South Africa vs. England, 3rd Test: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

With England 0-1 ahead, South Africa will have to win this Test at the Wanderers to keep their chances alive on this tour.

Date: Thursday Jan. 14 to Monday Jan. 18

Time: 10 a.m. local, 8 a.m. GMT

Venue: Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Live Stream and TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK) and SuperSport (South Africa)

Overview

What a difference a week makes. After not managing a 100-run partnership for more than a year, South Africa notched up three at Newlands.

They passed 250 for the first time in almost 12 months and a number of struggling batsmen managed to get some runs under their belts. At the end of the second Test, Hashim Amla also resigned as captain, with AB de Villiers taking over for the remainder of the tour.

How all these changes will affect South Africa, we’ll only know when they walk out onto the field at the Wanderers on Thursday. What we do know is that they will be without their pace ace Dale Steyn, who has not recovered from injury yet.

There will also be no Vernon Philander, who is also struggling with injury. This means it will be up to Morne Morkel to lead the attack, something he has done with aplomb in the absence of South Africa’s mainstay bowlers before.

The surface at the Wanderers is likely to offer more for the bowlers with plenty of extra pace and bounce, ideal for the likes of Morkel and Rabada.

When it comes to the rest of the Proteas bowling lineup, they have a few choices to make. Chris Morris, Hardus Viljoen and Kyle Abbott provide plenty of options, but deciding the combinations will be tricky.

South Africa did not pick any other batsmen for the remaining two Tests, which means they are likely to persist with Stiaan van Zyl at the top of the order. The left-hander has struggled to adjust to his role at the top, but the Proteas will hope he manages to come good.

For England, this Test offers the opportunity to wrap up the series. Like South Africa, their bowlers will enjoy these conditions, and if they can exploit the kink in their hosts’ armour, they could have a series win in the bag before proceedings move on to Centurion.

Key players

South Africa

Morne Morkel is made for the Highveld conditions. In his five Tests at the Wanderers, he has taken 18 wickets at an average of 27.72 with his best match figures at this venue coming against England. He took seven wickets against them in a match here in 2010 at an average of just 14.00.

England

Nick Compton has been the solid base for England throughout most of this tour, and his ability to dig in and set a foundation will be a big help on a surface where the ball can nip around and surprise those who do not have much patience.

Squads

South Africa

Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Stiaan van Zyl, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Jean-Paul Duminy, Kyle Abbott, Dane Piedt, Dean Elgar, Rilee Rossouw, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Hardus Viljoen, Chris Morris, Quinton de Kock

England

Alastair Cook, Alex Hales, Gary Ballance, James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Mark Footitt, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Nick Compton, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Samit Patel.

All information obtained firsthand.