Innings of 184 not out started scratchily but soon developed into something startling and special by England’s new leaderAs Joe Root and Ben Stokes punched and clipped their way towards a recuperative century stand on a heavy, woozy afternoon at Lord’s it was, as ever, easy to forget the presence of pretty much anything else beyond those high Victorian garden walls. There were gurgles of pleasure around the basking bleachers; a parade of triumphantly bared male lower-leg beneath pleated chino shorts in the garden behind the pavilion; and everywhere the standard, quietly fevered consumption of jugs, pints and flutes.It was, though, simply a prelude to the main action, a genuinely startling innings from Root that decorated the opening day of...
That was Mike Atherton’s verdict on the decider to a Test series that caught the national imagination and culminated in a battle for the ages in LeedsWhen England last won a Test series at home to South Africa, the Spin wasn’t even a glint in the Guardian’s eye. Life was pretty different in 1998: cricket was on the BBC, there was no DRS and elite sport was still a place where male hormones could run riot. England’s 2-1 win over South Africa was less a Test series, more a testosterone series; an unyielding arm-wrestle between two tough yet fragile sides with more in common than they would ever admit at the time. Related: When one-day cup’s September spot provided all...
The great batsman will not figure in the Test series against England and may never play in the format again – but his compatriots are unfazedBeyond the South Africa camp there may be a mixture of alarm and relief that AB de Villiers is not participating in this Test series and that he may never play Test cricket again. The non‑partisan punter will be disappointed by this prospect since De Villiers, now 33, is one of the great cricketers of his generation.The figures demonstrate that – 106 Tests, 8,074 runs at an average in excess of 50 is a formidable record – but those numbers do not convey the magic of his batting when he is in full flow. De...
For all the bold talk when the Yorkshireman was appointed, the squad for his first game as England captain against South Africa hints at a pragmatic approachNow for something completely different: white kit, red ball and a week in the same hotel. It is finally Test match time. The first one against South Africa starts at Lord’s on Thursday and then there will be six more this summer inside eight weeks. Related: Gary Ballance recalled to England Test team against South Africa Related: Joe Root can bring aggression to England captaincy in new big-hitting era | Vic Marks Related: Joe Root was not always earmarked for England captaincy but rarely shirks a test | The Spin Continue reading...
Joe Root will have some input for the first Test with South Africa but the new captain will not be the only one finding it hard to name an able-bodied pacemanA captain is seldom more powerful in selection than before his first Test in charge. On Saturday morning Joe Root’s squad for the opening Test against South Africa, which starts at Lord’s on Thursday, will be revealed and it will surely have the imprint of the new leader. Related: Live cricket returns to BBC as part of deal for new Twenty20 tournament Continue reading...