Harmison out as England prepare to swing series

Stephen Harmison has been denied the chance to revive England's ailing Test fortunes as the selectors yesterday opted for a more conservative approach for today's third Test against South Africa. Stuart Broad has been overlooked too as Paul Collingwood and Ryan Sidebottom return for a match England must win if they are to retain any hope of claiming the series.

England's shambolic defeat to South Africa in the second Test has left Michael Vaughan's side 1-0 down in the four-match series, and in an attempt to avoid repeating the pre-match confusion that unsettled the team at Headingley, the selectors deliberately announced the starting XI on the eve, rather than the morning, of the game.

The selectors had one major decision to make yesterday, whether to pick six batsmen and four bowlers or five batsmen and five bowlers. Once the under-fire quartet had agreed on a policy of four bowlers Harmison was never likely to play; Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson, Monty Panesar and Andrew Flintoff each deserve a place in the team ahead of him.

Playing Harmison in a five-man attack, with Tim Ambrose, Flintoff and Sidebottom batting at six, seven and eight – Broad's tiredness meant he was never likely to play – would have been a slightly gung-ho approach but England have to take 20 South African wickets to win a Test, something they looked incapable of doing at Lord's or Headingley.

Harmison famously dismissed Australia's Michael Kasprowicz at Edgbaston to win a remarkable Test in the 2005 Ashes but his overall record here – five wickets in three Tests at an average of 68.2 – is poor. The selectors would also have been influenced by Steve Rouse's assessment of the pitch. The Edgbaston groundsman suggested the pitch would not have any pace or bounce in it, and this, along with the fact the ball swings for bowlers who bowl a fuller length, worked against Harmison too.

There can be no complaints about Sidebottom's return for Darren Pattinson. Sidebottom's ongoing back problems are a concern but his bowling for England in the last 14 months has been excellent and he fully deserves his recall.

Bringing Collingwood back is a more contentious issue. Vaughan admitted that leaving his close friend out at Headingley had a detrimental effect on the spirit of the team, but it can hardly be said the batting of England's one-day captain merits a place in the team. In four Tests this summer he has scored 39 runs at an average of 9.75. His first-class record this season – 92 runs at 13 – is unconvincing too.

"It was not a straightforward decision because we obviously had the option of going in with five bowlers," explained Vaughan. "We were determined to announce the team early because it always creates clarity to everyone, whether they are the XI that play or the two that don't. It is nice to know the day before whether you are playing so that you can prepare your mind, rest up and get yourself focused.

"Stephen Harmison was close to selection. We feel he has a chance of getting back in and who is to say that he will not be in our starting XI next week at The Oval? But we just felt at this ground, and where we were last week, depth in our batting would help. We feel we have three strong seam bowlers in Jimmy [Anderson], Ryan and 'Freddie' [Flintoff], and that Monty [Panesar] will come in to the game more here as well. Our decision will be tested over the next few days but in the end I am confident we can produce the performance needed to get the result we all want.

"Colly brings a lot to the side. I know that he has struggled of late but he averages over 40 in Test cricket with a double hundred to his name. His fielding and energy is important, as could be his bowling on this type of pitch if it swings. He is a good man to have around the team. He is very mature and a good thinker about the game. He knows that he needs to start scoring a few runs, as a few of us do, but it is good to have him back in the ranks."

Collingwood will bring character to the team but it does suggest the England set-up is far cosier than they would like to admit. Few fight harder than the 32-year-old but his record proves that he is seldom a match-winner in Test cricket. Only one of his five hundreds have resulted in an England victory: the team's other five batsmen have a far higher ratio. Harmison, however, is a proven matchwinner, with seven of his eight five-wicket hauls resulting in an England triumph.

Collingwood's return places extra pressure on England's bowlers, especially Panesar. England's premier spinner has had a disappointing series to date, with five of his seven wickets being tail-end batsmen. Edgbaston is a venue that encourages spin, with 33 per cent of the wickets taken here in the past five Tests being claimed by slow bowlers. Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne have taken most of these but Ashley Giles showed that orthodox finger spin can be effective when he claimed nine wickets against the West Indies in 2004.

South Africa will look to get after Panesar, especially if they bat first today. Panesar needs to cope with the assault. If he fails the ball will keep returning to the seamers, who will tire quickly. Such a scenario would see Flintoff's workload increase hugely, something England are hoping to avoid if the all-rounder's chronic ankle problem is to remain dormant.

"It was encouraging to see Flintoff come through the last Test unscathed but you don't want him to be bowling 40 overs every week," Vaughan said. "On this pitch it looks as though Monty could play a decent part and bowl a lot more overs. Fred's style of bowling could be quite useful here but I don't want to see him bowling 40 overs every week because of what he has gone through with his ankle."

A plus for England and Vaughan is the absence of Dale Steyn, South Africa's fine opening bowler. Steyn has caused the captain trouble in the first two Tests, dismissing him twice. Peter Moores, the coach, has spent the last week in the nets at Loughborough with Vaughan, who has good memories of playing South Africa at Edgbaston, scoring 156 against Graeme Smith's side on their last visit here. The venue is popular with the England side, who have won four and drawn one of the last five Tests. For no logical reason England often produce an outstanding performance after a crisis, so a big hundred for Vaughan and an England win it is then.

England excel at Edgbaston

England enjoy playing at Edgbaston, a ground where the crowd get behind them and they have won four of their last five Tests (No Test in '07):

2006

Kevin Pietersen switch-hit Muttiah Muralitharan for a huge six during a brilliant innings of 142 as England eased to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka.

2005

Michael Kasprowicz gloved a Stephen Harmison bouncer to Geraint Jones to seal England a thrilling one-run win over Australia in a Test that is considered by many to be the greatest ever.

2004

Marcus Trescothick blasts the West Indies for a hundred in each innings whilst Andrew Flintoff piles in with 167, including a huge six in to his father's lap. Ashley Giles takes nine wickets to bowl England to a 256-run triumph.

2003

Graeme Smith scores 362 runs in the match but South Africa fail to bowl England out a second time. Nasser Hussain resigns as England captain at the end of the Test. Michael Vaughan takes charge.

2002

Trescothick scores 161 and Graham Thorpe 123 as England amass 545. Matthew Hoggard takes five Sri Lankan second-innings wickets to take England to an innings and 111-run win.

Teams for the third Test

ENGLAND M P Vaughan (Yorkshire, capt), A J Strauss (Middlesex), A N Cook (Essex), K P Pietersen (Hampshire), I R Bell (Warwickshire), P D Collingwood (Durham), A Flintoff (Lancashire), T R Ambrose (Warwickshire, wkt), J M Anderson (Lancashire), R J Sidebottom (Notts), M S Panesar (Northants)

SOUTH AFRICA (probable): G C Smith (capt), N D McKenzie, H M Amla, J H Kallis, A G Prince, A B de Villiers, M V Boucher (wkt), M Morkel, P L Harris, A Nel, M Ntini.

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pak), S Davis (Aus).

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL).

Five-day weather and pitch report

Today:

Mostly cloudy with a slight breeze. Should stay dry. Maximum temperature 23C

Tomorrow:

Overcast, with the possibility of showers. 23C

Friday:

Overcast with sunny intervals and scattered showers. 22C

Saturday:

Overcast with more showers. Slight breeze. 20C

Sunday:

Sunny start, then clouding over, but should stay dry. 22C

Pitch:

Hard and dry but not expected to have a great deal of pace and bounce in it.

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