PRETORIA (Reuters) – Alastair Cook believes the perfect end to England’s winning series in South Africa would be a strong showing from his under-performing top-order batsmen in the fourth and final test, starting on Friday at Centurion Park. The tourists already have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, but with home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan and trips to Bangladesh and India still to come this year, there are positions to be firmed up, especially at the top of the order. “A lot of the runs have been scored by Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow. The other guys haven’t quite contributed, myself included,” Cook told reporters on Thursday. “The guys are desperate to shore up their spots so when the meeting comes for the Sri Lankan series, they’ve earned that right. I’m really looking forward to this week to see how people respond to that.” While his place is not under threat despite a lean series that has yielded just 103 runs at an average of 17, his new opening partner Alex Hales could do with a big score, having managed just 17 more. Nick Compton has looked composed at number three but averaged only 36.66 against a largely inexperienced South African bowling attack, while James Taylor has returned an average of less than 30 from his six innings. It was a point picked up by South Africa captain AB de Villiers. “The batting unit is not 100 percent the best in the world,” he told a news conference. “I believe we can find a few cracks in the batting line-up.” England will also have to make a choice between seamers Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and uncapped Mark Footitt after Steven Finn was ruled out of the remainder of the tour with a side injury. “All three are different options and are desperate to be selected,” Cook said. “We haven’t made our minds up yet. If in doubt, you play your strongest side.” Cook also said there would be no let-up in intensity from his team, even though the series is already won. “Our training yesterday was as intense as it was at the start of the tour – it would be great end the tour unbeaten,” he said. (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Kevin Liffey) 

Alastair Cook believes the perfect end to England's winning series in South
Africa would be a strong showing from his under-performing top-order batsmen.

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AB de Villiers Biography

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers, also known as Mr 360, what can be said about him? AB de Villiers has grown to become one of the world's best batsmen. When in form, de Villiers is deadly with a capital D.

The South African possesses the knack of tearing into any bowling attack. AB de Villiers has the capability of giving bowlers nightmares for days on end. At a young age, every selector had their eyes trained on him alone. He was soon rewarded with a berth among the Proteas at the age of 20 in 2004.

In his Test debut at home against England, he almost single-handedly rescued South Africa from the jaws of defeat. In the same series, he smashed his maiden Test century. With that, the legend of AB de Villiers was born.

However, a year later, like most players, a slump in his form plagued him. But he combatted that with an astounding 217 against India. In the process AB de Villiers set a record as the first South African to smash a double ton against India.

Ab de Villiers possesses a mainstream attacking game, he complements that with a back-and-across trigger movement and a late-block in his defensive arsenal. Aside from that, he tends to play in accordance with the situation and conditions as well.

However, he is not invincible, if an elbow surgery in 2016 is any proof. As a result, he made an appearance in only one Test series all year. Following his recovery, AB de Villiers returned to the limited-overs formats, but avoided Test cricket to 'lighten his workload'.

<img class="size-full wp-image-152513 aligncenter" src="http://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2019-04-03-at-12.05.12-AM.png" alt="AB de Villiers" width="465" height="349" />

IPL Career

With regard to the IPL AB de Villiers is a fan favourite in any city. De Villiers has been in the IPL right from its inception in 2008. During that time, he was with the Delhi Daredevils.

But he truly announced himself to the world when he joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. He still delivered handsomely for Delhi, courtesy a 105 against the Chennai Super Kings.

He was let go by Delhi in the wake of a poor 2010 season and RCB pounced immediately. They nabbed him for a whopping 1.1 million dollars and they were going to make Delhi regret their decision to drop him.

Since then, AB de Villiers has proven his money's worth for Bangalore. The big-hitting South African formed a dangerous triumvirate with skipper, Virat Kohli and Jamaican star, Chris Gayle. He ended up as the leading run-getter for RCB for three seasons.

IPL 2019 Expectations

Now, AB de Villiers has stuck around with the Royal Challengers for yet another season. The team are desperate for a maiden IPL triumph inspite of boasting the strongest batting line-up ever. He has achieved a high score of an unbeaten 133* back in 2015 at a strike rate of 175.08.

AB De Villiers

AB de Villiers Biography Abraham Benjamin de Villiers, also known as Mr 360, what can be said about him? AB de Villiers has grown to become one of the world&#8217;s best batsmen. When in form, de Villiers is deadly with a capital D. The South African possesses the knack of tearing into any bowling attack. AB de Villiers has the capability of giving bowlers nightmares for days on end. At a young age, every selector had their eyes trained on him alone. He was soon rewarded with a berth among the Proteas at the age of 20 in 2004. In his Test debut at home against England, he almost single-handedly rescued South Africa from the jaws of defeat. In the same series, he smashed his maiden Test century. With that, the legend of AB de Villiers was born. However, a year later, like most players, a slump in his form plagued him. But he combatted that with an astounding 217 against India. In the process AB de Villiers set a record as the first South African to smash a double ton against India. Ab de Villiers possesses a mainstream attacking game, he complements that with a back-and-across trigger movement and a late-block in his defensive arsenal. Aside from that, he tends to play in accordance with the situation and conditions as well. However, he is not invincible, if an elbow surgery in 2016 is any proof. As a result, he made an appearance in only one Test series all year. Following his recovery, AB de Villiers returned to the limited-overs formats, but avoided Test cricket to &#8216;lighten his workload&#8217;. IPL Career With regard to the IPL AB de Villiers is a fan favourite in any city. De Villiers has been in the IPL right from its inception in 2008. During that time, he was with the Delhi Daredevils. But he truly announced himself to the world when he joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. He still delivered handsomely for Delhi, courtesy a 105 against the Chennai Super Kings. He was let go by Delhi in the wake of a poor 2010 season and RCB pounced immediately. They nabbed him for a whopping 1.1 million dollars and they were going to make Delhi regret their decision to drop him. Since then, AB de Villiers has proven his money&#8217;s worth for Bangalore. The big-hitting South African formed a dangerous triumvirate with skipper, Virat Kohli and Jamaican star, Chris Gayle. He ended up as the leading run-getter for RCB for three seasons. IPL 2019 Expectations Now, AB de Villiers has stuck around with the Royal Challengers for yet another season. The team are desperate for a maiden IPL triumph inspite of boasting the strongest batting line-up ever. He has achieved a high score of an unbeaten 133* back in 2015 at a strike rate of 175.08.

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"It was like facing 90mph leg-breaks," Paul Collingwood said after Christopher Roger Woakes (or Chris Woakes) claimed his career best figures of 9/35 against Durham in 2016. This presented him a second opportunity to shine in Test Cricket after he had played only 6 test matches since his debut in 2013.

[caption id="attachment_155757" align="aligncenter" width="590"]<img class="size-full wp-image-155757" src="http://www.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Chris-Woakes-refused-to-set-a-date-for-his-return-812428.jpg" alt="Chris Woakes" width="590" height="350" /> Chris Woakes[/caption]

Chris Woakes was born in Birmingham on 2 March 1989 and lives there with his family.

Woakes, a right-arm medium fast bowler, is also a handy lower order batsman. He is amongst the 10 players in World Cricket to have registered their name on the Lord’s honours board for both batting and bowling.

Woakes made his first-class debut at the age of 17 and by the time he was 20, the fast bowler was topping the charts for bowling stats. But he had to wait to reach to the top at international level.

He was expected to lead England’s bowling attack in the ICC Champions Trophy, but had to pull off within the first two overs due to injury. He, however has played an important role in England’s triumph in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Domestic Cricket-

He plays county cricket for Warwickshire. In IPL, Woakes played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2017 season before playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) under Virat Kohli. He was, however, unsold in the 2019 IPL auction. He has also played a season for Sydney Thunders in the Big Bash League.

&nbsp;
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="298">Age</td>
<td width="298">30</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="298">Marital Status</td>
<td width="298">Married</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="298">Wife</td>
<td width="298">Amie Louise Woakes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="298">Residence</td>
<td width="298">Birmingham, England.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="298">Nationality</td>
<td width="298">England</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="298">Major Teams represented</td>
<td width="298">England national team, Warwickshire, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sydney Thunder</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Chris Woakes

&#8220;It was like facing 90mph leg-breaks,&#8221; Paul Collingwood said after Christopher Roger Woakes (or Chris Woakes) claimed his career best figures of 9/35 against Durham in 2016. This presented him a second opportunity to shine in Test Cricket after he had played only 6 test matches since his debut in 2013. Chris Woakes Chris Woakes was born in Birmingham on 2 March 1989 and lives there with his family. Woakes, a right-arm medium fast bowler, is also a handy lower order batsman. He is amongst the 10 players in World Cricket to have registered their name on the Lord’s honours board for both batting and bowling. Woakes made his first-class debut at the age of 17 and by the time he was 20, the fast bowler was topping the charts for bowling stats. But he had to wait to reach to the top at international level. He was expected to lead England’s bowling attack in the ICC Champions Trophy, but had to pull off within the first two overs due to injury. He, however has played an important role in England’s triumph in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Domestic Cricket- He plays county cricket for Warwickshire. In IPL, Woakes played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2017 season before playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) under Virat Kohli. He was, however, unsold in the 2019 IPL auction. He has also played a season for Sydney Thunders in the Big Bash League. &nbsp;  Age 30  Marital Status Married  Wife Amie Louise Woakes  Residence Birmingham, England.  Nationality England  Major Teams represented England national team, Warwickshire, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sydney Thunder  &nbsp;