SA v Eng 2nd Test Preview: Proteas seek solace at the picturesque Newlands

The beautiful city of Cape Town will host the second Test between South Africa and England. Having lost the first Test, the home team will be under immense pressure to come up with the goods in this important match. Another defeat in the 4-match series will be catastrophic for the Proteas. Meanwhile, England will be mighty pleased with their efforts on the tour thus far and will look to drive home the 1-0 advantage.

South Africa:

“It’s important for our team to stay a really tight unit and try and keep the noise out. There will be a lot said, a lot written about and a lot of comments on Twitter and Facebook, and to try keep the noise out and keep in mind what this team is capable of is going to be the important thing for us,” South Africa’s coach Russell Domingo said after their Boxing Day Test defeat and rightly so.

South Africa had a miserable 2015 in Test cricket in spite of being the top-ranked team in the world. The defeat at Durban showcased the low confidence levels of the team. Amidst all the criticism about their performances, they will need to keep calm and show great mental strength to overcome all odds.

The team is in a selection dilemma as the third member of pace pack, Kyle Abbott, has experienced tightness in his hamstring. In-form Hardus Viljoen has been called up by the team as Kagiso Rabada looks set to replace Dale Steyn if his shoulder stays injured. Fast bowling all-rounder Chris Morris may also get a chance in a bowling attack led by Morne Morkel.

The batting has been a major worry for the home team with likes of Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy and skipper Hashim Amla failing to make any impact in recent times. Faf and Duminy averaged 16.75 and 14.00 respectively while Amla averaged 22.81 in 2015. The selectors have taken a good step to ease AB de Villiers’ concerns by including Quinton de Kock in the squad for the second Test. The left-hander will add depth to the batting and allow AB to fully focus on batting. South Africa will need a top performance as a cohesive unit to level the series and one expects the team to rise to the occasion.

England:

England has not missed the services of a senior player like Ian Bell who was left out of the touring party. The batting performances of players like James Taylor, Nick Compton and Jonny Bairstow would have pleased coach Trevor Bayliss to no end. When England stuttered to 49 for 3 on the first morning in Durban, South Africa had an opportunity but the remaining batsmen applied themselves that enabled the team to make a solid comeback.

The bowling looked incisive and produced the desired result. Stuart Broad was incredible in the first innings while Steve Finn made life difficult for the South African batsmen in the second. A match haul of 7 wickets by Moeen Ali confirmed his stature in the team. He gave the team important breakthroughs when needed and showed great skills with his off-spin bowling.

“There certainly is an excitement but that doesn’t guarantee anything. We’re certainly not going to think we can cruise these last three Test matches. South Africa haven’t become the best team in the world not having come back from adversity in different series. We’ve got a lot of hard work in front of us and we certainly won’t be taking them lightly,” said Bayliss ahead of the 2^nd Test. England will certainly need to guard against complacency as the home side is packed with quality players. The fact that South Africa’s reputation is at stakes, makes the Cape Town Test an intriguing prospect.

Probable XI-

England:

Alastair Cook (C), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Steve Finn

South Africa:

Stiaan van Zyl, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, Dane Piedt, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris