Vaughan's men must hit it straight off

Forty years have passed since England last won a Test series in South Africa.

And although most of the names from Mike Smith's triumphant tour party of 1964-65 should be familiar, the itinerary will be almost unrecognisable to the modern international cricketer.

True, eight members of Michael Vaughan's squad have started this winter's campaign in Zimbabwe, where Smith's men began their work. But captain Vaughan's tourists were playing one-day games whereas England (or MCC to be strictly accurate) visited a country then called Rhodesia to play a couple of gentle warm-up contests.

Once in South Africa, Smith's squad were given six more games to prepare for the First Test and had played a total of 25 days' cricket before the serious business began. Vaughan and Co will have just four days of action before the series starts in Port Elizabeth.

For most of this winter's tourists, the job will be done and dusted inside two months. Smith's squad were away for double that length of time and they also played six 'other' matches between the Tests. For England in 2004-05, there are no additional games once the series starts and one or two players may not bat or bowl outside the nets.

England Test tour of South Africa 2004-05

8 Dec: v Oppenheimer XI (Randjesfontein) 11-13 Dec: v South Africa A (Potchefstroom) 17-21 Dec: 1st Test (Port Elizabeth) 26-30 Dec: 2nd Test (Durban) 2-6 Jan: 3rd Test (Cape Town) 13-17 Jan: 4th Test (Johannesburg) 21-25 Jan: 5th Test (Centurion) Squad: M Vaughan (Capt), M Trescothick, A Strauss, M Butcher, G Thorpe, R Key, A Flintoff, P Collingwood, G Jones, C Read, A Giles, G Batty, M Hoggard, S Jones, S Harmison, J Anderson.

England's Test tour of South Africa 1964-65

21-22 Oct: v Matabeleland XI (Bulawayo) 24-27 Oct: v Rhodesia (Salisbury) 30-31 Oct & 2 Nov: v South Africa Colts (Benoni) 3-4 Nov: v Transvaal Country XI (Vereeniging) 6-7 & 9 Nov: v Transvaal (Johannesburg) 13-14 & 16-17 Nov: v Natal (Durban) 20-21 & 23 Nov: v Eastern Province (Port Elizabeth) 27-28 & 30 Nov-1 Dec: v Western Province (Cape Town) 4-5 & 7-8 Dec: 1st Test (Durban) 12-14 & 15 Dec: v South Africa Univs (Pietermaritzburg) 18-19 & 21 Dec: v NE Transvaal (Pretoria) 23-24, 26, 28 & 29 Dec: 2nd Test (Johannesburg) 1-2 & 4-6 Jan: 3rd Test (Cape Town) 9-11 & 12 Jan: v Border (E London) 15-16 & 18 Jan: v Orange Free State (Bloemfontein) 22-23 & 25-27 Jan: 4th Test (Johannesburg) 29-30 Jan & 1 Feb: v Griqualand W (Kimberley) 5-6 & 8-9 Feb: v Invitation XI (Cape Town) 12-13 & 15-17 Feb: 5th Test (Port Elizabeth)

Squad: M J K Smith (Capt), G Boycott, B Barber, T Dexter, K Barrington, P Parfitt, M Brearley, J Parks, J Murray, F Titmus, T Cartwright, I Thomson, D Brown, D Allen, R Hobbs, J Price, K Palmer.