England are hardly beginning a new era in Test cricket under Joe Root – the personnel will be largely the same and former captain Alastair Cook will still be opening the batting – so don’t expect that formidable home record in Test matches to be thrown into the waste basket when they face South Africa in the coming weeks.
No drastic change of formula is required with Root, though a totally different character to Cook, expected to stick largely to his predecessor’s way of managing matches. Of course, if the Yorkshireman needs any advice he need only look as far as the slip cordon!
Cook has been in brilliant form for county Essex this year and, no longer weighed down by the captaincy, is still a world-class opener at international level and the perfect foil for Durham’s Keaton Jennings. Joe Root will be hoping to become the latest in a series of top order batsmen to flourish under international captaincy and will bat at three and is joined in the middle-order by recalled Yorkshire team-mate and county captain Gary Balance and another in-form Yorkshireman, Jonny Bairstow. Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali are the all-rounders with Mark Wood likely to share the new ball with the established quickies, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson.
This is a tried-and-tested England team and they are worthy of their 33/50 quote from Marathonbet to win the four-match Test series against South Africa.
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South Africa are a current 7/2 to win the Test series in England but the Proteas are in trouble before a ball is bowled.
Captain Faf Du Plessis has returned home to attend the birth of his first child so Dean Elgar will lead the Test side for the first time in the First Test at Lord’s. Already without AB De Villiers and leading bowler Dale Steyn, the South Africans have endured a miserable summer so far.
Beaten quite comfortably by England in both the one-day and T20 series, they failed to get beyond the group stages of the Champions Trophy and their current Test squad is not filled with names that will strike fear into this young and ever-evolving England squad. That said, the England bowlers will still be glad to see the back of Hashim Amla, who can win matches single-handed.
But the middle order looks weak and the attack lacks overall experience of English conditions. I can see England winning this series with something to spare to give Joe Root a flying start in his new role. A 3-0 correct score series win for England is 13/2 on betfair and Root and Cook share favouritism to be England overall top scorer at 9/4.
