ENGLAND know they must save their best for last if they are to complete the series victory they crave in South Africa.
Their hosts, top of the world rankings little more than a month ago, approach the fourth and final Test at The Wanderers in danger of a shock series defeat.
England have already had to do it the hard way to chisel out two astonishing draws at Centurion and Cape Town, number 11 Graham Onions famously twice defying South Africa with nine wickets down in the last over.
An innings victory separated those survival acts to give Andrew Strauss’ team an unbeatable 1-0 lead.
South Africa, however, have raised the stakes by openly instructing the groundsman to prepare a result pitch at a venue where there has in any case been only one drawn Test in the last decade.
Paul Collingwood, one of England’s principal saviours at Newlands last week, is in no doubt about what to expect.
‘‘Let’s be honest – they’re not going to produce a flat, flat wicket,’’ he said.
‘‘South Africa are in a position where they need a win – and to do that, they’ve got to gamble a little bit.
‘‘This wicket does tend to go through a lot more anyway; you get a bit more bounce here.
‘‘Then if they leave a bit more grass on, it will obviously seam around a bit.’’ Collingwood knows runs will be a precious commodity, if the pace bowlers dominate – as so many expect.
But he backs England to come up with the goods again, in a match he believes will see all his team-mates pushing for a starring individual role towards a hugely rewarding victory.
‘‘It could be a difficult week for the batsmen,’’ he said.
‘‘But it’s exciting. It’s a game we should all be wanting to win the man of the match, to win the series for England.
‘‘It will be a massive achievement for us.
‘‘We’re happy where we are at the moment. But we’ll be even happier if we get the draw or the win out of this game.’’ Collingwood is prepared for a battle royal first, though, against opponents who have set out their stall by adding Wayne Parnell to their squad for a likely Test debut as an extra frontline pace option.
Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn are already obvious contenders to make the most of extra pace, bounce and movement – and world-class all-rounder Jacques Kallis completes a fearsome quartet.
In James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Onions the tourists have their own weaponry in what promises to be a confrontational, perhaps brutal, contest. Yet the omens for England are encouraging.
Their uncanny run of three last-gasp draws in eight Tests since last July has established another pleasing sequence –a wide-margin victory immediately following the first two of those escapes.
The hat-trick would be decidedly handy. But Collingwood is hardly minded to place his trust in fate.
‘‘We’re not going to sit back and relax because we got a good result at Cape Town,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve got to make sure as players we’re mentally focused to come out and do the job.
‘‘It is a huge week for us, because we want to go away from here winning the series – not just drawing it.’’ He is confident too that the determination which appears to imbue England under captain Strauss and coach Andy Flower is a major asset.
‘‘To have this kind of resilience when you are under the pump is a great strength.
‘‘Obviously you are going to need the flair and bits of genius at times, but I think we’ve shown in the last six months we’ve got it in the locker if we need it.
Kallis called on his team to match England’s mettle.
‘‘They haven’t given up.
They have been in tough situations in two games, where they have been totally out of it but have managed to get out,’’ he said. ‘‘We hope the luck will go our way in this Test; we feel it has gone England’s way for a little while.’’
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