It would be great to have that firepower but ultimately we've got to make sure we hit those areas (on the pitch)," he added. "We've been very good in that department on this tour." Root said that it would be "a very big achievement" if England could complete a series win. "When we've got our opportunities we've taken them," he said.

How strong are we mentally?

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South African captain Faf du Plessis said his side needed to dig deep to salvage a series draw. "How strong are we mentally in this last hurdle? We know where we have been a little bit poor in our game plans," he said. He said South Africa had not scored enough runs in the first innings. "That's the basic of Test cricket, you can look at England as a blueprint, the top three batting at their own pace and making sure they (are) setting up the innings for the rest of the guys to come in and play."

Du Plessis refused to answer questions about his future after being replaced as one-day international captain by Quinton de Kock -- and left out of the squad that will play three ODIs against England, although a spokesperson said he would be willing to talk about one-day cricket at the end of the match. "I'd like to, for my own personal reasons, focus on this Test match," he said. Du Plessis said Temba Bavuma would replace Zubayr Hamza in the XI, but there would also be a change in the batting order, with Rassie van der Dussen moving up to number three, the position filled by Hamza in the first three Tests.

He said the rest of the line-up was dependent on conditions, especially with a forecast of rain on the first day. Du Plessis said he hoped Vernon Philander, who will retire from international cricket after the match, would finish his Test career "with the storybook ending he deserves" on a pitch where he has done well.

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