Wessels writes off England's chances against South Africa

Kepler Wessels, the former South Africa captain, believes England have no chance of beating South Africa in this summer's NatWest Series.

Speaking to the Northampton Chronicle and Echo ahead of Northamptonshire's match against South Africa tomorrow, Wessels claimed England's new-look team will be demolished by South Africa, who are also rebuilding after a disappointing World Cup.

He said: "England haven't got a chance. They need to pick their best players if they are going to be in with a shout of winning." He added: "You certainly can't leave out a batsman of the quality of Graham Thorpe and there are a lot more other players on the county circuit better than the ones they have chosen."

"I can see they're building for the future, but they need to build around experience and Thorpe would be ideal. South Africa have brought over a pretty competitive side. They have a very strong batting line up, though the bowling is a bit weak."

South Africa have also brought over their youngest ever captain in Graeme Smith, who has already caused a stir when he said Lance Klusener would have been a disruptive influence on the team.

On that issue, Wessels said: "It's a controversial move to appoint him captain. He will be under pressure to establish himself in the side with some runs. He has made runs in the past, but there is a bit of unrest in the camp that needs to be dealt with."

The NatWest Series starts on June 26 when England play Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, while South Africa's first match is against England on June 28 at The Oval.