CHRIS Adams reckons England's cricketers can pull off a shock series win against the South Africans this winter, providing they win the first Test.

The Sussex skipper believes Nasser Hussain's squad can draw on the experiences of Mike Gatting's triumphant Ashes winning party in 1986-87.

Gatting's troops were written off as no-hopers against the Aussies. Not much is expected of Adams and his England team-mates either against Donald, Pollock and co.

But the man who steered Sussex to the National League Division Two title believes that could work in their favour.

Adams, picked for his first tour, flew out from Heathrow with the rest of the England party last night.

They have five warm-up matches to prepare for the first Test in Johannesburg at the end of next month, which he predicts will shape the rest of the series.

"The key game is the first Test," Adams said. "We are very much the underdogs and the feeling is that people are not expecting too much.

"People will draw conclusions on the first three weeks of the tour, when we play the state games, but it's important we don't lose too much confidence or focus as a result of what happens in them.

"Obviously you go out hoping to beat everybody you play, but the 86-87 Ashes winning team were nailed in the first three weeks and everybody wrote them off.

"They won the first Test and all of a sudden Australia were playing catch-up, which is what England have been doing throughout the Nineties.

"We need to save our best cricket for the first Test and hit them hard then. That game is the game of the series.

"It will be very difficult for either side to come back from an early defeat."

Adams, 29, intends to make the most of the chance he has been waiting for since playing a couple of one-day internationals against the South Africans two summers ago.

"From a personal point of view it's important to score runs in the weeks beforehand to get into the team for the first Test," he added.

"This is the opportuntity I've always craved.

"With 17 players on tour you know you are going to be playing a lot of cricket and not be sat on the sidelines for a good length of time."

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