SA vs Eng 5th ODI - Strauss Expects SA Backlash in Final Game

Durban: England are prepared for a South Africa backlash in the fifth and final One-dayer on Friday, said captain Andrew Strauss. The visitors hold a 2-1 lead, after the first game was washed out by rain, but Strauss was wary of talking about a potential series win.

"It would be a bit naive to talk about series victories before we have actually achieved it," the opening batsman told a news conference on Thursday.

"We have to play well tomorrow and have to expect another South African backlash."

England won the second and fourth matches by convincing seven-wicket margins, with the hosts claiming a comprehensive 112-run victory in the third game.

Despite the visitors being on the brink of their first One-day series victory in South Africa, Strauss believes his team is capable of better performances.

Strauss said England had applied pressure on South Africa in this series.

South Africa skipper Graeme Smith feels his team has been below par so far.

"If we had played to our potential England would have had to take a few more risks up front while they were batting instead of us allowing them to play a certain way," said Smith.

"We haven't pushed them to perform under pressure and that is disappointing."

Team news

South Africa: Proteas's dilemma is whether to stick or twist do they recall Herschelle Gibbs to the middle order in an admission that their batting is vulnerable, or do they trust Ryan McLaren to knuckle down at No. 7.

Squad (likely): Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Alviro Petersen, Mark Boucher (wk), Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell, Johan Botha, Morne Morkel, Charl Langeveldt.

England: James Anderson reported a knee injury in the build-up to the Port Elizabeth match. England hopefully will plays same XI.

Squad (likely): Andrew Strauss (capt), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Luke Wright, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson.

Pitch & conditions
Kingsmead was the ground where the first ever 6 sixers in an over in a T20 match in the first Twenty20 World Cup, 2007 was scored by Yuvraj Singh off Stuart Broad. Kingsmead has traditionally been known as a seamer's wicket and has witnessed many batting collapses. In due course, the pitch was redesigned so as to bring about a fair contest between bat and ball.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa's overall record in ODIs against England since 2008 now reads seven defeats and a solitary win in eight completed games, which is their worst clutch of results since the two teams first met in 1992
• Ominously, the last ODI match that England played in Durban, in 2005, was a washout. The match was abandoned with England uncomfortably placed on 7 for 2, chasing 213.

Match facts
Friday, December 4, 2009
Start time 14:30 local (12:30 GMT), 13:30 EST