Testing times: Can hosts England take advantage of disjointed Proteas outfit?

SOUTH AFRICA and England have engaged in some pulsating series’s in the last 20 years. The Matches have been competitive and feisty and the four Test series starting at Lord’s this Thursday should be no different. STUART HESS weighs up the strengths and weakness of the teams.

ENGLAND

STRENGTHS

ALASTAIR COOK: No Longer burdened by the captaincy, Cook can concentrate totally on his main job at the top of the order. His form for Essex has been very good – three hundreds and one half-century in 10 innings to help them to the top of Division One of the County Championship. The 32 year old is one of the great Test purists produced by England. His Test statistics are prodigious; 140 matches, over 11000 runs, with 30 centuries, all with a technique for which the very hallmark is simplicity.

JOE ROOT: The face of English cricket for the last four years is now leader of the national team, making this one of the biggest weeks of his life. Root (pictured top

left) is one of the mainstays of the England batting order and has an awesome record at home – eight of his 11 centuries have come in England. How the captaincy impacts his batting will be one of the major story-lines of this series, but he has plenty of support, not just from teammates – and Cook will be a much valued lieutenant – but also a vast coaching staff headed up by the straight-talking Aussie, Trevor Bayliss

BEN STOKES: The South Africans have more than enough data at their disposal when it comes to the Kiwi-born one time rugby league wannabe. He was an intimidating force when the two teams met in South Africa in 2015/16 and his aggression and manner certainly riled up the South Africans. Stokes has a presence about him, constantly seeks the spotlight – in the manner of predecessors Botham and Flintoff – and revels in that attention. He hits the ball with murderous force, is a fine seam bowler who offers lots of variety, and is an athletic fielder with a remarkable pair of hands.

HOME GROUND ADVANTAGE: England has a prodigious home record, losing just four of the 19 series they’ve hosted in the past decade – but South Africa will take a lot of solace from the fact they were responsible for two of those defeats. Trent Bridge and Old Trafford, which South Africa didn’t visit in those last two series, are venues beloved by England’s bowlers.

WEAKNESSES

KEATON JENNINGS AND GARY BALLANCE: It has to be noted that Ballance is in hot form for Yorkshire in the County Championship, having scored over 800 runs at an average of more than 100 – but he’s done that batting at 5 and for this series, Root wants him at 3. In his last 21 Test innings’ he has scored just two half-centuries, and the South Africans will examine his technique against the full ball, where he is susceptible on account of being stuck on the crease. Jennings, meanwhile, started his Test career in a blaze of glory, but has barely flickered for Durham this season, and there were apparently long debates about whether to retain him for this series. His confidence isn’t high, and it’s an area South Africa may exploit.

FITNESS: Stuart Broad and James Anderson have had some troubling ailments recently, and there were concerns about them playing the first Test. However this is a short and sharp series – four Tests in four weeks – which will take it’s toll. There are also fears about Stokes’ workload with the ball, given his knee problems, and the England selectors brought in Liam Dawson and Toby Roland-Jones as cover. It will be up to the South African batsmen to make the bowlers work hard to try and expose this vulnerability.

SOUTH AFRICA

STRENGTHS

RESILIENCE: We saw it last summer, notably in that opening Test match where without De Villiers, Steyn and Morkel, and with a debutant spinner, they beat Australia in Perth. Given the focus on how they fold in limited overs ICC tournaments, it’s bizarre to see the same players show such toughness and composure under pressure when wearing Test ‘whites.’

QUINTON DE KOCK: A key component of that resilient streak is De Kock, who on a number of occasions last summer turned matches decisively in the Proteas’ favour with some effervescent batting. Perth, Hobart, Wellington are all Tests that bear testimony to De Kock’s strengths. De Kock’s brilliance is underlined by the fact he doesn’t look rushed. His natural game is to attack and his ability to score all around the wicket and against any bowling means he’s a difficult player for the opposition to rein in.

BOWLING: Even in the absence of Dale Steyn, South Africa’s is an outstanding attack. When conditions have allowed, Rabada and Philander have got the ball to ‘reverse’ and with Morkel back – and in form – they have more pace and someone able to utilise any bounce in the surface. With three left-handers in England’s top-order, Philander and Morkel, who are both very good against lefties, will be licking their lips, while Maharaj provides very good control, and clever changes in pace and spin have allowed him to become a wicket-taking threat too.

WEAKNESSES

INEXPERIENCE: South Africa has a new captain, a debutant opener and a middle order batsmen in poor form, and with just one Test cap, in Theunis De Bruyn. Even if he doesn’t play, and Chris Morris does, the big all-rounder has only two caps. Duanne Olivier, the back-up seamer, has played just one Test. The South African teams that triumphed in 2008 and 2012 all had a strong experienced core, something this year’s group lacks.

UNCERTAINTY WITHIN CAMP: Players have been coming and going, as different individuals are utilised for the different formats. There’ve been personal problems for the coach and the captain to deal with and understandably their focus isn’t just on cricket. There’s also been other distractions around the group; the future of the coach, the AB de Villiers saga foremost among those. They’ve lost every series so far on this tour and it’s easy for a negative mindset to set in.

PHILANDER’S FITNESS: A vital element in the bowling unit, especially in English conditions which will aid his disciplined method of attack, but a bit like England’s concerns over their fast bowlers, there will be worries in the South African camp about his ability to last the series with such a tight schedule. Already short on experience in key areas, South Africa can’t afford the loss – at any stage – of Philander (pictured top right).