LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Clouds gather during Day One of the 3rd Investec Test between England and South Africa at The Kia Oval on July 27, 2017 in London, England.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Clouds gather during Day One of the 3rd Investec Test between England and South Africa at The Kia Oval on July 27, 2017 in London, England.
Keaton Jennings went for a nine-ball duck as South Africa made an early breakthrough on Day One against a rejigged England side featuring three debutants.
Pace bowler Toby Roland-Jones and top-order batsman Tom Westley have been called into the side as England look to respond to their crushing defeat at Trent Bridge, but it is the inclusion of Dawid Malan that has really caught the eye. Whose South Africans are they anyway, right?
England won the toss and elected to bat first under gloomy skies in London. Jennings’ early dismissal may have been a cause of regret for Joe Root’s side, but Alistair Cook and Westley managed to navigate the home side to 62-1 at the lunch interval.
Westley was soon removed in the afternoon session by Morris for 25, and Joe Root looked set to lead England’s revival with Cook before Philander snared the Yorkshireman for 29.
Rabada then picked up the wicket of Malan for 1 with a sumptuous yorker, as Cook fought defiantly to take England to 171-4 at stumps. His 82* was ably assisted by Ben Stokes, who dug in to make 21* and see England weather both the literal and metaphorical storm on Day One
Keaton Jennings Record vs South Africa
First Test, Lord’s: 8 & 33
Second Test, Trent Bridge: 0 & 3
Third Test, The Oval: 0
Who is Dawid Malan?
Born in Roehampton, England, Dawid Malan spent some of his younger years in South Africa. Educated at Paarl Boys’ High with a brief stint playing for Boland, he relocated to the United Kingdom in 2006.
He has been with Middlesex for the last 11 years, and is known for his destructive batting in shorter forms of the game – he holds the record for the highest score ever made by a T20 batsman coming in at number six.
South Africa were acquainted with him when he made his first T20 appearance for England back in June, smashing 78 off 44 balls against the Proteas
He’s become a very steady performer in four-day cricket at a domestic level and brings a wealth of experience to the international game despite his debutant status.
England vs South Africa head-to-head record
Last 10 Tests vs England: South Africa have won five, lost three, and drawn two.
Proteas in England: SA haven’t lost a series in England since 1998, winning the last two and drawing the previous tour.
Series Record: England have won only two of the last seven series against South Africa. The Proteas have won three, whilst the other two were drawn.
Previous results at The Oval
Overall: 99 Tests; 40 home wins, 22 away wins, 37 draws
Last 10 Results in Tests: Four home wins, four away wins, two draws
Last England v South Africa Test: July 19-23, 2012: South Africa (637-2d) beat England (385 & 240) by an innings and 12 runs
Session times
Session times: 12:00-1400, 14:40-16:40, 17:00-19:00
England and South Africa Starting XI
England: Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Tom Westley, Joe Root (c), Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Toby Roland-Jones, James Anderson
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Vernon Philander, Chris Morris, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel
Weather forecast:
Thursday: Intermittent showers are expected to dominate the day. It’ll be cloudy and a bit chilly throughout (highs of 20C), the conditions look good for South Africa’s seamers.
Friday & Saturday: Both days will follow a very similar pattern – Dry through the morning and early afternoon, with rain predicted to hit about 3 pm onwards.
Sunday & Monday: Continuous cloud cover, temperatures expected to rise to 22C
Live streams and radio commentary
In South Africa, you need DSTV to watch. The action will be on SuperSport202, both on your telly and live-streamed on the website. Over in the UK, you need a SkySports subscription, it’s all live on the SkySports cricket channel.
If you don’t have either, you can listen to BBC Test Match Special, or alternative commentary on Guerilla Cricket.
