England hoping for a change

Last year it was at Trent Bridge that the tone of the international summer changed. England had dominated the first npower Test against India, winning by an innings, and initially promised to do the same in Nottingham, after Michael Vaughan's career-best 197 lifted them to 617 and a massive lead of 253. But then the Indians dug in to save the game, and the summer went sour for England. India won the next Test to square the series, and had the better of the last match.

Now the boot's on the other foot. England have been outplayed by South Africa in the first two Tests, and arguably only the rain at Edgbaston prevented it being 2-0 now. So England will be looking for Trent Bridge to change the script again.

The England team has changed, too. Last year the new ball was taken by Matthew Hoggard (now injured) and Dominic Cork (forgotten, except for hairstyle updates). Steve Harmison, who made his debut at Trent Bridge 12 months ago, is still there, and will probably share the new ball with Jimmy Anderson, who for the first time in his cometary career is finding swing - and wickets - hard to come by. The third seamer is a straight choice between James Kirtley and another newcomer, Glen Chapple. The fact that Kirtley has been 12th man at each of the four Tests so far this season - and the realisation that Chapple averages 37 with the ball in first-class cricket this summer - should mean that Kirtley finally gets to keep his England cap.

England's other newcomer, Ed Smith, is a certain starter. He will stride out at No. 5 in place of Anthony McGrath who, in one of the more predictable scenarios of this hot summer, found South Africa a different kettle of fish to Zimbabwe at Test level. Smith is full of runs, having already stroked six centuries this season, but the South Africans will be aware of rumblings that he is fallible to the short ball. So don't expect too many of the flowing drives which illuminate Smith's longer innings for Kent.

Michael Vaughan said in today's Daily Mail that he has got nothing against including Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe in the same side, which suggests that when Thorpe is fit again he should return. The England middle order would certainly look more reassuring with him around, but Smith deserves a chance. Let's hope he gets more of a run than his namesake Mike in 1997 - one cap, no wickets, no swing, not much respect, and hardly a glance from the selectors since.

But Vaughan's biggest headache is how to dismiss his opposite number. Graeme Smith has been in unbelievable form, hammering 277 (and 85) in the first Test and 259 at Lord's. With 621 runs already he's a reasonable bet to pass one of the Test records most people thought untouchable - Don Bradman's 974 runs in a single series, in England in 1930. It's hard to imagine England feeding Smith's strengths - that barn-door push off the legs and the clattering on-drive - quite so often again. Not dropping him when he does offer you a catch is a good plan as well. But slanting the ball across him towards the slips would seem to be the best idea of all ... and that might explain Chapple's slightly surprising call-up.

England didn't select a specialist spinner at Trent Bridge last year, although it was there that Vaughan produced a peach to gate Sachin Tendulkar. This time either Ashley Giles or Gareth Batty is likely to play. Batty impressed with his tight lines and feisty attitude on his brief outings with the one-day side in Australia last winter, and his offspin would turn away from South Africa's phalanx of left-handers. For all that, a third new cap might be one too many for a side trying to regain lost ground in the series, so expect Giles to be wheeling away alone again.

Graeme Smith told The Guardian yesterday that he hasn't been sleeping well - "Not even for one night. My mind is just too active. I fall asleep fine but I wake up around 4.30am and that's it, no more" - but otherwise he has only one selection headache, and it's a pleasant one: how to fit Jacques Kallis back into his side. One of Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Rudolph will have to go, and for all Rudolph's promise Dippenaar outscored him at Lord's - 92 to 26 - so he'll probably survive. Andrew Hall, originally called up as Kallis's replacement, has responded with some important wickets and safe-handed slip catching, so he is also likely to stay in.

England 1 Michael Vaughan (capt), 2 Marcus Tresocthick, 3 Mark Butcher, 4 Nasser Hussain, 5 Ed Smith, 6 Alec Stewart (wk), 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Ashley Giles, 9 James Kirtley, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Jimmy Anderson.

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Rudolph, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Boeta Dippenaar, 6 Neil McKenzie, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Andrew Hall, 10 Paul Adams, 11 Makhaya Ntini.