5 Reasons why fans should be excited about the ENG-SA Test series

South Africa embarked on the tour of England in the third week of May and after almost 45 days of their arrival, they still have a little over a month’s cricket still left to be played. On July 6, they will be pitted against England at the Lord’s Stadium for the first of the 4-test series against the hosts.

The personnel of the Proteas have changed slightly. AB De Villiers has flown back home as he hasn’t made himself available for Test selection in the recent while. Besides De Villiers, limited overs specialists Imran Tahir and David Miller too are not in the scheme of things in Test cricket. Faf du Plessis, who ruled himself out of the T20 series, won’t take part in the first Test as he will remain with his wife following the ‘difficult’ birth of their child. Dean Elgar will lead the side in the absence of the incumbent du Plessis.

England will be playing Test cricket after almost 7 months. The hosts had a few injury concerns but Anderson and Broad have recovered from their respective niggles and have been included in the squad for the first Test.

Let us look at the 5 things to look forward to for the fans during the series:

1) Joe Root’s stint as captain

England are set to begin life post-Cook’s era, who captained for almost half a decade. Joe Root was the unanimous choice to replace the Essex lad. All of just 26, Root has accumulated runs across the world ever since he made his debut in India in 2012. It will be interesting to see how he gets on with the new role. He always has the option of seeking advice from Cook, who will still play a vital role in the leadership group. Root has followed fellow contemporaries Williamson, Kohli and Steve Smith by becoming the best batsman of the side first, followed by being made the skipper of the side.

2) Kagiso Rabada playing in England

Rabada has never played a Test in England. The new South African sensation will relish playing some quality red-ball cricket in conditions conducive to fast bowling. Though the 22-year old didn’t have the best of times in the ICC Champions Trophy but collected 7 wickets in 3 games in the 3-match ODI series against England earlier. Rabada has the pace and movement to rattle the best in the business and the hosts should be wary of him. In 17 Tests so far, Rabada has already taken 71 wickets including five 5-wicket hauls and will be South Africa’s go-to man during the series with both the new as well as the old ball.

3) Dean Elgar leading South Africa for the first time

After having a successful hit with Somerset in the early part of the summer, Elgar has been appointed as the captain of the side for the first Test. Faf du Plessis will only join the squad ahead of the second game in Nottingham. The left-handed Elgar opener recently established himself in the Test side after producing tough runs at the top of the order for his country. In 5 Tests this year, Elgar averages 52.88 after making 476 runs including two hundreds. He will have to use all of his county experience to lead South Africa in the series opener at the Lord’s Stadium.

4) Watching Anderson in action

James Anderson is one of the best fast bowlers actively playing international cricket. The 34-year old is at his best when playing in England and has a whopping 296 wickets which are 63 % of his overall tally of 467 Test wickets. Anderson himself will be raring to go as he isn’t a part of the limited overs set-up which means that he hasn’t worn an England cap since December last year. The Lancaster cricketer is a great exponent of conventional as well as reverse swing and is a master of using the slope at Lord’s to his advantage. He might be getting on with the years but the intensity and the nip is still there in Anderson’s crafty bowling.

5) South Africa wants to prove a point

South Africa haven’t won a single series so far on their long tour of England. They lost to the hosts in the 3-match bilateral ODI series and the T20 series as well. Their Champions Trophy campaign was unsuccessful as they were knocked out by India during the group stages itself. This is South Africa’s chance to seek redemption also because Test cricket is their strongest forte. They have quality players in Elgar, Amla, du Plessis, Duminy, de Kock and Bavuma, who all played big parts in series win against Sri Lanka at home, New Zealand away and Australia away. They have the form and the right personnel to give England a run for their money in their own backyard.