LONDON, July 8: South African veterans Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher said on Monday they are raring to go for the Test series against England starting on Thursday, given their 2-1 loss to their hosts ten years ago and a draw on their last tour in 2003.

Both men said on this occasion they want to make it third time lucky.

“There are three things I really want to achieve: One is beating England in England, a second is beating Australia — and the third is winning the World Cup,” said Kallis.

“We’ve come close in the past and made some silly mistakes at times when we shouldn’t have,” Kallis noted.

“This time we hope we can learn from those mistakes and get the foot all the way in through the door, not just half way — and make sure we play those big moments better than England.”

A Marcus Trescothick double ton helped bring about a nine-wicket loss at The Oval in 2003 after South Africa had made 484 in their first innings, sticking in Kallis’ memory.

But the veteran batsman says this time the tourists are ready to atone.

“We’re probably just favourites — although England being at home maybe makes it pretty much even.

“We’ve worked hard on our game. Everything we’ve done in the last year has been towards this series and the Australian one still to come,” stated Kallis, who said his team would have to try to dismiss England’s South Africa-born Kevin Pietersen quickly.

“He is obviously a key batsman, who has done well in these conditions. The wickets are quite slow here, and that does suit the way he bats. He’s a world-class player who’s proven it over the last few years, so we’ll have to be on top of our game against him,” added Kallis.

“It will be important that we try and attack him early and get him out early.”

Pietersen’s presence in the England side — he has an English mother but was born in Pietermaritzburg — adds an extra edge to the contest.

But Kallis’ fellow 30-something and wicket-keeper Boucher says the tourists totally respect and admire him.

“I respect Kevin as a person and what he’s been through,” Boucher said, in allusion to Pietersen’s decision to represent England given his unhappiness with South Africa’s racial quota policy.

“I take my hat off to him, and he’s a great player,” expressed Boucher. “We see him as England’s best batter. But come game time, it’s about South Africa v England, and we’ve got to try and get him out.

“Just because it’s Kevin, it doesn’t make any difference to us. We just want to get an English batter out.”—AFP