Strauss urges England to turn screw

Andrew Strauss practices at the Northerns-Goodwood Oval in Cape Town, the same city where England resume the ODI series

England have identified tomorrow’s match against South Africa at Newlands as an acid test of their one-day international progress.

An opening victory at Centurion last weekend means England can take an unassailable 2-0 lead if they see off their hosts for what would be a seventh successive time in 50-over contests, dating back to August last year.

It is an encouraging scenario for captain Andrew Strauss, who is also well aware that South Africa will be determined to bounce back at a venue where they have a formidable record.

Several factors are therefore in place to help indicate how much England are improving as a one-day force.

“There is a long-term plan in improving our one-day cricket - and these sorts of games are the ones that can really take us forward,” said Strauss.

“We’ve said in the past we’ve always responded well to defeat but have not been quite so great on building on a good performance.

“We’re going to try to put ourselves under a bit of pressure this game to make sure we build on that.”

Strauss knows a chastened South Africa will not be making things easy in Cape Town.

“They are going to come back hard at us,” he predicted. “There’s no doubt about that.

Strauss is grateful for the return from injury of Stuart Broad, who he believes "has a big role to play" on the tour

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"They’re always competitive anyway but they wouldn’t have enjoyed losing that first game. We’re expecting them to come here all guns blazing.”

The answer, according to Strauss, is for England to attack an already advantageous situation rather than engage in cautious consolidation.

“We’ve got ourselves in a nice position to really turn the screw in this one-day series - now is not the time to let up,” he warned.

“We mustn't take our foot off the pedal. We need to use that victory on Sunday as a means of trying to push it to another level.”

Among those facing an examination of resolve tomorrow is fit-again seamer Stuart Broad.

Broad has not played since suffering a shoulder injury three weeks ago but is expected to be thrown back into the thick of it - with South Africa already making noises about exploiting his supposed vulnerabilities in his first match back.

“I suppose it’s a little bit of a test of his character,” said Strauss.

“Those sorts of comments have a good way of focusing your mind and motivating you, and he certainly looked in fine fettle yesterday when we had a middle practice.

“He’s confident and he’s been bowling pretty well for a long period of time.

“That’s quite a nice combination to have - and I’m very confident of his ability to take wickets in both one-day and Test cricket.

“He’s got a big role to play on this tour. He gives us other options with the new ball and we’re really looking forward to having him back.”

Graeme Swann, if passed fit after his side problem, could replace Adil Rashid as England’s spinner.

Strauss admits no decision will be made on Swann’s participation until the last minute.

Kevin Pietersen, glancing back at the damage caused by Albie Morkel at Centurion, has made 37 runs in three knocks so far

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“He’s actually been quite painful around the dressing-room - a little bit too much energy at his disposal,” the captain said of the colourful off-spinner.

“He’s dying to get out there and play again, and we’re hoping he should be okay.”

As for Kevin Pietersen, Strauss is convinced it is merely a matter of time before he clicks. So far on this tour, Pietersen has made only 37 in three innings since the Achilles operation which kept him out for four months.

“He’s been out for a while, so it’s always going to take a couple of games for him to be at 100%,” Strauss reasoned.

“But I never have any real worries about KP. A big score is always just around the corner.

“He’s fresh, motivated and really wants to contribute to the England side - and coming back to South Africa is another place he really wants to do well.

“He’s going to put in some big performances for us over the coming weeks. A player of that quality doesn’t keep out of the limelight for very long.”

The only thing Pietersen needs to do, his skipper believes, is carry on with the attacking approach which has already brought him so much success.

“The last thing you’d want is to see him become a very responsible batsman that never takes those risks - because his greatest strength is the ability to dominate any type of bowler,” Strauss said.

“We want him to continue doing that for the coming months and years.”