Ahead of the fourth Test, South Africa test Skipper Faf du Plessis appealed his team to strengthen their stances. The skipper hard pressed his batsmen to raise their games. The visitors lost the third Test to England to push the four-match series to their side by 2-1. The final match of the series is scheduled at Old Trafford. South Africa was defeated by a massive figure of 239 runs in the third fixture. The visitors could only win the second Test of the series. In the previous tournament, that is, the Champions Trophy, South Africa had to end their tour before the semi-final stage of the tournament. The team had to exit in the first-round.

South Africa also slogged itself in the previous campaigns against England. The team lost the ODI as well as the T20 International series against England in the tournament before the Champions Trophy. South Africa is among the top ODI teams in ICC rankings. The squad is also with players who topped the ICC batsmen chart. Furthermore, the top bowlers in the format is also in the team. With such players at hand, South Africa slogged itself in the format in consecutive tournaments. This is a good reason for Skipper Faf du Plessis to ask something better from his players.

Even in Test, South Africa has been a strong team. In their past 19 series in the format, the team won 13 and draw five. The record is impressive with only a single defeat in the stretch. But it was only back in 1955 season when South Africa won a single series in Old Trafford. So far, the team has played eight Test matches in the venue. With such a history, South Africa batsmen has more reason to get serious with their forms and act on the appeal of the captain. In contrast, England won eight out of 12 matches they played at the Stadium since 2000. The team only lost once leveling the remaining ones.