The competition enters its final year at the Oval today with both sides recognising each other's strengths. The three-match series moves to Old Trafford on Saturday and Headingley the following day.

It looks like being a crowd-puller to the end. Tickets for the Oval match were sold within two days of being available last November.

Manchester is virtually a sell-out and only at Headingley, where some 2,000 seats are still available, is there any spare capacity.

Hollioake, the England captain, concedes that South Africa are ``arguably the best one-day side in the world at present''. Their record in the winter bears that out.

They lost the final of the triangular series in Australia after winning the first-of-three rubber, and won the four-way competition in Pakistan and the three-sided series at home in April.

Cronje, the South Africa captain and an overseas player with Leicestershire in 1995, said: ``The fact that England have a specialist one-day captain means they are serious about their one-day cricket. They are planning for World Cup '99.''

South Africa's one-day record against England since they returned to the international game is seven wins to five in their favour. Since last October, they have won 18 of 22 games.

The International Cricket Council have yet to announce whether Australian umpire Steve Randell will be substituted for the first Test between England and South Africa, at Edgbaston, which starts on June 4.

Randell appeared in a Hobart court on Tuesday on 11 charges of indecent assault involving young girls and was remanded on bail. His lawyer indicated it would take six to eight weeks to prepare the defence.