Redemption will be on the minds of both South Africa and England sides, when they square off against each other, for the first Boxing day Test match, in the city of Durban on Saturday.
Hosts South Africa, who are yet to recover from their 3-0 humiliation faced in the hands of India in the Test series, a few weeks back, will have to pull up their socks and produce a miraculous performance if they are to beat a spirited English side.
England, on the other hand, have had their own problems, after losing the Test series against Pakistan in the UAE, despite a brave effort from the team. Even though they fought well, the visitors had gone down to Pakistan, losing 2-0.
England have the likes of Cook and Root, who can turn matches singlehandedly, in Tests. Cook showed why he was gradually becoming one of the best opening batsmen in the world, with his mammoth knock in Abu Dhabi, whereas Root showed great temperament, by playing sensibly throughout the series.
South Africa, in the past one month, haven’t looked anything like they are the number 1 Test side in the world, due to their forgettable outing in the sub-continent, Almost all their batsmen struggled on turning tracks, and were left clueless by the Indian spinners. However, Durban will be familiar conditions to them, having succeeded on the flat pitch in the past.
England will surely miss the services of their spearhead James Anderson, but they have other talented pacers in their ranks. Chris Woakes, who will replace Anderson, is more than a decent pacer in South African conditions, and he’ll be supported by Finn and Broad.
Broadcast Details
Date: December 26-30, Saturday.
Time: 1:30 P.M IST (0800 GMT)
TV Channel: Ten Cricket
Venue: Kingsmead, Durban.
Team News
South Africa
The Proteas will be hugely boosted by the presence of their pacer Dale Steyn, who is returning from a groin injury. But that may also suggest that young sensation Kagiso Rabada may have to sit out. With skipper Amla hinting about the playing an additional spinner, Dane Piedt may find place in the playing XI.
AB de Villiers will switch back to his wicket-keeping duties, which means Dane Vilas too might be dropped. Yet, the crucial aspect for South Africa remains the pace bowling department, which looks formidable with the pair of Steyn and Morkel.
England
The visitors will miss James Anderson, due to his calf injury. Chris Woakes will likely be named replacement for Anderson. The exclusion of Ian Bell from the tour, also means Nick Compton will occupy the crucial number 3 slot.
Moeen Ali, who hasn’t been very effective on top of the order, will drop in lower down the order, making way for debutant and limited-overs star Alex Hales, to open alongside Cook. Steven Finn too makes a return from injury, thus boosting the bowling up.
Predicted line-ups:
South Africa: Stiaan van Zyl, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla(c), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (wk), Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, Dale Steyn, Dane Piedt, Kyle Abbott, Morne Morkel.
England: Alastair Cook (c), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Steven Finn.
Pitch & Conditions
Durban has traditionally seen hard and dry wickets, and has more often assisted pacers. Yet, the pitch will test any good batsman because of the way the ball will come on to the bat. As far as the weather is concerned, the temperature is expected to be high, which means the team winning the toss won’t hesitate to bat first and make use of the conditions early on.
Recent Form
South Africa L-L-D-L-D
England L-L-D-L-W
Key Stats
- The last time a Test match was drawn at Durban was in 2004. Ever since in the 8 matches played, all have managed to produce decisive results.
- The last time England won an away series was in 2012, since then they have lost 2 series and drawn 2.
- Alastair Cook needs 125 runs more to become England's highest Test runscorer in a calendar year.
- South Africa’s win-loss record at Durban stands at 1-4.
