After losing the opening encounter by 107 runs, England will be eyeing to make a roaring comeback in the second Test of the series at Newlands in Capetown, starting from January 3. A lot will be in stakes for Joe Root and Co as they 1-0 down in the four-match series and a defeat in the next clash will end visitor’s chances of winning the series. On the other hand, the Proteas side will eye to put the foot on the paddle in order to seal the deal. The clash is expected to witness a close tussle between the bat and the ball and below, we’ll look at some of them. South Africa Vs England, Live Cricket Score 2nd Test Match.

Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander bowled with hostility in the opening clash and are expected to replicate their heroics. On the other hand, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran seemed to take a wicket, every time they came to bowl in the first match. Speaking of batsmen, Proteas opener Aiden Markram sustained an injury in the previous encounter and will be replaced by Peter Malan. While for England, veterans like skipper Joe Root and Ben Stokes will handle the mantle to piling up huge runs on the board. Below, we’ll look at some individual battles between the players who can enhance the thrill of the upcoming game.  South Africa vs England Dream11 Team Prediction: Tips to Pick Best Playing XI With All-Rounders, Batsmen, Bowlers & Wicket-Keepers for SA vs ENG 2nd Test Match 2019-20.

Faf du Plessis vs Jofra Archer

Despite South Africa’s victory in the opening Test, skipper Faf du Plessis wasn’t able to put up a substantial performance in order to redeem himself. However, he will be challenged by the thunderbolts of Jofra Archer, who took a five-fer in the first match. Even in the previous match, the pacer got the better of Du Plessis once and will not mind dismissing him a couple of more times.

Vernon Philander vs Joe Root

Playing the last series of his prolific international career, Philander looked at his prime in the first Test as he got the ball to move which proved to be a headache for the visiting batsmen. Joe Root will have to step up in order to neutralize the Philander effect and the English captain is very well in doing so. In the last match, however, Root fell prey to the pacer once and let’s see, who wins the round two of the battle.

Kagiso Rabada vs Ben Stokes

In recent times, Stokes has taken giant strides in international cricket and every team is aware of his ability to perform against the odds. The all-rounder, however, didn’t register significant scores in the first match but keeping him quiet for long will certainly not be easy. Nevertheless, South Africa have the services of Kagiso Rabada who can pierce the defences of any batsmen on his day and thus, this battle will be an interesting one too.

Along with the series triumph, both the sides will also have an eye on the ICC World Test Championships points table, where England are sitting at the third position while South Africa are placed at the seventh spot. Well, only the top two teams will be selected for final and both the sides must leave no stones unturned to be one of them.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2020 09:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).