England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who did not practice the last couple of days due to his father’s critical condition, is in the final XI.
Joe Root file image. (Photo: IANS)
England skipper Joe Root on Thursday won the toss and elected to bowl first against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Rassie van der Dussen and Dwaine Pretorius make their Test debut.
Meanwhile, England pace spearhead James Anderson was handed a special cap by country’s former skipper Naseer Hussain as the bowler plays his 150th Test match. He becomes only the second English player after Alastair Cook to reach the milestone. The pacer has so far claimed 575 wickets in 149 Test matches played so far.
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Notably, England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who did not practice the last couple of days due to his father’s critical condition, is in the final XI.
“We’re going to bowl first. It’s quite a tricky decision to make and it’s a great opportunity to exploit the grass,” said Root after the toss.
Meanwhile, Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis said, “We thought if they were playing an extra seamer they’d bowl first, but we were looking to bat first anyway. Generally at Centurion, the first day is slow and the cracks open up on day two and three.”
Here are the Playing XIs of both the teams:
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Dwaine Pretorius, Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
England: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Joe Denly, Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
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