The Proteas could rely on the bowling attack which won the Lions the Sunfoil Series last season when they face England at the Wanderers.

Chris Morris, who has since moved to the Titans, was part of the Lions team who won the four-day competition last season. The rest of that bowling attack, Kagiso Rabada and Hardus Viljoen, are now also part of the Test squad with Viljoen yet to make his debut.

One of the biggest talking points ahead of the match is whether or not South Africa should go with four seamers and leave out Dane Piedt or stick with the same team who forced a draw in Cape Town.

Granted, it would be a very inexperienced attack at international level but AB de Villiers is the sort of captain who might take a chance and gamble on the pace of Viljoen.

‘In terms of selection, it could be quite a difficult one, if you go for pace and aren’t patient, you could go the distance,’ Morris told a press conference on Tuesday.

‘It is an exciting prospect knowing Hardus might play,’ Morris said. ‘I would love any opportunity to play with my old teammates, especially after the season we had last year. We bowled well in tandem.

‘When one of us was on fire, we knew the other one knew they were going to fire. It was really special to have that vibe. It’s exciting if Hardus does play because he has genuine pace. He is a strong boy and he will run through a brick wall to bowl.’

Coach Russell Domingo said on Monday he was hoping Morris could fill the type of all-rounder role in the team that Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener did during their careers, a comment which flattered him.

‘It’s quite a big responsibility. If I can be half as good both as those guys, I will be a good cricketer. To even be compared to those guys is unbelievably cool,’ Morris said.