All eyes on the prize as England hope to complete series turnaround against South Africa

For England, 2-1 up ahead of this fourth Test, they arrive at The Wanderers with fond memories of a seven-wicket win here that sealed the series in 2016. To do so again, Joe Root reckons, will “probably” be his biggest success as captain.

“We’ve had injuries with senior players having to fly home and a lot of illness to deal with, and we have adapted to very different conditions and for a very young group of players to manage,” said Root in his pre-match press conference. There’s a bigger picture at play here – there always is with England. But for once, the talk does not seem so wishy-washy. The victories that put them ahead were the work of a team with a young, hungry core.

South Africa arrive with cluttered minds and a reshuffled team. More and more, that first win down the road at Centurion feels more a product of England’s illness rather than the host’s dominance. Nothing but a win will prevent a third straight series defeat.

“The only thing we can make sure we do better is fight for every single inch in the field,” said Faf du Plessis. If that sounds a bit Any Given Sunday, then that’s in keeping with where his side are at right now. They need inspiration from wherever they can get it. “We have spoken about how we can do that. If you are mentally off it, teams that are on top of you just keep running with that momentum.”

A shuffled pack sees Zubayr Hamza drop out – he of much short-ball strife – replaced directly at number three by Rassie van der Dussen and in the XI by Temba Bavuma.

Maybe coming back to this part of the country will fill them with confidence. They have not been able to rely too much on home support, with the Barmy Army taking over the last three joints. But it is here where the most raucous Proteas fans do their best work.

That’s partly down to the make-up of this venue. The tops and tails of the ground rise far above, particularly at the Corlett Drive End which peers over, putting you almost on top of the action.

The grass bank on one side is opposite wooden bleachers that add to the throwback nature of this place. The only signs that time has moved on are corporate: the ground sponsor, Imperial, covering the Perspex tunnel which takes the players from the dressing room out to the middle with blue slates.

You did used to be able to see in, and those fans closest would gurn up to the sheets and slam them incessantly whenever an opposition player walked through them, especially on the back. But not for a while, and certainly not when Stuart Broad ran through South Africa with six for 17.

He’ll certainly be here, and the only issue the England management need to square is whether Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, together, will join him. The Durham quick, who played his first match in just under a year at Port Elizabeth, complained of a slight tightness in his groin and will be monitored in the morning. If he does not pull up right, which seems to be the likely scenario at the time of writing, England are likely to still opt for another quick – Chris Woakes – just to help the load on Archer who has missed the previous two with a sore right elbow. Five seamers seems the way they want to go.

That’ll mean Dom Bess dropping out, which is no reflection on his work on this tour, but more what lies before England. “It would be a relentless barrage of pace,” said Root in his press conference. “Which is exciting especially on this surface you typically get here at the Wanderers. “

The pitch here has a reputation of being one of the fastest in the world, offering all the elements of pace, bounce right across the square, which makes the practice nets extra spicy as Ollie Pope found out today. Hopefully his nicks and scuffs have not knocked the form out of him.

These truly are the conditions that produce the most compelling Test cricket. The closest this gentlemanly game gets to throwing down the handkerchief and gloves and tearing lumps out of each other with a hammer.

Unfortunately, du Plessis will have to go at England shorn of his hardest hitters. Kagiso Rabada is banned. Lungi Ngidi injured. Dale Steyn long gone.

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But they do have Vernon Philander, for one last time. Barring a five-wicket haul in the opening innings of the series, the 34-year old has done more with the bat. But he averages 15.69 here in his primary suit. As one extra bit of motivation, du Plessis is hoping a swansong for a modern great with 222 Test wickets to his name can be fuel to a side who look devoid of fire.

“The message is that he would like to see Vernon leave the game in the way he deserves,” said du Plessis. “I want to see him get the storybook ending that he deserves. He has been such a great bowler for us for this Test team. Hopefully, he can sign off on a high. He deserves respect. He has been one of the most skillful bowlers in the team.”

One dressing room is focussed on glory, the other hoping sentimentality takes them that way. All we know a day out from the fourth Test is that both camps believe we’ll have a winner and a loser. Nothing in between – which suits each team just fine.