A battle royale brewing

Tuesday’s game is South Africa’s last in the Super 8s, while England must still play the West Indies in the final match before the semi-finals.

South Africa, imperious-looking at the start of the tournament, have stuttered, inexplicably losing to Bangladesh in Guyana and then bettered by New Zealand in Grenada on Saturday.

England’s World Cup campaign has lurched from disappointment to crisis. They have beaten Bangladesh and Ireland, losing to Sri Lanka and Australia. The South Africans have lost to Bangladesh and New Zealand, beating Sri Lanka, Ireland and the West Indies.

Tuesday’s match promises to be a torrid seam-bowling confrontation on a hard and dry Kensington Oval wicket that is newly relaid and offering occasionally dramatic bounce and pace. Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock and the aggressive Andre Nel will face off against the English pace attack of James Anderson, Sajid Mahmood and Andrew Flintoff.

The match will also feature England’s South African-raised Kevin Pietersen coming up against a South Africa team that has always reserved special abuse for him.

“It’s probably something that triggers inside me that makes me want to give it an extra special go,” he told reporters on Sunday.

Pietersen and Graeme Smith have both made derogatory comments about each other in the past but the England batsman wants to avoid a new feud.

Andrew Flintoff, who has struggled throughout the World Cup, was taken to hospital for blood tests for glandular fever. But he was diagnosed with a chest infection and took part in net practice, albeit not at full pace, on Sunday.

Andrew Strauss also came through a fitness test after suffering a dead leg caused by an accidental collision with bowling coach Kevin Shine while playing beach volleyball.

–SIMON HAYDON