5 reasons why South Africa will beat England at The Oval

Known as fiery travellers, South Africa came in to The Test series against England as underdogs given their recent performances and England's outstanding form. They lived up to that reputation in the series opener, losing emphatically at Lord's to a well oiled England line-up.

But what critics and analysts failed to note was that the Lord's Test was just South Africa's seventh loss in away Tests since 2010.

Five of those had come in the sub-continent, and one against Australia in the day-night Test last year in a dead rubber.

They had missed their ravishing skipper in the first Test and his return combined with Duminy's ouster and a slight tweak in the batting order made them pretty strong.

That they crushed England in the second Test would be an understatement; in fact, they left them outclassed in all departments.

As the teams head to the Oval to play the third Test - also the 100th Test at the Oval, question marks linger on South Africa's ability to sustain the momentum.

Here we take a look at five reasons why South Africa will carry on from their terrific display at Trent Bridge.

#5 England's top order woes

Cook's form has been a cause of concern for England

Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings and Gary Ballance have inspired little confidence in the first two Test matches. Cool and Jennings put up an 80 run stand at Lord's but has since then looked vulnerable against South Africa's immaculate opening bowlers. Ballance, meanwhile, has been dropped after his familiar failings resurfaced in the two Tests.

Replacement Tom Westley, is no doubt a talented cricketer but how he deals with the likes of Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel will be keenly watched.

England need substantial contributions from their top three to put South Africa under pressure but at the moment they do not seem to have enough confidence to live up to this.

#4 South Africa's strong batting line-up

Elgar's resilience and grit make him a tough opener to deal with

The departure of AB de Villiers was expected to put quite the strain on South Africa's batting line-up. But contrary to this, the Proteas have more than adapted in his absence.

With JP Duminy sent back home, the visitors have one less puzzle to ponder over. The top order has sturdy batsmen in Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis.

The middle-order boasts flamboyant batsmen, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, both of whom have been outstanding in Test cricket in recent months.

The addition of Chris Morris and the form of Vernon Philander means that the lower order has the ability to step up when needed. If Heino Kuhn can step up to expectation, South Africa will have a fully firing batting line-up, a difficult proposition to counter for even the best of bowling attacks.

#3 The return of Kagiso Rabada

Rabada would be itching to run in and bowl at The Oval

There is little doubt that Kagiso Rabada is the X-factor in South Africa's bowling line-up. The young Rabada has grown in stature since his debut with consistent performances and precise judgement of game situations.

He has carried a huge burden on his young shoulders with little discomfort emphasizing his maturity. Since his debut in 2015, only Josh Hazlewood has more wickets than him among fast bowlers in Tests, a sign of Rabada's rapid progress in International cricket.

Rabada is a passionate cricketer and the break would have bothered him so much so that he would be itching to lace up and wreck havoc with the red cherry.

England have faced his wrath before, in the series against South Africa where he picked up figures of 13/144 at Centurion. His return also plugs South Africa's only weakness in the bowling attack - giving England little leeway.

#2 England's bizarre approach

Bairstow's horrible step-out shot to Maharaj was evidence of England's poor approach

England had been a well oiled, sturdy Test team under the coaching of Andy Flower a few years ago. But the urgency to step up their limited-overs cricket brought in a plethora of new talent in addition to a radical change in outlook and approach.

While it turned out to be a roaring success in limited-overs cricket, Test cricket seems to have taken a back seat in the meantime.

The rash and brash kind of approach has seeped into their Test game and some of the shots their top order batsmen played at Trent Bridge is best not discussed. South Africa, have meanwhile been traditional but dominating and seem to understand the nuances of Test cricket much more than this bewildered England side.

The hosts need to address this issue soon but changes cannot happen overnight, which puts them in a poor position to fightback at The Oval.

#1 The difference in captaincy

Root needs to learn a thing or two from du Plessis

One thing that really stood out from Trent Bridge was the vast disparity in captaincy skills of the two skippers. While Joe Root was unimaginative and dour, du Plessis showed shrewd judgement and domineering skills which helped immensely in South Africa's eventual triumph by 340 runs.

Root is still new to captaincy and made some awful calls, especially with his handling of Mark Wood and some bowling changes earning a fair bit of criticism.

The South Africans were buoyed by Faf du Plessis' return and looked rejuvenated and refreshed under him. The charming leader showed little mercy as he juggled his bowlers and field with absolute ease.

All signs point to du Plessis continuing in the same vein, making things extremely difficult for England.