August 21, 2003	Thursday	Jumadi-us-Sani 22, 1424

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LEEDS, England, Aug 20: England could opt to select Martin Bicknell and Kabir Ali in a five-man pace attack against South Africa, captain Michael Vaughan said on Wednesday on the eve of the fourth Test.

“We haven’t ruled out playing them both,” Vaughan told a news conference. “Five seamers is a possibility.”Spin hasn’t bowled many teams out here. We’ll make a decision pretty late.”

Bicknell, aged 34 and with just two caps, and Ali, yet to play a Test, were added to the squad after England levelled the series at 1-1 with victory at Trent Bridge.

Dependable left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, who has struggled to take wickets during the first three Tests, could make way although the final decision has been confused by fitness doubts over fast bowler Steve Harmison.

He came through a light session on Wednesday but his injury — a back problem that sparked pains in his calf in the third test — will be assessed again just before Thursday’s start.

Headingley has produced some of the most exciting Test matches in England in recent years, with swing and seam bowlers dominating in overcast conditions but batsmen flourishing in sunnier weather.

England destroyed West Indies in two days at Headingley in 2000. Mark Butcher, meanwhile, hit a match-winning test-best 173 not out against Australia in 2001.

Last year the bat dominated again, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly all scoring first-innings centuries to set up India’s innings win.

“With Leeds, you always know there is going to be a good game of cricket,” Vaughan added. “The wicket can be flat and then it clouds over and the ball swings and seams.

“If it’s sunny, you generally bat first, if it’s overcast you generally bowl.”

England squad:

Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan (capt),

Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain, Ed Smith, Alec Stewart, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Stephen Harmison, James Kirtley, James Anderson, Kabir Ali, Martin Bicknell.

SMITH: South Africa captain Graeme Smith said on Wednesday he did not think England deserved to beat his side in the third Test to level the series.

Smith, speaking at a news conference on the eve of the fourth Test at Headingley, said: “In many ways we don’t feel we have been beaten yet. We lost the game but we don’t feel as if we were beaten.

“I feel that because I don’t think things were really even stephens in the last Test match. We are not moaning or complaining, our thoughts are on winning a test match... Everything that has happened before has gone and we have put it aside.

“It’s almost as if the series has not started yet. This is a huge Test match in the series.”

Smith reiterated that he thought his side had done well to take the match into the fifth day.

“It was more of an angry feeling,” he said, reflecting on the defeat. “I think the side showed immense character.”

Asked which side had played the better cricket during the series, he said with a smile: “It’s 1-1 and it doesn’t matter who has been the better side. It’s equal.”

South Africa, who won the toss in the first two tests and dominated both, will go into the fourth match with batsman Gary Kirsten fit again after an arm injury.

They will, however, have to do without strike bowler Shaun Pollock, who has flown home to attend the birth of his first child.

“He’s a world-class performer day in, day out,” said Smith. “Obviously we are going to miss him a lot.”

But he added that he felt other bowlers would have to stand in “and take responsibility” to restrain England’s batsmen.

“I think we have guys who can do it,” Smith said.—Reuters