Elgar confident as Proteas gear up for third Test against England

Proteas captain Dean Elgar is confident the right decision will be made at the toss when they take on England in the series-deciding third Test at The Oval in London starting on Thursday.

The dogged left-hander said their team selection from the previous two games was based on the conditions they were presented with and it would be no different this time.

With a history of favouring spin bowlers, and even more so after a long, hot summer as experienced recently, Elgar is confident he has the personnel to put up a decent fight, regardless of who is selected in the final playing XI.

“We have covered all our bases with regards to our bowling department. Whether we go in with four seamers and a spinner, or three seamers and two spinners ... I am pretty confident we have those guys and they are all fit, which is nice.

“On the day, if it is raining, you may see something different, but for now, we have a pretty stable final XI in mind.

“It has been interesting, but knowing the Oval, it is a generally good cricket wicket, the weather may be more in favour of the bowlers, meaning it could be tough to bat. But in saying that, if the sun is out, it’s a really good place to play good, honest cricket,” he said.

Despite ominous weather conditions predicted, Elgar was confident of a favourable outcome.

“There is definitely going to be a winner in this Test, the styles of cricket that we have been playing, there is definitely going to be a result. We cannot control the weather. It is what it is, but I am pretty confident there will be a victor and someone will lose this match.

“We are going into this Test one-all, it is pretty much like a World Cup final for us. That is how I am viewing it, we will go in with a result in mind and we will have to be at our best for that,” the skipper said.

Elgar said the break may have been longer than expected, but he believes it was a good opportunity for the players to blow off some steam by engaging in a number of team-building activities.

“We have had a few good days away from the game, away from the noise, the hustle and bustle, and just to refocus and remind ourselves why we are here,” he said.

SA have won just one Test match at the Oval in more than a century of cricket played between England and SA at the famous ground, losing seven and sharing the spoils on seven occasions.