In Review

08 January 2009 17:52 BST

Arthur backs Nel as Steyn replacement

South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has given his backing to Andre Nel, saying he will be more than capable of standing in for Dale Steyn in the third Test against England this week.

Fast bowler Steyn is ranked second in the world behind Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan but will not play in the match at Edgbaston because of an injury.

However Arthur feels Nel can step up to the mark and help the Proteas' dangerous pace attack continue to trouble the England batsmen as they go searching for the win that would give them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-Test series.

"Any time Andre plays for South Africa he's fired up," Arthur said.

"I can't wait to see him bowl hard. I think he's going to do really well.

"We've backed Andre a huge amount over the last couple of months and I've got a feeling he is going to come through this one fantastically."

Arthur also said the ability to bring in a proven international player like Nel at short notice proves the depth available in attack for the tourists.

"It just shows that there is a queue here, with a plan and some succession in place," he explained.

"We have the ability now to lose one guy and be able to bring back a guy who is a hardened Test-match campaigner.

"We are fortunate to do that, but that's how we have structured our team."