Proteas in a Stew

Stewart: backing England

It's going to be good, it will be a tight series, but I think we will win it 2-1. I hope my heart and head are in sync and that will be the result, but it's going to be a good series.

Alec Stewart
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Alec Stewart is backing England to put their one-day woes behind them and beat South Africa in the forthcoming Test series.

The former captain, wicket-keeper and batsman, his country's record cap winner in both forms of the game, insists Michael Vaughan's men are moving in the right direction.

And although the South Africans come to England one place ahead of their hosts in the world rankings, Stewart believes that will count for nothing once the cricket gets underway.

But, he says, it will be far from easy.

"I think as a Test side we're making huge strides forward," he told Cricket AM.

"I think we're ranked number three, South Africa are number two - they're a proper side, they're really going to test us out.

"They've got good, quick bowling; (Daryl) Steyn, (Albie) Morkel, (Makhaya) Ntini's been a great performer and Andre Nel will make sure things aren't too quiet! They will test our batsmen out.

"It's going to be good, it will be a tight series, but I think we will win it 2-1. I hope my heart and head are in sync and that will be the result, but it's going to be a good series.

"Hopefully at the end of it we'll see how many strides we've taken forward."

Secret

Stewart retired from the international arena some five years ago, but is still very much involved with the domestic game, as a coach.

And although his father, Mickey, took charge of the England side, it would seem his coaching skills have not quite been passed on.

That, even though staunch Surrey man Alec has also been working with arch rivals Surrey!

"I'll let you in on a secret - I played my first ever Second XI game as a 15-year-old for Sussex, so it's only right that I went back down there a few years later," he said.

"I do about 10 half-days down there a year. I started off helping off Matt Prior not only with the wicket-keeping but a little bit of batting and then Mark Robinson the Sussex coach asked would I do a little bit extra.

"I still coach at Surrey, do a bit with the Second XI. But I put the blue on of Sussex and got plenty of flak from the Surrey boys - and rightly so - and Surrey are bottom and Sussex are second from bottom, so I'm obviously not doing a very good job!"

Exciting

That might be because the game, as he says, has got better.

He has only picked up a bat once in earnest since retiring, but admits cricket has progressed in that time - although maybe because there are no Courtney Walsh's, no Curtley Ambrose's or no Allan Donald's spreading fear throughout the batting community.

"I think the game has moved forward; it's a more exciting game, a more dynamic game," he said.

"The basics are still there, but with Twenty20 having come in, it's great.

There's new interest, a new audience and new finance with the sponsors are putting in, and it's great. I just think the game is moving forward and there's some great young players now.

"I'd say there was less quick bowling now. The spin bowling has got better, there's more variety, but there wouldn't be the numbers of quick bowlers, people who bowl above 90mph.

"But like anything they now hit the ball further and it's a lot better to watch. They're certainly more athletic.

"The best quick bowlers with the old ball were, without a shadow of a doubt, two Pakistanis, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. They way they could reverse swing that ball, that was hard work - it was probably best to open the batting and get a few before it did reverse!

"I played against Walsh and Ambrose, (Shaun) Pollock and Donald, these types of guys, (Glenn) McGrath, all real top-quality new-ball bowlers. It was a real challenge - but one I enjoyed."