England will go into the fourth and final Test against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium on Thursday knowing that a win will seal a successful tour. "At the end of the tour a lot will be judged on whether we win this game or not," said touring skipper Andrew Strauss on Wednesday. England, who have already won a one-day series against the home nation, go into the match with a 1-0 lead in the Test series.
"It's a nice feeling to know we can't lose the series but if it finishes one-all we'll feel disappointed," said Strauss. The England captain said his players could not afford simply to try to preserve their lead on a pitch expected to help the seam bowlers.
"In all likelihood there isn't going to be a draw here so we need to get ahead of them, put them under pressure and win this Test match. "If you go in with the mindset that you only need a draw, that's dangerous. You start getting a bit negative, a bit hesitant and ultimately you hand the momentum of the game over to the opposition." Strauss expected to come up against determined opponents. "We know South Africa will come back harder and we have to be ready to withstand whatever they throw at us."