LONDON – Joe Root won the toss and chose to bat first in the third Test against South Africa on an overcast Thursday morning at The Oval, which is hosting its 100th Test.
England picked three debutants – Tom Westley and Toby Roland-Jones came in for the injured Gary Ballance (broken hand) and Mark Wood (bruised heel) – while Dawid Malan, who was born in Roehampton but went to school in Paarl, was picked ahead of spinner Liam Dawson as the home side attempt to strengthen their batting.
England last picked three debutants to start a Test in 2014, when Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan and Sam Robson played their first games against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
South Africa made just one change, with Kagiso Rabada replacing Duanne Olivier.
Faf du Plessis admitted he was unsure what he would have done had he won the toss, but was happy that his bowlers will have first use of a fresh pitch, which appears to have plenty of grass, while cloudy overcast conditions may assist swing.
First Test caps for @Westley21, @tobyrj21 and @dmalan29! 👏 #EngvSA pic.twitter.com/ZvSBfOjwmt
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 27, 2017
South Africa’s only victory in 14 Tests at this ground came on their last tour of England in 2012, when Hashim Amla’s record 311 not out helped propel the Proteas to an innings and 12-run win.
The Oval joins the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground and Lord’s as the only venues to host 100 Tests.
* Play starts at 12pm SA time.
Teams For The Oval
England:
Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Tom Westley, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
South Africa:
Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis (captain), Temba Bavuma, Vernon Philander, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Morné Morkel.
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