Cricket: Vaughan confident England can shine in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG - England captain Michael Vaughan said on Monday that he expected an evenly matched series against South Africa but suggested his bowlers could hold the key.

His team flew into Johannesburg from Zimbabwe on Monday for five Tests and seven one-day internationals.

"This is the exciting part of the winter, with...two evenly matched teams. I don't see us as favourites or underdogs, but if we played to the high standards we set in the summer then I fancy our chances of winning," Vaughan said.

"South Africa have batting in depth and Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith always pose a huge threat.

"But we have matchwinners too and we are certainly happy with our attack."

England coach Duncan Fletcher was also quietly confident.

"There is still room for improvement, but I am very confident of what we can do," Fletcher said. "The South African team has a lot of potential, but maybe their confidence is not as high as it could be. We must ensure we take advantage of that."

Vaughan said he had watched the November-December test series between India and South Africa on television and had been impressed by the South African team despite their 1-0 defeat.

"I thought their performance was of a decent standard in India, because we all know what a tough tour that is.

"Our players are maturing and improving, but it is a big, big challenge to come over here and win."

The England team will be in Johannesburg until Friday, when they travel to Potchefstroom, 140km west of South Africa's biggest city, for a three-day match against South Africa A starting on Saturday.

Fletcher said the team would be "very close to, if not the test side".

England's first on-field action is a festival one-dayer against the Nicky Oppenheimer XI on Wednesday.

- REUTERS