The Proteas have been hit with two injuries since their arrival in the UK, with veteran wicketkeeper Mark Boucher being forced to retire after sustaining a ruptured eyeball against Somerset, and fast bowler Marchant de Lange ruled out with a back injury.

But the visitors are not short of fire power in the bowling department, with Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander leading the attack, while AB de Villiers and Thami Tsolekile are able replacements for Boucher.

Amla, who scored 64 in the warm-up match at Taunton, feels that the talk of James Anderson and company being a massive threat is premature, though he concedes that with the number one ranking up for grabs, matters will be tense.

Amla said: "Both teams are well-matched.

"I'm expecting it to be a good, very exciting series with a lot to play for from the rankings perspective.

"If we play our best cricket, the results will probably take care of themselves."

The batsman added of the bowling attacks: "We get to face some serious bowlers in our net sessions, so I think most of the guys are well-prepared in that respect.

"We've played against most of the players anyway, so we're just going to try to keep things simple and enjoy the challenge. That's the beauty of a tour like this.

"A lot of our batters have played here before, have played county cricket, so this is not foreign territory for us.

"A lot of emphasis has been placed on the bowling attacks, but we've also got to score runs."

The first Test takes place at the Oval, starting on 19 July.