ENG vs SA: 5 player battles to watch out for in Test series

England and South Africa will face off for a three-match Test series between August 17 and September 8. South Africa, earlier, won the T20I series 2-1, and the ODI series ended with a 1-1 draw. The Proteas will look to carry forward the momentum across formats and break England’s four-match winning streak in Tests.

For England, this will be their third assignment under the leadership of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. They whitewashed New Zealand 3-0 in June and won the rescheduled fifth Test match against India in July. And they will need a few more wins to go to the top half of the table in the World Test Championship (WTC).

South Africa, on the other hand, is placed at the top of the WTC table and is playing some of the best cricket in the format. However, they faced a comprehensive defeat in the warm-up game against England Lions, losing by an innings and 56 runs. And going into the series, the visitors will be mindful of the positive brand of cricket, or “Bazball”, that England have adopted over the last couple of months.

Meanwhile, let’s look at some player battles to watch out for in the series: 

1. James Anderson vs Aiden Markram

One of the toughest challenges in Test cricket is facing James Anderson with a brand new Dukes cherry in the first hour of the innings. And it is even more so challenging if it is in the morning on a green top at Lord’s. Even after 19 years since his debut, he looks menacing as ever with the Dukes ball in his hand.

South African opener Aiden Markram will be given the duty to negotiate swing and movement off Anderson and see out the opening hour. This will be his first Test outing in England and it will be a real test of technique, temperament and grit. He has played only one Test match against England and scored 22 runs.

Markram is a talented batter with an elegant technique and composure and the kind of batter a team would want as an opener in English conditions. However, Anderson has been firing on all cylinders, picking up 18 wickets in his last four Test matches at an average of 22.16, and his contest with Markram would be an intriguing one.