Bowler is finally out of quarantine and might provide more penetration against all those
South Africa right-handers
There is relief as well as jubilation for England. After four matches Chris Silverwood has now overseen a Test victory. It is Joe Root’s 18th win as captain, the same number as Mike Brearley as it happens (though he does lose rather more frequently) yet he often seems to be under pressure. That has eased a bit more.
In Cape Town Root batted extremely well for his 96 runs, yet that will not satisfy him – or his critics. The more runs he scores the better captain he seems to become, a feature he does not necessarily share with Brearley.