Crisis outing at Boot Hill for South Africa series game

East London - Buffalo Park, with a local cemetery perched on the hill overlooking the ground, could be the ideal venue today for South Africa to start a revival of their home series limitedovers hopes this summer. About the only way Hansie Cronje's side is going restore confidence after Wednesday night's defeat by a tenacious Zimbabwe at Kingsmead is to bury England and not themselves in what the writers of the Western genre aptly refer to as 'Boot Hill'.

Which adds more than a touch of morbid curiosity to their fifth game of this particular triangular series as there is no doubt it is now crisis time for Cronje?s side, already facing the prospect of being the first South African team to be eliminated from a home final since the Total Triangular tournament seven years ago.

It was the coach, Graham Ford, who warned earlier this week that the last three league games of this particular slogs road show were going to be tough. Travelling on days when the side needed to train as well as rest made it a lot more complicated than merely turning up for the toss at around 2.10pm. Cronje also admitted there was some concern about the top-order putting more runs on the board with the new partnership of Louis Koen and Herschelle Gibbs just that touch uncertain. It could have been they were a little too confident against a side whose bowling attack carries little more than a three and a half star rating at international level.

Too many risky strokes and failing to take more careful note of field placings saw swift exits at a time the pair needed to build a solid foundation. Which again suggests a reshuffle of the top four batsmen: Jacques Kallis opening with Koen, Kevin McKenzie at three and Gibbs filling fourth spot. England have already spent four days resting up since their facile victory over

Zimbabwe in Kimberley and the folk of this seaside resort have had a good look at their confidence as they have gone about preparing for what is a big game. 'We want to wrap it up here and not have to wait until the game against Zimbabwe in Centurion next week,' was Duncan Fletcher?s off-the-cuff comment. 'We know, though, South Africa are going to be tough. They need to win here to stay alive and it makes them dangerous,' were the offered thoughts to the London press machine covering the tour.

And this from a man who knows the South African team?s psyche well enough. He knows it is more than pride involved here. There is also a team the selectors need to consider for the India tour to be announced in Port Elizabeth tomorrow.

While England?s selectors now have a fit Warwickshire all-rounder Ashley Giles available and Graham Swann has finally parted for a chilly England, chances are we could find Mornantau Hayward making way for either Steve Elworthy or Nicky Boje at Buffalo Park today.

Apart from the Wanderers and Bloemfontein, Boje has looked on as South Africa stuttered to a one run victory at Newlands and then lost to Zimbabwe on Wednesday night. All this after that nine wickets thrashing England dished out in Bloemfontein.

Depending on the conditions, Elworthy and Boje could be brought into the attack to give it a tad more variety: one a swing bowler who did his bit during the World Cup and Boje in perhaps for Henry Williams.

What with the selectors still undecided, still looking to adjust the side to a transition they have to make a few hard choices and with Jonty Rhodes already out of the India campaign for family reasons, the thought that Dale Benkenstein?s exit from the team was an over-hasty act on their part lingers. They need to get their thinking right and while McKenzie is seen as an ideal replacement for Daryll Cullinan at four, Benkenstein needs to be given an extended run at six.

South Africa (from): Herschelle Gibbs, Louis Koen, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Hansie Cronje (capt), Jonty Rhodes, Pieter Strydom, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Steve Elworthy, Nicky Boje, Mornantau Hayward, Henry Williams.

England (possibly from): Nasser Hussain (capt), Nick Knight, Graeme Hick, Vikram Solanki, Darren Maddy, Craig White, Mark Alleyne, Mark Ealham, Chris Read, Andy Caddick, Darren Gough, Alan Mullally.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen and Ian Howell; TV: Barry Lambson

Hours of play: 2.30-6.00pm; 6.45-10.15pm

TV: SABC 3; SuperSport 2