The sun beat down like a hammer on an anvil yesterday: 34 degrees and 38 promised for today. The third Test between England and Australia begins tomorrow but yesterday morning, when England got their first look at Les Burdett's pitch, the water was coming up over their welts, so zealous had been his preparations.

Alec Stewart expects the tremendous heat to have sucked the moisture from the ground by the start of play, leaving a typically perfect pitch. But, just in case, the captain and the others on the selection panel are expected to delay naming their side until tomorrow.

England can draw strength from their last visit to Adelaide almost four years ago, when from the very brink of defeat a remarkable 88 from Phil DeFreitas and incisive bowling from Devon Malcolm and Chris Lewis led to Australia chasing an unsuitable target and getting into difficulties. The tourists took a surprise last-day win.

No one knows how this pitch will play, however, because the rescheduling of the series means that the Adelaide Test, traditionally played over the Australia Day holiday in late January, has come a month early. The surface for the match against South Australia here early last month was desperately slow and low compared to the normal belter, and the chances are that this one will be somewhere in between.

On the upside for England, however, Australia's wicket-keeper Ian Healy is struggling with a thigh injury and faces a fitness test later today. As at Perth English options are several, although restricted slightly by the absence of Graham Thorpe. There are only seven batsmen in the party now and the chances are that all will play, with Mark Ramprakash once more at five and Graeme Hick and John Crawley fighting it out for number six and number seven. That, England will hope, would be the insurance policy against losing.

To win, though, they need to play four front-line bowlers capable between them - with the full co-operation of the fielders, of course - of twice dismissing Australia's batsmen. The balance is all-important. Should they require a front-line spinner, then Robert Croft, presumably, would be given that task, although he must not expect Test batsmen to chip the ball up to long-on or deep mid-wicket, his preferred mode of dismissal at the moment.

He might also suffer from the unusual configuration of the Adelaide Oval, which has massive boundaries straight and comparative tiddlers to either side. Should Croft play, then Alex Tudor, who made such an impact at the WACA, could lose his place to Dean Headley or possibly Angus Fraser, who has not been bowling well but can be relied upon to raise his game. Dominic Cork was flu-ridden yesterday and is technically wretched at the moment.

The rationale is that Stewart might be concerned about the number of overs he can squeeze out of Darren Gough and Tudor. Someone other than Mullally would need to do some donkey work.

The solution seems to be to omit Croft on the grounds that he is not in the business of bowling anyone out; Peter Such would be a better bet anyway. But he has not played since the South Australia match, and the best bowlers should play in any case. They happen to be seamers.