Johannesburg — Following their “breakaway” in the West Midlands, the Proteas arrived in London during the weekend prior to the final Test at The Oval against England, where they conducted two closed-door training sessions.
One was at a private school, while the other was at a historic site in the south of the English city. Monday is not a scheduled training day for the Proteas, and their first media appearance is slated for Tuesday.
It is hardly exactly generating excitement for a decisive match in the series, and some may accuse Dean Elgar’s squad of adopting a “laager mindset” prior to Thursday’s encounter.
The long hiatus between the second Test — which England won in Manchester by an innings and 85 runs in three days — and the third match of the series was designed to give the England and Wales Cricket Board ample time to promote The Hundred finals, which took place at Lord’s on Saturday. Such is the current state of English cricket; a chips-sponsored marketing creation that is allegedly considered as the sport’s savior.
Cricket South Africa’s decision to withdraw the men’s national team from a one-day international series against Australia next year, thereby jeopardizing the team’s chances of automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup, has generated “controversy,” but the organization is acting similarly to its fellow Full Member counterparts.
Test cricket, as well as international cricket, is marginalized globally.
The Proteas will face a difficult battle not only from Ben Stokes’ squad, who proved that there was more to “Bazball” than Jonny Bairstow smashing sixes, but also from their own deficiencies, which were exposed at Old Trafford.
After winning the toss and batting first, South Africa were exposed when they were bowled out for 151 just after tea on the first day. Despite all the discussion regarding Elgar’s choice at the toss, the Proteas’ inconsistency with the bat threatens to impede their development as a Test team.
The topic around the shortage of first-class cricket – which, like the Test calendar, is becoming increasingly condensed due to the increased importance of white-ball forms – can be approached from a variety of angles. Therefore, there is no time to practice the basics of long-form batting.
Therefore, the players who are present must simply perform their duty, which is to score runs.
With Rassie van der Dussen’s damaged finger, there may be a temptation to go with an all-rookie middle order consisting of Ryan Rickelton and Khaya Zondo for The Oval. However, the selectors may opt for a more cautious approach. Aiden Markram may receive another opportunity to improve his terrible Test performance.
The bowling lineup is unlikely to be a point of contention for Victor Mpitsang’s selection committee. The attack that annihilated England at Lord’s must reunite with Marco Jansen for the last Test.
Even if the pitch at The Oval suggests spin, Keshav Maharaj should be favored to be the solitary spinner despite the end of a hot and dry summer in England. Markram can supplement in this sector if necessary.
The batters must perform better than they did in the previous two Tests, regardless of the attack’s composition, and the “breakaway” to the West Midlands should have given them the opportunity to determine how this would be accomplished.
SQUADS
South Africa: Dean Elgar (capt), Sarel Erwee, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Lutho Sipamla, Wiaan Muler, Kyle Verreynne, Khaya Zondo, Glenton Stuurman
Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Ben Duckett, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, and Joe Root comprise the England batting order.