SA hope return of Du Plessis to revive their fortunes

AFP,  NOTTINGHAM: South Africa will hope the return of captain Faf du Plessis leads to a revival in their fortunes in the second Test against England at Nottingham's Trent Bridge starting Friday.

The senior batsman missed the series opener following the birth of his first child but returned in time to see the Proteas suffer a convincing 211-run defeat inside four days at Lord’s as England went 1-0 up in the four-match series.

Dropped catches and wickets off no-balls cost South Africa dear, while their second innings collapse to 119 all out showed how much they could do with Du Plessis's customary resilience with the bat.

Their task in levelling the series in Nottingham has been complicated by pace bowler Kagiso Rabada being ruled out as he serves a one-game for swearing at Ben Stokes after dismissing the England all-rounder in the first innings at Lord's.

South Africa now face some tricky selection decisions made all the more complicated by the fact that since the end of the first Test, coach Russell Domingo's mother has died from the injuries she suffered in a recent car crash.

South Africa could select both all-rounder Chris Morris and young seamer Duanne Olivier -- or stick with the same balance, with the struggling JP Duminy in line to make way for du Plessis in any event.

“Losing KG (Rabada), do you look at playing a four-seamer attack, because you're losing quite a high-quality bowler?” du Plessis said after South Africa's loss at Lord's.

“That means a batsman would miss out. Obviously, that's one option.”

South Africa twice gave Joe Root reprieves early in his first innings as England captain, with the new skipper marking the occasion with 190.

“We made a lot of basic mistakes that we don't normally do as a team,” said du Plessis.

“That will cost you, if you're playing against a strong team like England.”

SA hope return of Du Plessis to revive their fortunes

AFP, NOTTINGHAM: South Africa will hope the return of captain Faf du Plessis leads to a revival in their fortunes in the second Test against England at Nottinghams Trent Bridge starting Friday. The senior batsman missed the series opener following the birth of his first child but returned in time to see the Proteas suffer a convincing 211-run defeat inside four days at Lords as England went 1-0 up in the four-match series. Dropped catches and wickets off no-balls cost South Africa dear, while their second innings collapse to 119 all out showed how much they could do with Du Plessiss customary resilience with the bat. Their task in levelling the series in Nottingham has been complicated by pace bowler Kagiso Rabada being ruled out as he serves a one-game for swearing at Ben Stokes after dismissing the England all-rounder in the first innings at Lords. South Africa now face some tricky selection decisions made all the more complicated by the fact that since the end of the first Test, coach Russell Domingos mother has died from the injuries she suffered in a recent car crash. South Africa could select both all-rounder Chris Morris and young seamer Duanne Olivier -- or stick with the same balance, with the struggling JP Duminy in line to make way for du Plessis in any event. Losing KG (Rabada), do you look at playing a four-seamer attack, because youre losing quite a high-quality bowler? du Plessis said after South Africas loss at Lords. That means a batsman would miss out. Obviously, thats one option. South Africa twice gave Joe Root reprieves early in his first innings as England captain, with the new skipper marking the occasion with 190. We made a lot of basic mistakes that we dont normally do as a team, said du Plessis. That will cost you, if youre playing against a strong team like England.