Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

SA vs ENG 3rd Test Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | SA vs ENG 3rd Test Dream11 | South Africa vs England 3rd Test Preview Dream11 Prediction | South Africa vs England 3rd Test Key Players | SA vs ENG Dream11 Prediction

Amid the plethora of white-ball cricket around the world right now, the game’s toughest and most traditional format takes centre stage again.

And what a series it is shaping up to be.

Thanks to Ben Stokes’ heroics (AGAIN), England drew level in thrilling circumstances in Cape Town. It was a fine effort by Stokes and England, who have been struck down with injuries and illness throughout their tour to date.

So, South Africa, who were big favourites to take out the series after their win in the first Test, have work to do. Their first-innings display in Cape Town left plenty to be desired, owing again to their up-and-down batting. Can they re-take the series lead in the crucial third Test?

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Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• What more can be said about Ben Stokes? Cricketer of the year and now firmly in the England’s best ever all-rounder discussion, Stokes continues to achieve incredible feats when his team needs it most.
• He is coming off a performance that read: 47, 0/34, 73, 3/35.
• Dominic Sibley is coming off his most significant performance in Test cricket. He currently leads the run-scoring chart this series with 200.
• Faf du Plessis has had a poor series to date (29, 20, 1, 19). But, he returns to one of his favourite grounds, where he has scored 509 runs in six Tests at 72.71.
• Dean Elgar, coming off a fighting 88 in the last Test, also has a fine record at St George’s Park: 7 Tests, 521 runs, avg. 52.10.
• Joe Root’s series has been ridden with starts: 29, 48, 35, 61. He averages 50.81 in South Africa, and the time is now to make a series-defining century.
• Joe Denly has faced 431 balls in two Tests: an unsung hero for England so far.
• It was a poor Test for South Africa last year in Port Elizabeth, but Quinton de Kock shone with 86. He may still be up at night thinking about his second innings dismissal in Cape Town, but he remains crucial for SA.
• Vernon Philander could certainly be fired up after Jos Buttler had a go at him on the final day of the second Test. Philander averages 23.12 with the ball in five Tests at St George’s Park.
• Kagiso Rabada is the series’ leading wicket-taker with 12, and averages 17 runs per wicket (23) at St George’s Park.
• Anrich Nortje (10), Stuart Broad (8) and Sam Curran (8) are all challenging Rabada for series’ top wicket-taker.
• James Anderson is out of the series with a rib injury. Keep an eye on Mark Wood, who is said to be bowling well and quickly in training. He is a chance of playing, according to reports.

Key to a South Africa win

Faf du Plessis returns to his beloved St George’s Park; the South Africa skipper is under pressure to make a significant score after an underwhelming series. Indeed, with the Proteas having the tendency to lose regular wickets, it is on the solid openers, Zubayr Hamza and du Plessis to lead the way.

Also, can the Proteas’ seamers inflict more damage? They huffed and puffed in Cape Town, only to be denied by the grit shown by England’s top order, followed by the brute force of Ben Stokes. Keshav Maharaj could have a key role to play on a traditionally-slower pitch, but if there is grass, the seam-trio need to be on the money consistently.

Key to an England win

England should look at Cape Town as a significant step in the right direction. However, a poor batting display here could mean two steps backwards. Dominic Sibley announced himself on the Test stage, and with the likes of Joe Denly, Joe Root and Ben Stokes fighting away, England can hope for another big batting effort.

Also, is it time to unleash Mark Wood? He is reportedly bowling rapidly in training, which could sway England as they are looking for pace with the Kookaburra ball. Stuart Broad has been good for the most part, and if he can lead the way, the rest will follow against a batting lineup prone to collapse.

Possible Playing 11

South Africa lost the previous Test, but there is no need to panic. However, Zubayr Hamza has not had a good series so far, so he needs to have a good game to boost his confidence.

South Africa: 1. Dean Elgar, 2. Pietar Malan, 3. Zubayr Hamza, 4. Faf du Plessis (c), 5. Rassie van der Dussen, 6. Quinton de Kock (wk), 7. Dwaine Pretorius, 8. Vernon Philander, 9. Keshav Maharaj, 10. Kagiso Rabada, 11. Anrich Nortje

Joe Root was affected by illness a few days ago, but is considered all-good to play. Unfortunately, Jack Leach has had to go home to treat ongoing illness, so Dominic Bess will remain the spinner.

However, England have a bit of a conundrum in the pace department. James Anderson is out, and have the choice of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood or Chris Woakes. Wood is reportedly a good chance of playing.

England: 1. Zak Crawley, 2. Dominic Sibley, 3. Joe Denly, 4. Joe Root (c), 5. Ben Stokes, 6. Ollie Pope, 7. Jos Buttler (wk), 8. Sam Curran, 9. Jofra Archer/Mark Wood, 10. Dominic Bess, 11. Stuart Broad

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St George’s Park Port Elizabeth Pitch Report and Conditions

The pitch had plenty of grass on it three days out from the Test; most will be shaved off. Port Elizabeth is typically one of the slower tracks in South Africa, but bowlers had the better of proceedings just under a year ago when Sri Lanka won.

The weather forecast looks mostly fine apart from a chance of a few showers on days three and five.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

It’s two flawed sides, but that takes nothing away from how intriguing this Test promises to be.

Both sides who have batted first have gone on to win the game. Given the even nature of the two teams, it could be the case again.

Thanks for reading!

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