Steyn and Ntini will lead the attack against

The South African strategists finally showed their hand when they sent both Shaun Pollock and André Nel home on Thursday, committing themselves to a new ball attack of Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn for the start of Friday's series decider at Newlands.

In the normal course of events Ntini and Steyn would be the first-choice new ball attack, so there is no need for pessimism or concern there. They did the job successfully in last season's Test series against New Zealand and did it again in the series decider at Newlands against India.

The big difference is that now they do not have Pollock to back them up at first change.

Andrew Hall has been preferred to Morné Morkel as the direct replacement for South Africa's most experienced bowler with Jacques Kallis and Paul Harris to provide the depth and balance of the attack.

Obviously, Steyn's main job is to make healthy inroads with the new ball in partnership with Ntini but he will have a second role that will be equally important - the need to knock over obstinate tail-enders.

Pakistan made over 100 for their last three wickets in the Centurion Test as well as a last-wicket partnership of 71 at St George's Park last weekend.

There are few sights more discouraging to tail-enders than the sight of a bowler steaming into the crease who has a well deserved reputation for delivering the ball somewhere around the 150km/h mark.

If the roles of Steyn and Hall represent one side of the coin of what the Proteas need to get right to put the mistakes of St George's Park behind them and clinch the series, then the form of the top six is undoubtedly another.

South Africa's two Test defeats this summer can be linked directly to the way in which the top order failed in the first innings on both occasions, against India at the Wanderers and Pakistan at St George's Park.

The selectors have addressed part of the problem by bringing back Boeta Dippenaar to face the new ball as Graeme Smith's partner, allowing AB de Villiers to fill the huge gap that has been caused by Herschelle Gibbs' suspension.

Smith has often been criticised for saying that the Test team is young and still finding its way but the fact is that the loss of Gibbs leaves Kallis as the sole member of the top six who has substantial Test match experience.

"By losing Gibbs, we are losing 90 matches of experience," said Smith.

Kallis and Smith are the two senior batsmen in the side and the timing has been overdue for a while now for both of them to add a few more notches to their respective lists of Test centuries.

Likely line-ups

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Boeta Dippenaar, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher, Andrew Hall, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Paul Harris.

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Yousuf Mohammad, Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Asif.

Umpires: Peter Parker (Australia) and Steve Bucknor (West Indies).

Match referee: Chris Broad (New Zealand).

Start of play: 10.30am. End of play: 5.30pm.