2-1 down in the series, South Africa will have their backs against the wall in the fourth Test in Johannesburg. They cannot win the series but the Faf du Plessis-led side would be keen to level the series for which they need to ensure a win at the Wanderers. 

England comfortably takes the lead not only in the series but also their previous meetings. England have emerged victorious in 63 of the 152 Tests contests between the both teams. South Africa won 34 matches while 55 games ended in a draw. In the last 5 encounters between these two sides, England have won four games to South Africa’s one

Ground Details and Team Combination

In 2018, The Wanderers Stadium was given three demerits points for the pitch that was rated as ‘poor’ after the third Test between South Africa and India. The pitch had unpredictable bounce, and excessive seam movement.

Since 2016, this ground has staged 5 Test matches. Usually the pitch here has been fast and bouncy and is a fast-bowlers’ paradise. Since January 2016, pacers have taken a wicket in every 44.4 deliveries, while spinners proved costly by taking a wicket in every 70.3 deliveries.  

91% of the total wickets that have fallen at the Wanderers have been picked by pacers. So it is a no brainer to pack your side with fast bowlers from both sides. Though the right-arm leg break bowlers have a better balls per dismissal rate, they have just managed to pick 4 wickets from 2 innings. Left-arm pacers have a better record here picking up a wicket every 34.1 deliveries. Right-arm pacers are the dominant force at this venue and should find a place in your fantasy team.

A combination of four frontline batsmen including a wicket-keeper, three seaming all-rounders and four fast bowlers could be taken for this Test. 

Captain

Ben Stokes has the ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeats. In the last eight Test innings, he has batted extraordinarily scoring 433 runs at an average of 54.13. He has also taken eight wickets for his side.  In the last Test, Stokes scored 120 runs and shared a 203-run partnership with Ollie Pope to propel England to a huge total. Being a reliable batsman and all-rounder, Stokes has proved to be a game changer for England on many occasions.

X Factors

Vernon Philander, who is going to play the last international match of his career has a phenomenal record at the Wanderers. Though his current show in the series is not up to his standards, at the Wanderers, Philander has taken 39 wickets at a strike rate of 37.4 in 14 Test innings. In the current squad, all-rounder Philander is the highest wicket taker at this ground. Needless to say, the right-arm medium-fast would be eyeing to take the advantage of this ground once again while representing South Africa for the last time.

The young Ollie Pope, who recorded his first Test hundred in the last match and stitched a 200+ run partnership with Ben Stokes has gotten out just once in this series so far. In the last 5 Test innings, Pope has scored 303 runs at an average of 101. His 135-run knock against South Africa at Port Elizabeth made him the youngest England player to score a century since Alastair Cook in 2006. Pope – fire in his belly and eagerness to succeed – can’t be left out of your fantasy team.

Sam Curran provides an all-round option to his team and most importantly, he has picked 15 wickets in the last nine innings. He is not a gun batter but seems to have that special component that allows him to break the game open. In the last five matches since November 2019, Curran has grabbed 15 wickets at a strike rate of 61.1. He scored 135 runs averaging 22.5. He will surely look forward to add some feather into his cap in the next match.

Weather

There is an 80% chance of rain on the first two days of the match. Later on there could be partial cloud cover with temperature around 23 degree Celsius.

Suggested FanFight Team

Ben Stokes (C), Ollie Pope, Quinton de Knock (wk), Joe Root, Rassie van der Dussen, Sam Curran (VC), Vernon Philander, Stuart Broad, Anrich Nortje, Mark Wood and Beuran Hendricks.