South Africa vs England: James Anderson injury fails to dent Alastair Cook’s optimism against world No 1 side

Proteas still miss the retired Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, but pace bowler’s absence for first Test gives home side in transition cause for hope

Alastair Cook looks on during a nets session in the build-up to the first Test (Getty)

Nothing has changed so much as expectations for the Test series starting here today. At the beginning of the year before England embarked on their madcap sequence of 17 matches in nine months the toughest assignment was generally decreed to be the last.

South Africa, the number one ranked team by a mile, would marmalise a side still trying to come to terms with what Australia had done to them the previous winter. What could not be understood then was the effect of the doubts and fears which have frequently dogged South Africa down the years.

England have unquestionably improved under the stewardship of the coach Trevor Bayliss and a reformed character, at least in terms of a more flexible approach to leadership if not his dogged batting, in their captain, Alastair Cook. That has been accompanied by a worry in the South African follower and probably their team that they are going downhill fast.

It is two years since the retirement of the great all-rounder, Jacques Kallis, who was followed three months later by Graeme Smith, who seemed to have been their captain forever. How everyone around here dwells on those days. Every conversation about the imminent challenge against England contains their names and how difficult (impossible in the case of Kallis, highly improbable with Smith) they are to replace.

The overwhelming feeling of local gloom may have been slightly lifted by the absence from England’s team of Jimmy Anderson. The calf strain he has apparently been carrying since the start of the tour has failed to respond.

The tourist’s sanguine approach has proved ill-founded and Stuart Broad must once more lead the England attack. As might just be recalled, Broad took 8-15 when he was first asked to assume this role at Nottingham last August. Chris Woakes, an admirable cricketer, whom it is much too easy to underestimate takes the place made available by Anderson.

Alastair Cook, England’s captain, said: “Of course it’s a huge loss, it’s all the cliches in the world. When you take 420-odd wickets and 110 games of experience of course it’s a big loss.

“But we can’t do anything about it. You try and look on the positive side rather than letting anything get you down about. It gives Chris a great opportunity and Stuart steps up to that leader of the attack which I think he thrives on.”

Both sides are coming off losses in Asia, England in the UAE against Pakistan, South Africa in India. The latter seems to have taken a greater toll. England at least competed. In the three Tests South Africa lost in a series of four, their highest total was 184 (hey managed in a rain ruined encounter in Bangalore. Their new captain Hashim Amla, made 118 runs in 17 innings


 James Anderson's calf strain he has apparently been carrying since the start of the tour has failed to respond to treatment (PA)
 (Getty Images Europe)

In the final Test with the series already down the pan South Africa batted 143.1 overs to make 143. If there was something noble it, the whole exercise was futile, cannot have won Test cricket any more followers and might have lost a few.

Some of the few optimists around these parts suggest that the match might have reinvigorated South Africa’s well known fighting spirit and that Amla, prolific for so long, will prosper again on pitches he knows well. Perhaps that might happen, though they will be painfully aware that South Africa have lost four of their past five Tests in Durban.

Cook said: “The bookmakers – I know we shouldn’t be talking about bookmakers in cricket – they make us underdogs but we were underdogs against Australia and the conditions aren’t too dissimilar to England. Four seamers and a spinner seems to have worked well for us and we’re comfortable playing with that balance of the side so we could do something very special.

“I think you can’t read too much into both sides’ previous tours because conditions are so different. South Africa are playing in their own conditions, they’re the number one side in the world. Beware the wounded animal and all that.”

But South Africa are failing to give any impression other than that the good times are over. When South Africa played England in Pietermaritzburg last week, the only first class match before the Test series, they were steamrollered and outclassed.

Now, it is possible that the supposed best 11 players in the country, the 11 who will take on England today, will be cut from different cloth and will know how to rattle England. In Amla, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel they possess authentically accomplished, proven cricketers. Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar have both had significant moments.

But the rest appear to have no-one’s trust. To some extent, England reflect that exactly -a handful of super players supported by several who have yet to make it and whose capability for the job at hand is not known.

Yet the tourists are at ease. They understand that they are not the finished article but they are making light of it. Early days of course and if Dale Steyn were to get among them on the first morning, for instance, there might be no coming back.

In asking Alex Hales to open with Cook and Nick Compton to bat at number three England are taking a calculated risk. According to those who know about technique, Hales does not have one that can deal regularly and adequately with the new ball. The Compton they have recalled now is the Compton they ditched more than two years ago and he will bring, or try to, the same obduracy he did then without apology. In many ways, these two will be instrumental to England’s cause.

The bowling on both sides is among the classiest around. England must adjust quickly, bowling different lengths to the ones they bowled in the UAE. They did sterling work there but they had more fielders in front of the bat.

England have a genuine opportunity to topple the number one ranked team and we would not have been saying that in April.

First Test details

Probable teams:

South Africa D Elgar, T Bavuma, HM Amla (capt), AB de Villiers (wk), F du Plessis, JP Duminy, KJ Abbott, DL Piedt, K Rabada, M Morkel, DW Steyn.

England AN Cook (capt), AD Hales, NR Compton, JE Root, JAW Taylor, BA Stokes, JM Bairstow (wk), MM Ali, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, ST Finn.

Umpires AS Dar (Pak) & RJ Tucker (Aus).

Weather Mixture of sun and showers throughout the day. Maximum temp: 22C.

Sunday Warm and sunny with some cloud. Max temp: 26C.

Television 7.30am-4pm, Sky Sports 2

Second Test 2-6 January (Cape Town)

Third Test 14-18 January (Johannesburg)

Fourth Test 22-26 January (Centurion)