“To get to (be) the best team in the world you have to win series three, four, five-nil”, Bayliss said on Wednesday (January 20) after England clinched a decisive 2-0 lead by winning the third Test in Johannesburg inside three days.
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The South African captain said that England’s batting is not ideal and even their bowlers have lost some pace in last few years, but they are experienced and skills.
Cook, though, did not take issue with De Villiers’ point about England’s batting. The two sides will now play their final Test, a dead rubber, in Centurion from Friday.
Hawk-Eye ball-tracking technology, as carried by ESPN Cricinfo, indicates Anderson had the lowest average speeds of all the specialist seamers in the third Test – coming in at 83.35mph across two innings. “It’s a Test match for England”, Compton said.
While his place is not under threat despite a lean series that has yielded just 103 runs at an average of 17, his new opening partner Alex Hales could do with a big score, having managed just 17 more. “I’m really looking forward to this week to see how people respond to that”.
“I’ve been selected at No3 to do what I do and he’s been very clear about me filling that role as best I can”.
“Absolutely there’s a lot to play for as a team and just as much personally for players who haven’t scored quite the amount of runs or taken the wickets they’d have liked, there’s huge amount to play for”, Cook said. “So we’ve won the series, and that’s great, but there’s a long way to go in terms of the team’s journey”. Chris Woakes, who picked up one wicket in Durban, is first in line to replace him but England could also consider a debut for Mark Footitt. South Africa have a 15-2 win-loss ratio at Centurion and it has been a particularly happy hunting ground for de Villiers, who grew up nearby.
Cook, 33, has amassed over 11 427 first class runs scored during his knock and continues to hold the unenviable record of the most first class runs scored without playing for South Africa.
“You obviously aren’t there to get them off the face of the bat and if that happens there is a bit of luck involved; but it is also fun at the same time”.
“They are smart and skilled, so there are other angles to cover”.
“The good times will come, and we will look back at the tough times and think “look where we were and look where we are now”.
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Compton’s partnership with James Taylor in the first Test was crucial in setting up the series, but the batting has increasingly relied on Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow.
