The Proteas have won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test against Sri Lanka at St George’s Park.
The Proteas come into this match – the first of a three-Test series – with three seamers and a spinner. Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Abbott, Vernon Philander and the left-arm orthodox spinner Keshav Maharaj will feature in the attack later in the contest.
That said, South Africa’s batsmen hold the key to a good start on day one. The pitch boasts a fair amount of grass, and with the variable pace and bounce, batting won’t be easy in the first session or two.
‘We know that Sri Lanka rely on their spinners, especially in the fourth innings,’ said Proteas captain Faf du Plessis after winning the toss and deciding to bat. ‘It will be slow and tough in the first hour or so, but hopefully we can post a good total.’
Conditions in Port Elizabeth are sunny and clear for the moment, but some showers are predicted for days two and three.
South Africa: 1 Stephen Cook, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Faf du Plessis (c), 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Kyle Abbott 11 Kagiso Rabada
Sri Lanka: 1 Kaushal Silva, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews (c), 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Kusal Perera, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Dushmantha Chameera
