South Africa vs England, 2019-20: 2nd Test – Statistical Preview

South Africa put a break to their losing streak in Test cricket with a 107-run win against England during the first of the 4-match Test series in Centurion. The Proteas came into the Test having lost their previous five Test matches including a couple of them at home. They will be hoping to start 2020 with a victory in the Cape Town’s New Year Test which commences on Friday. England’s struggles away from home were talking points in the first Test as they suffered collapses in both innings of the first Test.

All the key stats and numbers ahead of the New Year Test match at the Newlands in Cape Town:

0 – South Africa have not lost a New Year Test match they played in Cape Town since their readmission to cricket in 1992. They featured in 21 New Year Tests at the Newlands and won 16 of them while another five ended in a draw. They played five New Year Tests in this period outside home; all against Australia at the SCG where they lost four and won only one.

2 – Only twice South Africa have won the first two matches of a Test series against England but none of them in the last 110 years. South Africa took 2-0 lead after the first two Tests during the 1906 and 1910 series at home against the English team.

11.37 – South Africa had a partnership average of 11.37 in 2019 for the opening wicket; the 2nd lowest for them in a calendar year. (Min: 10 innings) The 11.37 is overall the 4th lowest partnership average for the first wicket in Test cricket for any team in a calendar year.

The two runs added for the opening wicket across both innings in Centurion are the joint-fewest number of runs for the first wicket by South Africa in a home Test match.

23-4 – South Africa has lost only four Test matches in Cape Town since 1992; all of them against Australia. Against the Aussies, the Proteas have 3-4 record since their readmission in Cape Town. Against the other teams, the South African team won 20 of the 26 Newlands Test matches.

86 – James Anderson has claimed 86 wickets in Test cricket against South Africa; the joint 2nd most number of wickets for any player in England-South Africa Tests. Shaun Pollock has 91 wickets in ENG-SA Tests while Allan Donald also has 86 wickets.

1957 – The last instance of England winning a Test match in Cape Town was way back in 1957. They played six Tests at this venue after that victory and lost in three of them and drew three other games.

10161 – Pieter Malan is set to make his Test debut in the Cape Town Test after having featured in 148 first-class matches. Only Peter Kirsten (270), Jimmy Cook (246) and Stephen Cook (165) played more FC matches than Malan before their Test debut for South Africa. Pieter aggregated 10161 runs at an average of 45.16 in his first-class career with help of 32 centuries and 42 fifties.

Watch: Dale Steyn’s cheeky run-out attempt against AB de Villiers