ELGAR WILL CALL THE TUNE

SOUTH AFRICA captain Faf du Plessis will miss the first Test after confirming he would not be back in England in time following the “difficult” birth of his first child.

With Du Plessis (left) absent, opening batsman Dean Elgar will lead the team, meaning there will be two first-time captains at Thursday’s toss.

Proteas coach Russell Domingo said: “Dean is a gutsy player. He epitomises South African cricket to a T. He’s an aggressive type of personality and he will play an aggressive brand of cricket.”