With Dale Steyn ruled out with his shoulder injury and a result pitch promised by the groundsman, Bethuel Buthelezi, the third Test at the Wanderers represents a golden opportunity for England to claim their first series win over South Africa in 11 years.
Alastair Cook’s side – 1-0 up with two to play – appear the more settled, with Nick Compton their only concern after he was the latest to fall foul of a stomach virus that has swept through the camp. The 32-year-old batsman did not train on Monday but England remain confident of his recovery in time for Thursday.
For South Africa, the absence of Steyn for a second successive Test represents a setback; it was on this ground in 2010 that he blew away England with five wickets in their first innings to deny them a series win. Another pitch with pace and bounce has been prepared and Buthelezi told reporters 350 will be a good first-innings score.
The Wanderers provides a new challenge for Cook’s side too, sitting as it does nearly 6,000ft above sea level, as the thinner air means the ball will fly through a split second quicker. One man who knows about the benefits is England’s bowling coach, Ottis Gibson, who is reputed to have struck one of the biggest sixes seen at the ground when playing domestically in South Africa during the 1990s.
But while this will be music to the ears of Ben Stokes, fresh from clearing the rope an English-record 11 times during his astonishing double-century at Cape Town, playing at altitude means England will have to be far sharper in the field than during the second Test when nine chances went to ground and a draw followed.
To that end fielding practice on Monday, marshalled by their stickler of a coach, Trevor Bayliss, appeared additionally intense. The wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, guilty of one of those reprieves as South Africa batted for nine and a half hours, insisted the performance in the field was a merely a blip and that the morning workout was a continuation of high standards.
He said: “You can say we put emphasis on catching today because we dropped a few last week but look at the emphasis we put on catching in the summer playing against Australia and some of the ridiculous ones we took there. It’s just a slight blip. That’s all it was.
“Perhaps we didn’t do as well as we could have done but throughout the 211 overs we were out there, the enjoyment and energy we had was second to none. There were still people buzzing around and still people with smiles on their faces.”
While Bairstow agrees with Bayliss that his wicketkeeping remains a work in progress, there is little question he is showing his best form with the bat for England in Test cricket, scoring 300 runs across four innings this series including his maiden international hundred during a record sixth-wicket stand of 399 with Stokes. His rival Jos Buttler, the player he replaced behind the stumps at the start of November, is now planning to spend the early part of the English summer in the Indian Premier League so the 26-year-old looks set for an extended run behind the stumps.
“I don’t think you can ever say you’ve nailed it down,” he said, “but I’m pleased with the contribution I’ve made. I’ve only kept in few Test matches – it’s still a learning curve and I’m still bedding into Test cricket as a wicketkeeper.”
Asked about the chance to claim the series in Johannesburg, Bairstow replied: “It’s a fantastic position to be in but if we’re slightly off, we know we can get punished. This game won’t be easy. They’re the No1 Test side in the world for a reason but we have to concentrate on ourselves. Whatever South Africa throw at us we’ll be ready and waiting.”
Only a handful of batsmen, including Compton, will have optional nets at the ground on Tuesday, with the remainder of the squad resting. Bairstow insists that despite this they will be fully acclimatised having started the tour in Potchefstroom, 75 miles southwest of Johannesburg but also on the highveld.
He added: “It’s just a question of getting the air in the lungs. People have been taking lots of catches in practice and getting used to the surroundings but at the end of the day you’re watching the ball and catching it; the basics principles of cricket don’t change.”
South Africa will be under new captaincy and the coach, Russell Domingo, is expecting AB de Villiers to be a more instinctive leader than the man he replaced, Hashim Amla.
He said: “AB’s really looking forward to doing it. He’s always wanted to captain the Test side. He will be a different type of leader. A more spontaneous, go-by-your-gut type captain whereas Hashim might be a more methodical one.”
On Steyn’s shoulder injury, which has yet to be diagnosed, Domingo said: “They’re doing more scans to try to find something. It seems to be quite a strange injury. These things happen and I’m sure he’ll get through it. I don’t think it is the end of Dale Steyn’s career at all.”
