"England ready for acid test"
England have identified today's match against South Africa at Newlands as an acid test of their one-day international progress.
An opening victory at Centurion last weekend means England can take an unbeatable 2-0 lead if they see off their hosts for what would be a seventh successive time, dating back to August last year.
It is an encouraging scenario for captain Andrew Strauss, also well aware South Africa will be determined to bounce back at a venue where they have a formidable record.
Several factors are therefore in place to help indicate how much England are improving as an ODI force.
"There is a long-term plan in improving our one-day cricket - and these sorts of games are the ones that can really take us forward," said Strauss.
"We've said in the past we've always responded well to defeat but have not been quite so great on building on a good performance.
"We're going to try to put ourselves under a bit of pressure this game to make sure we build on that."
Strauss knows a chastened South Africa will not be making things easy.
"They are going to come back hard at us," he predicted.
"There's no doubt about that - they're always competitive anyway but they wouldn't have enjoyed losing that first game.
"We're expecting them to come here all guns blazing."
The answer, according to Strauss, is for England to attack an already advantageous situation rather than engage in cautious consolidation.
"We've got ourselves in a nice position to really turn the screw in this one-day series - now is not the time to let up," he warned.
"We mustn't take our foot off the pedal.
"We need to use that victory on Sunday as a means of trying to push it to another level."
Among those facing an examination of resolve tomorrow is fit-again seamer Stuart Broad.
He has not played since suffering a shoulder injury three weeks ago but is expected to be thrown back into the thick of it - with South Africa already making noises about exploiting his possible vulnerabilities in his first match back.
"I suppose it's a little bit of a test of his character," said Strauss.
"Those sorts of comments have a good way of focusing your mind and motivating you - and he certainly looked in fine fettle yesterday when we had a middle practice.
"He's confident and he's been bowling pretty well for a long period of time.
"That's quite a nice combination to have - and I'm very confident of his ability to take wickets in both one-day and Test cricket.
"I think he's got a big role to play on this tour.
"He gives us other options with the new ball, and we're really looking forward to having him back."
Two other England players may have a little more to prove than most.
Graeme Swann, if passed fit after his side problem, is likely to replace Adil Rashid - and Kevin Pietersen has so far made only 37 in three innings since the Achilles operation which kept him out for four months.
Strauss appears to have few qualms about either, although he admits no decision will be made on Swann's participation until the last minute.
"He's actually been quite painful around the dressing-room - a little bit too much energy at his disposal," the captain said of the colourful off-spinner.
"He's dying to get out there and play again, and we're hoping he should be okay."
As for Pietersen, Strauss is convinced it is merely a matter of time before he clicks - as long as he sticks to what he does best.
"He's been out for a while, so it's always going to take a couple of games for him to be at 100%," he reasons.
"But I never have any real worries about KP. A big score is always just around the corner.
"He's fresh, motivated and really wants to contribute to the England side - and coming back to South Africa is another place he really wants to do well.
"He's going to put in some big performances for us over the coming weeks.
"A player of that quality doesn't keep out of the limelight for very long."
The only thing Pietersen needs to do, his captain believes, is carry on with the attacking approach which has already brought him so much success.
"The last thing you'd want is to see him become a very responsible batsman that never takes those risks - because his greatest strength is the ability to dominate any type of bowler," he said.
"We want him to continue doing that for the coming months and years."
Strauss confirmed that, for the second year running, it seems likely some England players will feature in the Indian Premier League next spring.
Following reports that as many as five of the current squad may be in the IPL reckoning, the captain voiced no objections at this stage.
He is, however, cautious over whether the England and Wales Cricket Board may want to take a view on specific players nearer the time - once the full implications can be seen of fitting in a spell in India after a tour of Bangladesh and just before the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. "By the looks of things, our players may be made available for a certain proportion of the IPL," Strauss noted.
"The guys who went there last time felt they gained a lot from it.
"We still have to be conscious of keeping people fresh and motivated. But at this stage, I've got no problems with people playing in the IPL.
"You've probably got to get a lot closer to the time before you can judge whether it is the right thing to do for certain individuals."
Strauss has no doubt an IPL stint can be advantageous, and not just in financial terms.
"You wouldn't hold it against anyone for going, because it is a great opportunity," he said.
"There are huge benefits to playing in that tournament, especially with a World Twenty20 competition following on the back of it.
"But everything in life is a balancing act, and the ECB will come to a decision on what they think is a fair amount of time for our players to be playing.
"We just need to be sensible about how much we play and what are the best times to play and best times to rest."
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