South Africa vs England: Port Elizabeth promises thrills and spills as compelling series hangs in balance

Joe Root’s side levelled the series in Cape Town but have since lost James Anderson to injury

England must pick between Jofra Archer and Mark Wood (Getty)

Capetonians and Joburgers do not have too many good things to say about Port Elizabeth.

They’ll tell you there’s nothing to do here to start off. That a place graced with such prime real estate on the oceanfront has done little to make the most of it. And that Port Elizabethans (is that a thing?) are nowhere near as fun.

Dangerous, too, a small handful of them. Touring England fans found that out on Monday evening with phones and wallets stolen in separate muggings outside the Radisson and Protea hotels which hug the coast.

But if you come with an open mind and talk to the right locals, they’ll let you in on a few secrets. The go-to bars, the best eating joints, the places you should go and the areas you shouldn’t. And the wonders of St George’s Park. Tourists always get it wrong there.

Tell them you're here for the cricket and they'll fill you in on the winds that shoot through the streets, but also two very different breezes in particular that affect matters out in the middle of this ground. One that comes from the Indian Ocean and another which sweeps in from the mainland.

Now, obviously, the wind that comes in from the water is rich with moisture. Not only does it bring with it humidity but, they say, whatever grass on the pitch stands to attention when it rolls into town. So not only does conventional swing come into play, but seam movement, too.

The opposing breeze is harsher: the sort that makes you sweat before drying up almost immediately, creating that salt residue on your brow to give you that final scene of Scarface look. Whatever moisture left in the surface and the outfield is stripped away. The grippier surfaces brings the slower bowlers to the fore, but as the green is sucked from the neighbouring strips, reverse swing comes into the equation.

Both captains spoke of the varying treats this venue has to offer. The only disagreement was Faf du Plessis questioning the need for a spinner, while Joe Root said with as much certainty as he was willing to part with that Dom Bess would continue on to maintain the balance struck perfectly during the Cape Town Test. The 189-run win was perhaps the most complete performance of Root’s era in charge.

England’s decision rests ultimately on which of Jofra Archer or Mark Wood is to replace James Anderson from the previous XI. They bowled full tilt together as illness, injury and circumstance aligned for the first time on this tour. And on the evidence of training, Wood is set to win out.

If we take “90mph-plus” as read, the differences lie in reverse swing (Wood takes this one), accuracy (Archer) and being able to sustain a spell of hostile bowling (Wood’s demonic turn at Sabina Park last February ticks him up on that one as Archer’s intensity has waned at times during the winter). The one thing they certainly have in common at this juncture are the doubts over their absolute fitness coming into this week. Identikit quotes from Root set this out pretty clearly:

“You want to make sure he’s 100 percent ready and he can deliver all his skills: not just seam and swing it around but bowl at 90 mph too,” he said of Archer.

“If he’s 100 percent, bowling at 90-plus mph, the skills he has at that pace are going to cause problems and will be a great asset in Test cricket,” was his adaptation when pressed on Wood.

Wood won the unofficial bowl-off two days ago which meant yesterday’s day-off would allow energies to replenish and morning assessments to be made ahead of this final afternoon session. The Durham quick spent it bowling out in the middle while Archer, clearly not fully recovered from a sore right elbow, bowled a couple of tame spells in the outdoor nets. A confirmed XI will come officially at the toss but Archer’s net, which included conversations with head coach Chris Silverwood and the team physiotherapist, was as clear an indicator that Wood was to be preferred.

Joe Root chats with Chris Silverwood during England nets (Getty)

The last time South Africa played here 13 wickets fell on day one, 19 on day two and Sri Lanka sealed victory by eight wickets on day three. Prior to this defeat, the hosts were unbeaten here in six Tests (winning five) dating back to 2013. Before that, though, no wins in four, including England’s victorious last appearance here in 2004.

In 2019, seam movement was not lavish but ever-present and close to the surface on every square inch, even willing to assist the old ball. Batting remained tricky throughout with scores of 222, 154 and 128, before some composed batting from Kusal Mendis and Oshada Fernando knocked off a target of 197 for the loss of just two.

Keshav Maharaj’s left-arm spin was trumped by Dhananjaya de Silva’s better-than-part-time offies, which might explain why a scarred Du Plessis is considering leaving him out. The Proteas skipper is also considering introducing 30-year-old quick Dane Paterson into the mix.

The gap between Tests of 11 days has turned the anticipation of this fixture to almost feral levels. Players and fans on both sides have been talking about this match since that incredible fifth-day finish in Cape Town squared up the hosts’ victory in Johannesburg.

The following five days - those scheduled at least - is the one aspect of Port Elizabeth not put down by the out-of-towners. Because as much as the entertainment and infrastructure might be waning here, the cricket rarely does.

There was regular swing at Centurion and a crack for craic at Newlands. Here at St George’s, though, they’ve got everything you could need. This has the feel of a Test match that might not be a long time but will certainly be a good time.