All-rounder Kevin Pietersen and keeper-batsman Matt Prior may gain more than most from the next fortnight as England warm-up in Namibia and then move on Zimbabwe-But, in terms of winning a Test series in South Africa and keeping themselves in great mental shape for next summer's Ashes contest, it will be vital for Vaughan's first choice squad to gel again once they assemble in Johannesburg.
Graham Thorpe, who no longer figures in England's one-day plans but will be a key member of the Test party in South Africa, is confident that won't be a problem.
Thorpe has launched into the ECB for not standing up to the International Cricket Council and refusing to tour Zimbabwe.
But he backs the players to carry on where they left off at the end of last summer.
"The great strength of this side is that, whatever might be going on behind the scenes, once they step out on the field they are totally together and totally behind the captain and each other," Thorpe said.
The tour begins with the first of two games against Namibia in Windhoek on Sunday.
Mike Smith, the former Middlesex batsman who became the club's first XI scorer, has died following a heart attack. He was 62. Smith scored more than 18,000 first-class runs for Middlesex and made five one-day international appearances for England.
