NAIROBI Oct 9 lInternet report): Tuesday's clash between old rivals England and South Africa will not be short of needle, a* England coach Duncan Fletcher takes on some of his former pupils.

The Australians, whom the Proteas were scheduled to meet in the semi-final if everything had goic drconlmg to plan foi both teams, are on their way back home after being taken out of the tournament by the Indian team

The fact that the South Africans' big rivals are out of the tournament doesn't mean that they will be caught off-guard when it comes to having to focus on their own campaign. The Mercury reports that Shaun Pollock has given the assurance that his team will be firing when it comes to their quarterfinal match against England.

"We’ve talked about it often in our team meetings." said Pol-lock After a month s break, the guvs are raring to go. but we have lieen very careful to guard against complacency."

In characteristic manner. Steve Waugh said Ills team had "not wanted it enough", while praising the Indians for their ommitment.

"We had the attack to beat huha but we didn't have the iiHvn.sity and the hunger, which is what it's all about in these games. I thoqght tlie break at tlie reserve would do us good but it didn't. We w’ere verv sloppy. Now w'e're going home (o work hard - no more of those luxuries.’’ he said. Intensity and hunger aren't qualities likely to be lacking in tlie South African team. The side has had to fight against tlie odds often enough lor these qualities to be standard requirements. Pollock also knows that any slackness will be ostiy against an English team tiud has built up a good momentum tn recent months. A semi-final against the inchans cannot even be a thought until the first hurdle has been passed.

England had an intense three-hour training session at the Ruaraka Sports Chib on Sunday morning, and Duncan Fletcher is happy wdth the way things have gone, saying: We've had a practice game" (a lie against Australia) and a preliminary match against Bangladesh so I suppose that gives us a slight advantage over them.

"But you can read too much into it. Almost all the South Ain-cans have been involved in preseason friendlies so they won ( lie coming into tlie match cold." Fletcher is also pleased that his skipiier. Nasser Hussain, broke his sequence of dreadful scores by getting a ninety against Bangladesh. "It was a good oj>-pnriinjjly lor him to play himself I) it I mtn form, and he look it Looking ahead to ihe mail 1) agamsl (he Pi t a«- I 1- h her snd. Ucu worked ■ ti. hard this year, and I think the guvs are quietly confident of their chances tomorrow."

Pollock expressed disap-jjointment that his side had not had the benefit of a practice match in Nairobi because of the jxior practice facilities. As he puts it: "It hasn't been perfect -our pacemen have not been able to really run in and bowl to our batters - but we just have to accept it. There will be no excuses tomorrow.