tournament.
Their verdicts do not make happy reading for Zimbabwe, and the common consensus is that it is time England's Andrew Flintoff fulfilled his ability on the international stage.
What else did the TMS crystal ball reveal?
Jonathan Agnew
It would be a huge shock if England and South Africa did not reach the final. They should be neck-and-neck throughout, with Zimbabwe a distant third, and they should produce a decent match at Lord's, with South Africa the narrow favourites.
Their captain Graeme Smith has been built up as an aggressive, in your face fellow, and it will be interesting watching him, particularly if he finds himself under pressure.
I'll also have a keen eye on Makhaya Ntini, a vastly improved fast bowler.
Henry Blofeld
Zimbabwe will have a better chance than in the Test series because of the nature of the game, but I would be surprised not to see England and South Africa in the final.
 |  I'd be disappointed if England did not win |
And England may just have the advantage at Lord's, not just because they're at home, but because they're also becoming quite a good unit.
In addition South Africa are playing under Graeme Smith - a new captain who is untried at the highest level.
I'll be keeping an eye on Chris Read - a very good wicketkeeper and a spunky little batsman.
Angus Fraser
England did well to beat Pakistan, although I'm not so sure they deserved to.
Whereas Pakistan are up and down, having good days and bad, South Africa are pretty consistent and England will not get the better of them quite yet.
Although Zimbabwe will not figure in the shake up, it will be worth watching Andy Blignaut.
He's a talented young cricketer and the one-day game should give him a bit more freedom, allowing him to get after the ball.
Allan Donald
| No disrespect to Zimbabwe but they are a weakened side - it's between South Africa and England |
I hope South Africa win and I think they will. They are in good form, but it is crucial they get their noses in front early against England in what promises to be a tight duel between the sides.
South Africa had a miserable World Cup, but they have always been a very good one-day side and by the time the final comes round they should be the team to beat.
The man to watch is the Northern Transvaal left-hander, Jaques Rudolph - an exciting batsman and a star in the making.
He reminds me of Marcus Trescothick in the way he bats - an upright stance and some terrific shots - and it will be interesting to see how he handles the ball that zips a little bit off the wicket.
Mike Gatting
It will be an interesting series with England and South Africa, two teams with a mix of old and new, progressing to the final.
It was exciting to watch England's bowling and fielding against Pakistan and they are more than capable of winning again.
However, to be sure of victory they need to improve their batting with Jim Troughton, Andrew Flintoff - who certainly needs to put some scores together - and Rikki Clarke, adding firepower in the middle order.
As well as Flintoff, I like the look of South Africa batsman Martin van Jaarsveld and Zimbabwe's allrounder Andy Blignaut.
Simon Mann
Zimbawe might sneak a win somewhere along the line but they are simply not strong enough to reach the final.
That will be between England and South Africa and the winner will depend on who performs on the day - it's impossible to predict.
England have looked good recently, and although South Africa are rebuilding, they still have some very good players to call on such as Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock.
Andrew Flintoff is equally as talented and has shown glimpses of what he is capable of doing on the international stage without taking that further step. It's waiting to happen.
Vic Marks
I've enjoyed watching England for the last two or three matches more than I have for a long time - new faces, a new energy and a zip in the field.
| There's spark in the England bowling with bowlers wanting to take wickets rather than contain |
It's exciting times and easy to predict that they will join South Africa in the final - although after that it gets a bit more difficult and is too close to call.
What we've seen with Vikram Solanki on one side of the wicket and Jim Troughton on the other makes me think of Randall and Gower in their youth - there's a zest in the fielding.
Solanki's also an intriguing batsman. There's a touch of artistry about him, but he will have to score some runs to stay involved.
Christopher Martin-Jenkins
England should certainly come second, and have an outside chance of coming first, but I put South Africa down as favourites.
Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher have some decisions to make, particularly in the middle order.
Jim Troughton and Rikki Clarke offer energy in the field but showed little with the bat against Pakistan.
And it's time Andrew Flintoff, who has a tremendous presence about his cricket, became more consistent.
Henry Olonga
Zimbabwe will not exactly be oozing with confidence having lost to Ireland and Hampshire either side of a nail-biting win over Somerset.
They also have to contend with the absence of Stuart Carlisle, but if the gel they can certainly compete - they got to the final in Sharjah and both Pakistan and Sri Lanka were there.
South Africa will be playing hard under new captain Graeme Smith and are certainly favourites. England had a few flutters in their series win against Pakistan, despite Marcus Trescothick coming into a purple patch.
Jonny Saunders
Going into the series there's a really good vibe around the England team - I've been mightily impressed by what I've seen so far.
| Blignaut made absolute mincemeat of Australia in the World Cup |
For Zimbabwe to even threaten England or South Africa they need their key players to fire, people like Andy Blignaut.
He is an entertainer in the Andrew Flintoff mould, and like "Freddie" is a player to always look out for with both bat and ball.
Anthony McGrath, another all-rounder, has gone about his business without making headlines since his debut, but he's another of those brilliant Duncan Fletcher hunches along with Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick.
Mike Selvey
You've got three teams that have taken a lot of casualties since the World Cup and any side can beat another in a one-day game as it takes just one outstanding performance
Zimbabwe are starting from a low resourse base, England have the most resources and, as a result, the best side.
They are beginning to get some exciting players involved and will beat a transitional South Africa in the final.
It's time Andrew Flintoff went up a notch to the next level. There's no question he can do it, I just want to see it and be there when he does.
MMIX
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