Visitors South Africa will go into the 3rd Test against England as clear favourites after a convincing victory in the 2nd Test at Nottingham by 340 runs. The return of South Africa’s regular captain Faf du Plessis for the 2nd Test proved to be crucial for the visitors as they staged a dramatic comeback after getting convincingly beaten in the opening Test at Lord’s.
Joe Root’s brilliant form has been England’s plus point and barring him and Cook the top order looks fragile and with the return of Kagiso Rabada in the playing XI of South Africa, England will be in for some tough time in the 3rd Test. The pitch at the Kensington Oval is expected to offer some assistance to the bowlers which will definitely give South Africa the edge ahead of the match.
Team News
England
The English top order, barring Joe Root and Alistair Cooks, looks pretty fragile and it will be a headache for Joe Root to take a call on the playing XI. Cook’s partner Keaton Jennings has looked out of sorts and so has been 1 down batsman Gary Balance. They have failed to adjust to the pace and swing of the South African bowlers which led to their downfall in the 2nd Test.
Dawid Malan who proved his worth in his T20I debut against the same opponents might get his maiden Test cap at the expense of Gary Ballance who has dropped for the final two Tests. Liam Dawson who failed to make his mark in the first couple of Tests might face the axe if Root decides to go with an extra batsman.
Joe Root will look to continue his good work after England’s No.1 batsman scored a breathtaking 190 in the 1st Test at Lord’s which proved to be the difference between the two teams. Barring Malan Tom Westley is also in line to make his Test debut.
Squad: England (From): Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root(c), Jonny Bairstow(w), Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Toby Roland-Jones, Tom Westley
South Africa
The return of Kagiso Rabada will surely be a huge bolster for the visitors coming into the 3rd Test. His extra pace and bounce can unsettle England’s relatively fragile top order which was evident from the 2nd Test when Chris Morris and Vernon Philander had them in trouble with their consistent pace and bounce. Rabada will come in place of Duanne Olivier.
Opener Hashim Amla has played some good brand of cricket and is never afraid of grinding out for long hours. He knows to control the game and his presence up the order has been helping the Proteas for the last many years. Barring the return of Rabada the team is expected to remain the same.
South Africa (From): Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock(w), Faf du Plessis(c), Temba Bavuma, Vernon Philander, Chris Morris, Keshav Maharaj, Morne Morkel, Duanne Olivier, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Theunis de Bruyn