LIVE | Marco Jansen gives Proteas hope after Day 3 at the Oval

After six T20Is (including three against Ireland in Bristol), three ODIs and two Tests, South Africa’s 2022 tour of England concludes with the third and final Test of the series at The Oval.

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The game gets underway in south London on Thursday, 8 September with the series evenly poised at 1-1.

South Africa thrashed England by an innings margin at Lord’s before England did the same to South Africa at Old Trafford, leaving this series in a fascinating position.

South Africa will be forced into making one change to their line-up due to injury. Rassie van der Dussen, who made a gritty 41 from 132 balls in the second innings at Old Trafford, has a broken index finger and is expected to be replaced by left-hander Ryan Rickleton.

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This will be the 156th Test between the sides with England enjoying a 65-35 lead. South Africa have lost six of the last eight Tests and the defeat at Old Trafford means they still have not beaten England in back to back Tests in the same series since 2008. The hosts have also won four of the five Tests against South Africa at The Oval from 1994 onwards.

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ENGLAND V PROTEAS

Players to watch

Joe Root comes into this Test after making single figure scores in each of his three innings in the series. However, he still has a Test batting average of 57.78 since the start of 2021 and, with Jonny Bairstow out injured, many expect him to put in his strongest showing of the series. 

Anrich Nortje enjoyed his first Test tour of England and had dismissed the home side’s dangerman, Bairstow, in all three innings. He has revelled in his attacking role and has a strike-rate of 26.6 from the two Tests compared with a career average of 43.2.

Stat attack

– From 2014 onwards, the average first innings score by the team batting first in a Test Match at The Oval is 303.

– Anrich Nortje has taken a three-wicket haul in each of his three innings in the series so far.

– Joe Root has recorded single-figure scores in each of his last three Test innings. He has never made four successive single-figure scores in his Test career.

– The England win in Manchester was the first time in two years that they have won a Test when Joe Root has not scored a half-century.

– Ben Stokes has been dismissed four times by Anrich Nortje in Test cricket at an average of just 17.75.

– South Africa beat England by an innings and 12 runs at the Oval in 2012, but that was their only Test win at this venue in 15 attempts.

– At least one player has scored a hundred in every Test at the Oval this century. The last Test at this venue to not feature a player making a ton was England v New Zealand in 1999 when Chris Cairns top scored with 80 batting at number eight in the visitors’ second innings.

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