Cricket/First Test: To each his own. The England pace bowlers spent much of yesterday's practice session on the middle at St George's Park hurtling down the hill and attempting to pound the hands of Geraint Jones into something resembling Wiener schnitzel.

From close quarters, it was impressive. Steve Harmison, surging now as he has been during a remarkable year, was gaining disconcerting bounce, and Simon Jones, quicker into the crease than in Potchefstroom earlier in the week, relied less on a massive body heave for his pace and looked more rhythmical as a result, plucking out the single stump for a pastime.

Only Matthew Hoggard, crucial to the attack as a new-ball bowler, is struggling, his body blocked out by the pronounced step into the line of the stumps in his delivery stride.

There is no question that for their part the South Africans are expecting a bombardment and have been preparing for it. Practice has involved much bobbing and weaving in anticipation of the inevitable bouncers. A junior Wimbledon champion has been serving tennis balls at them. The home batsmen are going to have to dig deep into their resources of bravery, as once did sides against West Indies.

In response they will have less in the way of firepower, for although Makhaya Ntini is slippery he is by no means express, and age and workload have taken the edge from the great Shaun Pollock. The back-up is fast-medium at best. So South Africa's tactics will revolve around a waiting game.

They will test the patience of the England batsmen by exploring what might be called the "corridor of predictability" way outside off stump, sitting back and, like anglers, waiting for a bite.

This is a series England must win if they are to retain credibility as a force for the Ashes campaign next summer.

For South Africa, it is about regaining theirs. The great days are gone and life has been a struggle. There is a turnover in personnel, injuries have deprived them of key players and they have suffered abroad. But they remain fiercely defiant in their own country, having won 10 and drawn one of the 11 games since Australia won the series here two years ago.

Indeed, only the Australians, twice, have beaten South Africa at home in the 20 series of the post-apartheid era.