Joe Root believes England are up to the challenge of beating South Africa in a Test series for the first time in a decade. Root, who has yet to play a Test against South Africa, will be one of England’s key players as the No. 2-ranked batsman in the world and vice-captain to Alastair Cook and he is predicting an “entertaining spectacle” between two sides with clear strengths and weaknesses.
England have arrived in South Africa and begun preparations for the four-Test series by taking on an Invitational XI in Pochesfstroom. Among their first concerns will be settling on a new combination at the top of the order – likely Alex Hales opening alongside Cook with Nick Compton at No. 3 – and establishing the identity of the third seamer behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
South Africa have issues of their own to deal with after a chastening 3-0 defeat in India, with coach Russell Domingo admitting “there is a lot of work to do”. Aside from a batting order struggling for form, Vernon Philander suffered ankle ligament damage that willkeep him out of the first two Tests and Dale Steyn is also a fitness concern after hurting his groin in Mohali last month.
They will still be able to call on Morne Morkel, along with the talented Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada, who will present a significant challenge on faster, bouncier surfaces than England are used to. Root said that the fast-bowling contest could be what ultimately decides the series.
“It should be a really entertaining spectacle, with their attack and our attack as well, in those conditions – I’m looking forward to getting out there and being a part of it,” he told ESPNcricinfo.
Asked if England could win away from home against the top-ranked Test side, he replied: “Absolutely, yeah. I think it’s going to be a really close series, and a really interesting battle with the two seam attacks. The way that Stuart and Jimmy lead our attack, with some very exciting guys below them as well, it could be an interesting battle against the No. 1 side in the world.”
England last played South Africa in 2012, when a 2-0 home defeat hastened the retirement of Andrew Strauss and led to Cook’s elevation to the Test captaincy. They have not beaten South Africa since 2004-05 – with Anderson the only survivor from that tour – and have not won a Test series overseas since India in the winter of 2012, Cook’s first in charge and also the scene of Root’s debut.
A successful start for Cook as Test captain was followed by a nightmarish year in which England suffered a 5-0 Ashes whitewash, lost at home to Sri Lanka and tentatively began to rebuild after the loss of several key players. Cook contemplated giving up the captaincy (and was also sacked from the role in ODIs) but his authority has never been stronger after England regained the Ashes with a 3-2 win earlier this year.
Root – the man widely considered next in line – said Cook’s drive to get better set the perfect example for a young team still finding their way.
“He’s been developing as a captain since he took on the role, it’s something that you can never really practice until you actually do it and I thought the way he approached this Ashes, both on and off the field – obviously the way he trains and the example he sets as a player and batsman have always been exemplary, but as a leader and his tactical nous over the last 12 months has been remarkable. He’s always learning all the time and he’s always willing to learn, which is exactly what you want from a leader.”
Under Cook, Root has become a key player for England, particularly since coming back from being dropped at the end of the 2013-14 Ashes, and already in 2015 he has broken his country’s record for international runs in a calendar year. Root hopes there is improvement still to come and cited a batsman England will come up against over the next few weeks, AB de Villiers, as the current gold standard.
“He is a big inspiration and I think it’s important as players that we look to learn from guys like him,” Root said. “He’s one of the guys taking the game forward and moving it on all the time and we’ve got to make sure as individuals, we have that responsibility to try and develop our games and try and stick with the best in the world and go past them if we can.”
