South Africa opt to bat in third test against England

South Africa were plunged into further chaos on the morning of the third Test in Johannesburg, when a late injury forced a dramatic change of plans.

The Proteas were forced into a late change to their team in the morning after keeper Quinton de Kock was ruled out with a sprained right knee after falling over at his home.

The Test is starting at the Wanderers on January 14.

De Villiers, who has taken over from Hashim Amla, said the decision was based on the batting form of his team from the second test in Newlands, where they fought valiantly to earn a draw after England had scored 626 runs in the first innings. “It’s overcast so it wasn’t an easy decision to bat”, he said, according to the BBC.

What is it with Quinton de Kock and freak accidents? “We turned things around in Cape Town and we walk in today with a bit of confidence”.

The 30-year-old has played five Tests, the last against India before Christmas.

Dane Vilas, who made his Test debut in July 2015, has been called up to replace wicketkeeper De Kock, who is waiting to discover the extent of his injury.

It normally takes two hours to fly from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg, and then Vilas will then have to battle heavy traffic to reach the ground.

He will be replaced by Dane Vilas as the home side, led by AB de Villiers, look to get on level terms.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson.