South Africa vs England 2019-20 | 6 biggest takeaways from the 4-Test series

In a highly unexpected result, England ended up smashing South Africa 3-1 in a 4-Test series in their own backyard. What made this outcome very unexpected was how the series started. The Proteas registered a convincing victory in the first game and it was declared the start of a new era. However, it ended up being a false start for Faf du Plessis’ team.

The English team, which had been having a tough time after failing to regain the Ashes at home and losing in New Zealand, have finally found a wave to surf on. This series win was highly impressive not just because of the margin of victory but also because of the number of players who stood up and performed for the visitors.

The fact that Joe Root’s side triumphed despite losing the services of James Anderson, Jofra Archer, and Rory Burns would make English fans very optimistic about the future prospects of their Test side. After years of underperforming, it seems the English team is finally getting their act together in the longest format of the game.

So, with the series done and dusted, let’s look at the 6 most important lessons we learnt from it.

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#6 South Africa are in a serious muddle

With du Plessis’ future not certain, South African team faces a tough time ahead.

If their performance against India in India didn’t prove it, it has now been established beyond doubt that the Proteas are going through a very difficult phase in Test cricket. And things are going to get only worse.

Last year, they lost a home series to Sri Lanka, then, got humiliated in India. Now, they have endured a thrashing at home against England. With the departure of Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, and couple of other talented bowlers who chose the Kolpak route to emigrate to England, their bowling looks a pale shadow of what one expects from the South Africans.

The batting too, is looking much feebler than before. Faf du Plessis isn’t scoring as many runs as expected and the no. 3 position remains a troubled spot due to the departure of Hashim Amla. The team also doesn’t have a reliable player at no. 6. With du Plessis’ future also uncertain, the South African team faces a tough time ahead.

Note: All statistics as of January 27, 2020

#5 England find another good opener

Sibley's performance in this series has secured his place in the opener's slot

In 2012, when Andrew Strauss retired, England started searching for a replacement. Six years later, when Alastair Cook called it a day, they were still looking for one and now had to find one more. The emergence of Rory Burns in the Ashes series last year solved half the problem. But who would be his partner?

It seems that this series has produced an answer to that question also. Dom Sibley’s hundred in the third Test has made it certain that he would be the opening partner of Rory Burns when the latter returns to the team. In fact, his partner Zak Crawley also scored some runs in the last match to provide a back-up option if someone is unavailable.

The reason for the sudden emergence of good opening batsmen in the English team is the decision of the selectors to pick successful openers from the county game. After the failed experiment of trying to make Jason Roy into a Test batsman, the Ed Smith-led selection committee finally got its act together and realised opening the innings in the longest format is a specialised job.

With Burns continuing to succeed and Sibley looking impressive, a settled opening combination may be England’s biggest gain from this series.

#4 Stokes continues his waltz towards greatness

Stokes continues to be a highly consistent performer

For quite some time now, Ben Stokes has proven himself to be the best all-rounder in the world. Last year, his legend grew even further with memorable innings in the World Cup final and the Headingley Ashes Test.

This series has further solidified Stokes’ position as not just the best in the world currently but the best all-rounder the world has seen since Jacques Kallis. It’s not just the mere stats that make the English star important, it’s the story behind those stats. He gets crucial wickets for his team and manages to make an impact even when others look exhausted.

His batting continues to be top-class and unlike some other all-rounders, Stokes has shown that he can bat both aggressively or doggedly, whatever the situation requires. Four years ago, he scored a magnificent double century in South Africa. This time, he has again left everyone applauding his efforts and talking about the impact-making abilities he possesses.

Comparisons are odious but it is about time that the world recognises Stokes as England's greatest all-rounder since Sir Ian Botham.

#3 Curran and Pope prove their worth

Both Curran and Pope enjoyed success in this series

Sam Curran looks like a very innocuous bowler – without much pace or height. However, he seems to have that uncanny knack of picking up wickets that some bowlers possess. Most people would have thought of him as an unnecessary player in the squad.

But the medium-pacer performed really well and showed that he can contribute very effectively to the team’s cause. Though his batting didn’t shine much in this series, his bowling was surprisingly effective.

In the batting department, Ollie Pope justified the faith shown in his abilities by the selectors. Anyone who had seem him bat earlier would have noticed the immense talent he possessed. In this series, he turned that potential into performance and emerged as a very solid middle-order batsman as well as a very attractive strokemaker.

He could well emerge as the most talented batsman in the English team in the coming years. What would be interesting to see is where he bats in the line-up. Would England think of shifting him higher in the order or keep him at no. 5.

Whichever option they take, Pope is likely to succeed.

#2 Silver-lining amidst dark clouds for Proteas

Nortje's performance was a big plus for South Africa

While there is a lot to be worried about as far as the South Africans are concerned, there were a couple of things that would make their fans optimistic about the future. One of them is the way Anrich Nortje bowled in this series. Yes, he was always known to possess good speed, but this series showed he can use it effectively also.

The five-wicket haul by Beuran Hendricks in the second innings of the last Test is also a good sign. The left-arm seamer has been on the fringes of the Test team for a long time but finally got his opportunity and made use of it.

In batting, the performance of Rassie van der Dussen was also a big plus point. He had shown how good he is in the limited-overs format last year itself. Now, he has delivered in the longest format also. Since the Proteas are in desperate need of good middle-order batsmen, van der Dussen's success would be extremely satisfactory to his team.

Now, he needs to follow up this performance with a few more good scores to secure his place in the side.

#1 Buttler nearly out of Test team

Buttler endured a miserable time in this series

The only thing that would trouble England about this series is the poor performance of Jos Buttler. In 2018, the England selection committee took the gamble of bringing him back into the Test team on the basis of his IPL form.

This worked and Buttler emerged as an impact player in the longest format also. But this series suggested that succeeding consistently at this level may not be possible for the wicketkeeper-batsman. The door is now open for both Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes.

Bairstow is a quality player but may not be very good with the gloves. Foakes, on the other hand, is a professional keeper who is also a very handy batsman. He scored a hundred on debut in Sri Lanka in 2018 but was subsequently dropped due to poor returns.

But, with Buttler now all but out of the playing XI, time may be ripe for giving him a second chance. In fact, both Foakes and Bairstow may get opportunities in the foreseeable future. Since England’s next destination is Sri Lanka, it may well be Foakes who gets a go first.