Team news

Assuming there are no injuries, it’s hard to imagine that England will seek to make any alterations to their line-up. Ian Bell and Matt Prior are settled as an opening partnership; Shah, Pietersen and Flintoff have shown their worth in the middle-order, and while Paul Collingwood and Luke Wright have had quiet series so far, that is largely because of the excellence of their colleagues. Samit Patel’s sparky showings as the spinning allrounder have perfectly complemented the four-prong pace attack, and everything – for now – is rosy.

England (probable) 1 Ian Bell, 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Owais Shah, 4 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Luke Wright, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison.

South Africa’s team is not so easy to second-guess. Injuries have blighted their best-laid plans, with Smith sidelined until December and Albie Morkel still struggling with a shoulder problem. Makhaya Ntini was dropped for Lord’s in favour of Andre Nel, so it is hard to imagine he’ll be seen again this summer, while Jacques Kallis’s batting form is reaching crisis point. An unchanged side is probable, but South Africa could hardly be less stable at present.

South Africa (possible) 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Jean-Paul Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Vernon Philander, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Andre Nel.
Pitch and conditions

Britain’s weather has been at its obnoxious worst in the past 24 hours, with England’s pre-match net session cancelled due to the adverse conditions. Quite what effect all this rain will have on the pitch remains to be seen, but it’s safe to assume there will be plenty assistance for the bowlers, as and when the covers are peeled off on Wednesday afternoon.