Sport

[WATCH] For the kill: Hungry SA aiming to finish wounded Poms

Dudley Carstens|Published

MISSION: Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar and Kagiso Rabada

Proteas captain Dean Elgar expects England to come back with a vengeance in today’s second Test at Old Trafford at 12pm.

Smashed by an innings and 12 runs in the first Test at Lord’s last week, Elgar knows England are “hurt” heading into the second of three Tests in Manchester.

But while he expects a backlash from Ben Stokes and his teammates, he wants his team to go for the jugular and seal a series victory with one match to go.

SPIN OPTION: Simon Harmer

Ahead of the start of the five-dayer today, Elgar says: “What happened in the first Test was something amazing for us. We played solid, sound cricket, as we’ve been doing the last year. Our hunger was up there and it’s still here. We really want to play a brand of cricket everyone loves back home and the world enjoys. I hope the second Test goes the same way, but it will be a lot tougher.

“England are hurt, and I know they will be coming back with a vengeance…

“We know we have to start again, the scoreboard is on nought now.”

South Africa’s pace attack of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi won the first Test for the visitors and while Simon Harmer could still be called up to play alongside Keshav Maharaj in a two-spin attack, Elgar is expected to druk on his seamers’ nommer again.

Of his fast bowlers, the captain says: “I reckon they can get much better [than what they were in the first match], they are still pretty fresh. They had a brilliant game, but wicket also assisted them at Lord’s.

“It comes back to hunger, the bowlers are leading our pack at the moment and they are hungry for success…

“We’ve got to bring the intensity and heat again. It might be different if the wicket doesn’t suit them, but then we have to adapt.”

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