Proteas captain Faf du Plessis has intimated that the considerable crowd support for England served as a ’12th man’ for the visitors at Newlands.

On a dramatic final day of action on Tuesday, England rallied late to skittle the Proteas on the way to a 189-run win that enabled them to level the series 1-1.

Throughout the Test, England received almost overwhelming support from the vociferous travelling fans, led by the boisterous Barmy Army.

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Following the match, Du Plessis said ‘it was incredible to see the support for the English fans’, and acknowledged that it clearly boosted the touring team.

‘You could see towards the end of the day how much that helped them. It did feel like we played in England.

‘You have to take your hats off to the crowd. They’ve obviously got a bit of energy from a few beers to keep them going, but to do it for so long is incredible.

‘You would have heard people saying a few times that it’s like a 12th man when a crowd is like that and today was no different.

‘It carried them through a hot day when it was tough in the field and you could see the energy that they were taking from the crowd. No doubt it helped them quite a bit.’

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