Du Plessis return raises SA hopes

South Africa will hope the return of captain Faf du Plessis leads to a revival in their fortunes in the second Test against England at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge.

The senior batsman missed the series opener following the birth of his first child but returned in time to see the Proteas suffer a convincing 211-run defeat inside four days at Lord’s as England went 1-0 up in the four-match series.

Dropped catches and wickets off no-balls cost South Africa dear, while their second innings collapse to 119 all out showed how much they could do with Du Plessis’s customary resilience with the bat. Their task in levelling the series in Nottingham has been complicated by pace bowler Kagiso Rabada being ruled out as he serves a one-game for swearing at Ben Stokes after dismissing the England all-rounder in the first innings at Lord’s.

South Africa now face some

DROPPED CATCHES AND WICKETS OFF NOBALLS COST SOUTH AFRICA DEAR, WHILE THEIR SECOND INNINGS COLLAPSE TO 119.

tricky selection decisions made all the more complicated by the fact that since the end of the first Test, coach Russell Domingo’s mother has died from the injuries she suffered in a recent car crash.

South Africa could select both all-rounder Chris Morris and young seamer Duanne Olivier -or stick with the same balance, with the struggling JP Duminy in line to make way for du Plessis in any event. “Losing KG (Rabada), do you look at playing a four-seamer attack, because you’re losing quite a high-quality bowler?” du Plessis said after South Africa’s loss at Lord’s. “That means a batsman would miss out. Obviously, that’s one option.”