[1] The team was led by Eastern Province's Kepler Wessels, who had returned to his native country after playing 24 Tests for Australia during the International ban years.

South Africa had made a promising start to their International return, drawing their two most recent series, home and away against Australia, and some talents had begun to emerge already.

Jonty Rhodes had established himself as one of the top fielders in the world already, and had won over doubters of his batting with a never-say-die attitude,[2] which characterised the whole team, even where outright ability was lacking.

The South Africans would provide a much more useful yardstick of Ray Illingworth's management of the team, and there were still doubts over middle order batsmen Robin Smith and Graeme Hick and the strength of the bowling, despite Phillip DeFreitas's re-emergence.

South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first on a flat-looking Lord's pitch, but after seeing off the initial burst from Phillip DeFreitas, Andrew Hudson fell to Darren Gough, and Hansie Cronje followed soon after to Angus Fraser.

The second morning saw the South African lower order take the attack to the England bowlers, adding over a hundred for the last four wickets.

Alec Stewart and captain Mike Atherton fell to the pace of Allan Donald, while Crawley edged Fanie De Villiers' swing to second slip.

Stewart managed to hold out for two hours for his 27, but Matthews took two wickets in two balls, and despite Gooch passing Viv Richards as the fourth-highest Test run scorer during his 28, nobody had answers to South Africa's bowlers.

Atherton was summoned to see the Match Referee, Peter Burge, after play had finished for the day, and gave his explanation, which included a denial that he had used any substance to alter the condition of the ball at any time in his career.

[13] South Africa named the same side for the Second Test that had been so dominant in the First, while England made two changes: Graham Thorpe came in for all-rounder Craig White and Phil Tufnell replaced Salisbury as the specialist spinner.

Atherton fell soon after, having batted for over five hours, and just missed out on his century, gifting a return catch to McMillan for a defiant 99 (nine fours and one six) that had allowed the other top order batsmen to play around him.

Steve Rhodes (65*) also contributed well, and shepherded the tail to a good position, adding 53 with Gough, and allowing Atherton to declare the innings and have nine overs at the tourists' openers.

The third morning was very much England's - DeFreitas picked up Gary Kirsten, caught behind, and then Cronje, bowled first ball, in the first over of the day, and Wessels was dropped twice before he settled in and helped nightwatchman Dave Richardson (48) add sixty.

Peter Kirsten struck up intelligent partnerships with Rhodes (46) and McMillan, and brought up his maiden Test century (104 from 226 balls, 13 boundaries) shortly before the close, only to be dismissed by DeFreitas soon afterwards.

Hick (110, nine fours, three sixes) accelerated from 50 to his century with ease, while Thorpe made 73 in good time, and Stewart 36 at a run a ball, allowing England to declare at lunch, setting the South Africans 298 to win.

Hudson's fourth consecutive failure gave the home team hope that they might prompt a collapse, but the visitors declined to press for the runs, and crawled to 116/3 from the 60 overs that were bowled before the captains agreed to a draw, half an hour before the scheduled close.

South Africa dropped Hudson for the Final Test after his run of low scores and Peter Kirsten moved up to open the batting with his brother, while Daryll Cullinan came into the middle order.

McMillan and Donald took South Africa safely to the close, but the former added just two to his overnight total to be ninth man out for a rumbustious 93, and Rhodes didn't return to bat.

England's innings started badly, with Atherton departing to De Villiers' first delivery and showing a degree of dissent about the lbw decision that cost him half his match fee as a fine.

Hick made 81 at a run a ball, and Thorpe rounded things off with a quick-fire 15, driving down the ground for four to seal the victory, after Atherton edged one to Richardson with 24 required to win.

Four of the batsmen picked up 200 runs or more (Thorpe, Hick, Stewart, Atherton), while Fraser, Gough and DeFreitas all contributed with the ball sufficiently to augur well for the forthcoming Ashes series.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins noted in The Times that the tourists were "too dependent on their fast-medium bowling" and that the batting would look a little shaky when Wessels retires, given the performances of Hudson and Cronje, though he praised Darryl Cullinan's emergence as "a batsman of genuine Test class".

[17] Only McMillan and Wessels made 200 runs, though Cullinan showed vigour in compiling 101 in the Third Test, but the pace quartet all contributed at times, De Villiers and Donald each picking up 12 wickets in the series.