England confident ahead of fourth Test against SA

England, fresh from their crushing defeat of South Africa in the third Test, are looking strong favourites to claim a series-winning victory in the fourth and final match starting on Friday.   
South Africa are still struggling to come to terms with the magnitude of the innings defeat in Port Elizabeth that handed England an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the series.   

Their bowling attack’s failure to test England and the fragility of their batting line-up were cruelly exposed over five days at St George’s.    Barely three-weeks ago it seemed that South African cricket had turned a corner after a largely dismal 2019.   But the home side’s victory in the first Test proved illusory and since then convincing wins by England in the second and third Tests have seen the teams go in different directions.  

Young players like Dom Sibley, Ollie Pope and Dom Bess have shown their quality for England, while more experienced players, notably world cricketer of the year Ben Stokes, have contributed to an impressive team effort.  -AFP