South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is a man under pressure as his side aims to win its first Test series in a year – for several reasons.

The third Test against England, starting at St George’s Park on Thursday, is hardly a venue the Proteas would have chosen for what is a critical engagement against a team which hasn’t lost a Test in Port Elizabeth since 1957.

England have won five of the nine previous St George’s Tests with three draws and that lone defeat 63 years ago. The current series is locked at 1-1 between two teams not in their pomp and at different stages of evolution. That has added to the drama and joy of the contest.

England have inexperienced young batsmen such as Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley who are both 22. South Africa has inexperienced, older top order batsmen in Pieter Malan and Rassie van der Dussen, who are both 30.

Du Plessis is well aware of the St George’s factor and of many other issues and narratives framing the match, the series and cricket in South Africa. He is also very aware that his own lack of recent runs – just 79 in last seven innings – is adding to the problems while the rest of the top order are as frail as a 90-year-old plodding along on a Zimmer frame.

He is aware of the debate raging about the dropping of the out-of-form Temba Bavuma – South Africa’s only black Test batsman – when he has himself struggled. Du Plessis and Bavuma, though, were never vying for the same batting position.

Du Plessis scored 497 runs in 2019 at an average of 41.41 over seven Tests. Bavuma also played seven matches and scored 258 runs at 19.84. Clearly Bavuma has struggled for form recently.

The Bavuma issue is one that has been done for cricketing reasons, but in a country where transformation targets are a part of the selection process, it has become a thorny problem that is drawing blood – especially in the polarising social media space.

It didn’t help matters along when Du Plessis said that “we do not see colour” at a recent media conference in reference to the team’s selection. His intention was clearly to show that Bavuma’s axing was done because of his lack of runs, but it was an insensitive remark in the context of transformation criteria.

It’s also opened up another issue about where all the potential black Test batters are. Bavuma has played 39 Tests and scored one century and has a career average of 31.24 – the only Test century scored by a black African playing for South Africa. By dropping Bavuma the Proteas cannot realistically reach Cricket South Africa’s stated target of two black Africans in the team.

Bavuma’s axing comes after black chief executive Thabang Moroe was suspended after overseeing the potential financial collapse of the organisation. Jacques Faul, a white administrator, is the acting CEO. That coupled with Graeme Smith’s appointment as acting director of cricket and Mark Boucher’s permanent appointment as Proteas coach, where he took over from Enoch Nkwe who was temporarily in the job, has given fuel to those that want to find racial division in the game.

Nkwe is still part of the set up, but he is now assistant coach and hasn’t been shy to talk about the difficulty of his demotion and the bigger picture about transformation.

He was initially tentative when the team and new management met for a training camp in Pretoria before the first Test at Centurion. His concerns were quickly allayed though.

“It wasn’t an easy call to make but when I met with Jacques Faul and Bouch and Graeme, it was pretty clear and they were very realistic in terms of what has happened, and the type of support [they wanted],” Nkwe told the media in Port Elizabeth.

“They showed a lot of care. I’m not going to beat around the bush – it’s been a challenge, especially when it all unfolded. But I believe I’m mature enough to deal with the situation. By the time we got to the camp I felt very strong and confident I can make a massive impact in a different role.

“Boucher has given me the platform to make a difference in the team, to contribute as much as possible; whether it’s in team routines or in training.

“We’ve worked closely together. I’m enjoying the partnership. Yes, there are different energies and different minds. But there hasn’t been a hierarchy. We all pull in the same direction. He’s very relaxed. As much as he’s intense when it comes to business time – just like any other coach – he cares a lot about the team.

“We are really working hard behind the scenes to build a strong pool of players to come through. We’ve looked at the high-performance system to make sure that we can produce and make sure we are a well transformed team in the future, a true rainbow nation. And there’s no doubt that’s going to happen in the very near future.

“I have had a chat with Graeme and he is fully behind it. People maybe might not see it but he really cares and he has put in a lot of processes and a lot of plans behind the scenes to make sure that in the near future, there are no questions on that topic.”

It’s not been an ideal backdrop to the third Test for the Proteas but nothing unites the country behind the Proteas, however controversial, than a battle with England.

This series has been compelling with the Proteas winning the first Test by 107 runs and England the second by 189 runs, although it went close to stumps on the final day as the Proteas fought bravely for a draw.

England have their own issues after losing 37-year-old seamer Jimmy Anderson to a series, and perhaps career-ending injury during the second Test. His seven wickets in Cape Town were a major factor in England’s win and either Mark Wood or Jofra Archer is going to be under pressure to perform.

Spinner Jack Leach has also returned home after failing to recover from sepsis and other ailments, which paves the way for Dom Bess to continue after Newlands. Bess only took two wickets in Cape Town, but he was miserly and that put pressure on the South African batsmen for others to exploit.

This is not a series about two teams at their peak. But it is a contest between two teams ready to scrap to the bitter end. What it’s lacked in pure overall class has been offset by courage and gumption, which is all anyone could ask for.  DM