There is something special about Test cricket: the white clothes, red ball and five long days. And when the setting happens to be Lord's, it becomes even more significant. With England and South Africa set for a four-match Test series when the first game at Lord's is on Thursday, the contest between the two teams will be interesting.
England is always a strong team at home. They know the conditions well. They have a quality set of bowlers and batsmen. England has defeated South Africa in both the ODI and T20 format in this tour and will be eager to get the ball rolling when they play hosts to South Africa in white shirts and trousers.
This Test is going to be special for Joe Root, who will lead England for the first time after Alastair Cook resigned as England captain. Root might be a young captain, but he has a good head on his shoulders, which is an important requisite of a captain, and with experience, he will learn the tricks of the trade to lead his side.
Root will also be eager to lead from the front with the bat. He has been a run machine for England in the longer format, scoring 1,477 Test runs last year. Besides Root, Cook, Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes will need to score big runs against South Africa.
Good few days prep for the 1st test! Excited and proud to lead the team out tomorrow ? pic.twitter.com/QV9apOGSEj
— Joe Root (@root66) July 5, 2017
Their bowling looks even more balanced and strong. In Stuart Broad and James Anderson, they have a new ball bowling pair to give trouble to any top order batsmen with their movement. With the pitch expected to assist them early on, the two seamers will be keen to exploit the conditions.
South Africa, despite having lost both the ODI and T20 series, will be confident ahead of the first Test at Lord's, where they have a good record. They have won four of their last five. Can they make it five out of six?
The task is not going to be easy, especially without two of their stalwarts – AB De Villiers and Dale Steyn not a part of the squad. Irrespective of the absence, they need to perform better after their below-par display in coloured clothing.
With Faf Du Plessis missing the first Test due to family reasons, South Africa will need all their players to contribute to get off to a winning start in the Test series. Dean Elgar is the stand-in captain. No wonder, they are looked upon as second favourites in the first Test, but the skipper is not too worried about it.
"We tend to play better when we are up against it. Everyone gets along and tours well. When you are away from home, that's the only family you have," Espn Cricinfo quoted Elgar as saying.
Elgar will look for some special performances from Hashim Amla and JP Duminy in the batting department while Kagiso Rabada will be his go to man in the bowling arena.
When and where to watch live
England vs South Africa is set to begin at 11 am local time, 3:30 pm IST. TV and live streaming information is below.
India: TV: Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports 2HD. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 2 HD. Live Streaming: Sky Sports Watch.
South Africa: TV: SuperSport 2. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
