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Preview: England vs. South Africa second Test - prediction, team news and series so far

:Headline: Preview: England vs. South Africa second Test - prediction, team news and series so far:
Sports Mole previews the second Test match between England and South Africa at Old Trafford, including predictions, team news and a summary of the series so far.
Sports Mole

After losing by innings and 12 runs at Lord's, England will attempt to level the three-match Test series when they face South Africa at Old Trafford on Thursday.

The visitors, meanwhile, will attempt to carry their form from the first Test into the second match as they bid to wrap up a series victory.


Match preview

The Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes era had enjoyed nothing but success in their opening four games, completing a series whitewash over New Zealand before beating India in a rearranged Test match.

As a result, England would have arrived at Lord's last week in a confident mood and expecting to clinch a fifth consecutive Test win.

However, they were swept aside by a high-quality South African side, who took a 1-0 lead in the series by easing to an innings victory.

While the visitors were in fine form, England offered their worst performance under the leadership of their recently appointed coach and captain.

McCullum and Stokes would have been disappointed to see the hosts score just 165 and 149 in their two innings, with Ollie Pope the only England player to reach a half-century in the match.

In one of his first real tests as captain, Stokes will have to lift his teammates for a must-win second Test as they look to level the series.

England can draw inspiration from the fact that they have won the previous three Test matches that have taken place at Old Trafford.

South Africa, meanwhile, will be looking to clinch a series victory over England with a win in Manchester this week.

The visitors demonstrated in the first Test why they currently top the ICC World Test Championship after brushing aside England at Lord's.

A pace attack that was led by Kagiso Rabada - who took a five-wicket haul in the first innings - guided their country to victory.

They also performed far better than their hosts with the bat, demonstrated by the fact that apart from Pope, no England player scored higher than 35 in either innings.

Meanwhile, Sarel Erwee top-scored for South Africa with 73 runs, while three others finished with a score in the 40s to help their side rack up 326 runs.

The visitors now have the chance to extend their unbeaten run in Test match series to five, while they could win a fifth consecutive Test match this week.

A win at Old Trafford would also secure South Africa a Test series victory over England for the first time in 10 years.


Team News

England named a 14-man squad for the first two Tests, which means that Harry Brook, Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson are options to come into the side.

The hosts could opt to bring either Robinson and Overton into the bowling lineup, but they may be reluctant to drop any one of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Matthew Potts.

Despite performing poorly with the bat, England are not expected to make any changes to their batting order, with Joe Root looking to bounce back after scoring single figures in both innings at Lord's.

Jack Leach took one wicket in the first Test, but the Old Trafford pitch could present the England spinner with a chance to take more wickets this week.

As for the hosts, they may consider playing two spinners after Simon Harmer was left out of the side for the first Test.

However, following a comprehensive victory, they could opt to name an unchanged lineup, which would see Keshav Maharaj continue as the frontline spinner.

Dean Elgar fell three runs short of his half-century last week, but the South African captain will be looking to rack up three figures at Old Trafford as he attempts to lead his side to a series victory.

Meanwhile, the seam attack of Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen will be aiming to continue their success against England's batting lineup.

England squad: Ben Stokes (Captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes (wk), Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root

South Africa squad: Dean Elgar (Captain), Sarel Erwee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Lutho Sipamla, Glenton Stuurman, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Khaya Zondo


Series so far


First Test: South Africa won by an innings and 12 runs
England 165 all out (45 overs)
South Africa 326 all out (89.1 overs)
England 149 all out (37.4 overs)


We say: England win

England's batting order usually performs when Joe Root does and after experiencing a rare poor performance in the first Test, we think that the former captain could bounce back with a match-winning display at Old Trafford, which would help the hosts level the series ahead of the final test at the Oval.

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Read more about Brendon McCullum Ben Stokes Ollie Pope Kagiso Rabada Harry Brook Craig Overton Ollie Robinson James Anderson Stuart Broad Matthew Potts Jack Leach Keshav Maharaj Simon Harmer Dean Elgar Lungi Ngidi Anrich Nortje Marco Jansen Joe Root Sarel Erwee Cricket
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