Snuffing out Magnificent Five may do the trick for SA

ENGLAND’S record on the road is not something to write home about, but they have not lost a series in South Africa since the turn of the Millennium.

Here are five things Russell Domingo may need to ponder to turn things in his side’s favour in the upcoming series which starts Saturday:

1. Underestimate Moeen Ali at your peril. England’s off-spinning allrounder is a poor man’s Ravichandran Ashwin but if South Africa’s southpaws drop their guard, he could be lethal. After the mental torture at the hands of India’s skilled practitioner, Ali may be seen as an outlet for the pent-up frustration brought by the inability to score off Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The same skills that evaded the South African batsmen in India will be needed to combat off-spin, regardless of how weak Ali is perceived to be.

2. Steve Finn will pose a serious threat. Pace, lift and bounce will be a trending theme during the series, all of which can be provided by a fit and firing Finn. On a slowish Pietermaritzburg surface, he was able to rush batsmen into rash strokes, even though South Africa’s Test batsmen may put up more resistance. His action may be remodelled but he was a handful for South African batsmen on flat surfaces in England three years ago. He is a wiser bowler now and will be up against a batting unit low on confidence after the dreadful India tour.

3. Ben Stokes is a dangerous customer. The allrounder is nowhere near Andrew Flintoff in his pomp yet, but his ability to change a game in a session cannot be underestimated. Being a batsman who thrives on pace, hitting through the line is his forte and he has a decent first-class record in South Africa. That includes an unbeaten 86-ball 151 against South Africa A at Mamelodi in February. None of South Africa’s main Test bowlers took part in that game but Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl were spectators in that game. He also has lower order hundreds against New Zealand and Australia, which indicates his ability to dominate top-class bowling attacks.

4. No short balls to Alastair Cook, please. The England captain is in good form and the last thing that can be done is to feed his cutting and pulling strengths. What counts in Cook’s favour is his ability to wait for the bad ball, which he got plenty of in the recently completed three-day game. South Africa’s bowling attack acquitted itself well in alien conditions, but Cook is an all-weather batsman who erodes a bowler’s will like water does to rocks. Durban is also his favourite South African hunting ground with his hundred six years ago setting up a legendary innings win.

5. Joe Root is the heart of a middle-order with a point to prove. The Yorkshireman saved England from middle-order collapses in the Ashes and that will be expected from him in the next four Tests. While he has done relatively well in the West Indies and Asia, he has a less than savoury record south of the equator. In the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash, he totalled only 192 runs at 27 in eight innings with a highest score of 87. South Africa’s pace attack is not as fearsome as the one he faced in that terrible series but they will test his technique, which sees him press slightly forward rather than having a positive stride that often works on South African surfaces.

England outplayed the South Africa ‘A’ side, winning by an innings and 91 runs yesterday, with Ali capturing six wickets for 77 runs.

● Scorecard in Results, page 14