England captain Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat first on day one of the third Test against South Africa at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
Seamer Dane Paterson was afforded a debut for the Proteas, replacing all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius. Second Test debutant Pieter Malan continued to open the batting in the absence of the injured Aiden Markram.
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The tourists replaced the injured James Anderson with fast bowler Mark Wood. Batsman Joe Root recovered from illness earlier this week to retain the captaincy.
The Proteas have won 13 and lost 12 Tests at St George’s Park. They’ve also shared five draws. The last Test at the Port Elizabeth venue was in February 2019, when Sri Lanka beat South Africa inside three days.
This four-Test series is locked at 1-1. The Proteas won the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion inside four days. England triumphed late on the fifth day in the second Test at Newlands in Cape Town. The Wanderers in Johannesburg will host the fourth and final Test later this month.
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South Africa: Dean Elgar, Pieter Malan, Zubayr Hamza, Faf du Plessis (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson.
England: Zak Crawley, Dominic Sibley, Joe Denly, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood.
