Archer must prove fitness for last Test
Jofra Archer will have to prove his fitness in the nets at the Wanderers tomorrow to give England the tantalising prospect of pairing him with Mark Wood for the first time as they chase a 3-1 series victory.
Archer bowled on the outfield throughout the third Test, and is making progress with his right elbow injury, but he will have to bowl at full pace in the nets to be picked for the final Test, which starts on Friday.
Wood is judged on a match-bymatch basis and went through a higher-than-usual workload during his comeback Test in Port Elizabeth. England will monitor how he recovers from his first Test for nearly a year.
Joe Root answered “hopefully” when asked if Archer would be fit for the Wanderers. “It would be great to see him back firing and at his best,” the England captain said. “We have to get there and see where he is at. We have a couple more days to make sure he is ready to go. If Jofra is fit, it’s a good headache to have. If not, he has to make sure he does all the things he can to get himself right.”
It is South Africa who fly to Johannesburg today with problems piling up. Faf du Plessis vowed to continue as captain after the defeat in Port Elizabeth, but admitted the Wanderers could be his last Test appearance at home. South Africa have only two more Tests this year, in the West Indies in July, and Du Plessis has said he will carry on playing until the Twenty20 World Cup in October. He is expected to retire after that tournament.
“After the T20 World Cup, I will reassess where I am. But Test cricket is the format that takes the most out of you and, at the moment, white-ball cricket is where I am most successful,” he said. “It’s just about trying to be the strongest leader that I can be for the team. For now, that’s committing to this series. The worst thing a leader can do is pull the plug mid-series and say, ‘Sorry boys, I am out. I’ve had enough’.”
South Africa have called up four players for the final Test. Kagiso Rabada is suspended and one of left-arm seam bowler Beuran Hendricks and all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo will take his place. Batsmen Temba Bavuma and Keegan Petersen have been added to the squad, with Bavuma expected to replace Zubayr Hamza.