England v South Africa 3rd Test Live and Preview

England play South Africa in the third and final Test match of the series at Lord’s.

One can be excused for thinking that English cricket has been a circus in the past few days, such has been the manner in which events have unfolded.

Whether there is more drama in store or not remains to be seen, and England will be hoping there is none when they take on South Africa in the third test match starting on Thursday at Lord’s.

The home of cricket is where England will take the field knowing their supremacy in test cricket is on the line. England, trailing 0-1 in the series, need a win to keep their top spot and continue their stretch as the No. 1 side that they achieved last year by whitewashing India.

Off the field, there has been plenty of drama with Kevin Pietersen being the main character - almost signaling the end of his career before unconditionally making himself available for all formats.

However, his indiscipline from the dressing room has cost him his place after the swashbuckling batsman admitted and apologized for sending derogatory text messages about his teammates to his opponents.

With Pietersen dropped, Jonny Bairstow has been slotted to fill the big vacancy. Bairstow made his debut against West Indies earlier in the summer with limited success.

For South Africa, their hunger for the top slot is almost translating into rewards. Their task has been made easier by Pietersen’s axing and the members of Proteas squad were not afraid of being vocal about it.

The team has displayed tremendous fight and courage, staying firm in the face of England’s push for a victory in the Headnigley test. Alviro Petersen made a career-best 182 while their batting still looks strong with Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis in the middle-order.

It will be Kallis’ last test match in England in all likelihood and he has expressed eagerness to end it on a high.

The match will be played at The Lord’s where England have not lost a test match since 2005.