England name unchanged team for record sixth time

By John Mehaffey

LONDON (Reuters) - England named an unchanged team for a world record sixth time on Wednesday to play South Africa in the first test starting at Lord's on Thursday.

Captain Michael Vaughan told a news conference England would field the lineup that won the final two tests in New Zealand this year before clinching the three-test return series 2-0.

Vaughan, who rested his troubled right knee in the final stages of Yorkshire's last four-day match against Durham, said he would be fit for the first test in the four-match series.

"It's fine," he said. "It just needs monitoring. It's no different to how we've managed it in the last year. It just needed a few days to have lubricant put into the knee."

South Africa will discuss the composition of their team on Wednesday night after rain had drenched Lord's for the second successive day. Further bad weather is forecast for the remainder of the week.

Captain Graeme Smith told a news conference the selectors would consider omitting left-arm spinner Paul Harris and playing another pace bowler to take advantage of the conditions.

"With the weather around there are things to consider," he said. "It's something we haven't liked doing of late, we felt the need to develop a spinner in South Africa."

Smith, who has been out of action with a hamstring strain, said he had batted in the indoor nets on Tuesday.