Harmison and Johnson can supply firepower to England's ailing attack

Pressure on selectors to find bowlers capable of taking 20 wickets at The Oval to level series against South Africa

The probable recall of Graham Thorpe for next week's series-deciding fifth Test may generate a great deal of interest, but it will not have been his place the England selectors spent most time discussing when they met yesterday to pick a side capable of defeating South Africa.

David Graveney, Duncan Fletcher, Geoff Miller and Rod Marsh will take little consolation from the fact it is through their side's own inadequacies that England are 2-1 down because it is they who now have to find a bowling attack which can take 20 wickets on a flat Oval pitch.

One bowler who will not be fit for selection here, or on England's pre-Christmas tours to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, is Andrew Caddick. The centrally contracted fast-bowler, who has not played for England this summer because of injuries to his foot and back, is set to have a back operation next month after rest failed to do the trick.

Caddick, whose 234 Test wickets make him this country's most successful bowler since Ian Botham, hopes that surgery and the possibility of going to India with the Academy in January, will allow him to prove his fitness for England's tour of the West Indies the following month.

It is not just through poor bowling that England are finding it hard to live with a motivated and resourceful South African side. Injury and retirement have reduced their bowling resources to such an extent that the selectors have used 15 fast bowlers in the last 12 Tests. For a committee who have prided themselves on continuity such a turnover will not rest easily.

Further changes to an attack pulverised on a dodgy wicket at Headingley are inevitable. Martin Bicknell was picked, not just because the selectors felt Headingley would suit his type of bowling, but also because England were looking for a bowler they could rely on. Without the likes of Caddick, Darren Gough and Matthew Hoggard, Michael Vaughan has lacked a "banker" - a bowler who he can throw the ball to for an hour in each session and know what he was getting.

Indeed, England's misery at Leeds was compounded by the fact that the veteran was not up to fitting this bill and it would be a surprise to see him or Kabir Ali retain their place.

It is not as though those worthy of another match will arrive in south London in perfect shape either. James Kirtley, whose sore shins continue to give him trouble, and James Anderson, who looked exhausted at Headingley, deserve to make the squad even if there is a strong case for resting the Lancashire fast bowler.

This pair, and Andrew Flintoff, should be joined by Steve Harmison and Richard Johnson. Harmison, who has played more Tests than any other fast bowler in the last year, needs to start delivering wickets. His omission from the fourth Test was not just on form. There is a feeling among some that he needed a jolt, because an England place is not something that should be taken for granted.

It appears impossible to mention Johnson without giving an update on his fitness, but having come through Somerset's last two Championship matches unscathed it has to be assumed he is ready to play. A failure to come through this match may, however, prove costly. It could end the 28-year-old's aspirations of going on winter tours.

After wrongly going with five seamers at Headingley, Ashley Giles looks set to regain his place despite increasing pressure from Lancashire's Gary Keedy. Because of the dry nature of the Oval pitch an off-spinner should be included and Worcestershire's Gareth Batty fits the bill.

Nasser Hussain has been advised not to play after breaking the big toe on his left foot, thus giving the selectors the ideal opportunity to give Thorpe another chance to show he has fully recovered from the trauma of a messy divorce. Although England are in a desperate situation, selecting the 34-year-old Thorpe would be a backward step and I would rather see Andrew Strauss walk out at No 4 or even open if the selectors feel Marcus Trescothick's best way of returning to form is down the order.

There may be serious doubts over Ed Smith's credentials at this level, but he deserves the chance to play on a good pitch after two shockers. The squad will have more than just a Test series to play for. Places for the winter tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka can be won and lost.

ENGLAND POSSIBLE XIII (v South Africa, The Oval, 4 Sept): M P Vaughan (capt), M E Trescothick, M A Butcher, A J Strauss, E T Smith, A J Stewart (wkt), A Flintoff, A F Giles, G J Batty, R L Johnson, R J Kirtley, S J Harmison, J M Anderson.