London, July 19: England and South Africa, the two best Test sides around, are evenly matched, but wet conditions could give England the edge.
Proteas will replace England at the summit of the International Cricket Council''s standings if they win the series 3-0. Should England draw, they will remain the No.1 Test side.
Mike Selvey, the Guardian’s cricket correspondent, said: “Yet it must be England who are favourites. Their knowledge and use of home conditions gives them an advantage, particularly when it comes to bowling.
“Except for the number six position, they have a settled, well drilled side used to winning and buoyed by their recent overwhelming success against Australia, albeit in a different format. These things tend to rub off.”
He said that on paper, South Africa possess arguably the strongest batting line-up in Test cricket at present, but there are weaknesses in Alviro Petersen at the top of the order, and Jacques Rudolph and JP Duminy lower down.
“The game, though, as we are so often reminded, is not played on paper. Graeme Smith has been thunderous in England in the past, but it is 20 months since last he scored a century. England, if they bowl across him and full, and make sure not to stray on to his pads, will make his life difficult,” Selvey writes in The Guardian.
He further said that the pitch is reported to be very dry, despite the lack of good sun to harden it up and toss is always going to be crucial.
“The toss was always going to prove important, if only psychologically, but now more so as batting last could be an unenviable task. Runs will be a struggle, and a single innings of character could decide the outcome. I see England winning the match and taking the series 2-0,” he said.
© ANI
