SOUTH AFRICA REPORT CARD: Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje provide the positives amid Faf du Plessis' misery

NICK HOWSON: While the bowling battery persevered it was in the batting line up where The Proteas lost the series to England

Faf du Plessis

(4 Tests, 151 runs, ave 18.87, 3 catches)

The series could barely have gone worse for The Proteas skipper, whose future is deeply uncertain. Struggled with the bat - though he did show some character in Cape Town - and was very often stationary in the field, allowing England to dictate. Granted, some individuals let him down but this felt like the end of the road rather than the start of a new era. Fresh direction needed.

Grade: E

Temba Bavuma

(1 Test, 33 runs, ave 16.50)

He missed the first Test through injury but was unable to reclaim his place until the fourth Test. Couldn't do much with either dismissal to Mark Wood or Stuart Broad. Remains to be seen for how long he is persisted with but quota targets might give him a stay of execution.

Grade: D

Dean Elgar

(4 Tests, 244 runs, ave 30.50, 6 catches)

Strangled down the leg side via the very first delivery of the series from James Anderson. Though South Africa went on to win that first Test, it very much set the tone. The 32-year-old remains an extremely solid operator but one half-century in eight innings tells its own story. His side's failure to form a strong base at the top of the order played a role in their demise.

Grade: C-

ENGLAND REPORT CARD: Ollie Pope and Mark Wood illuminate series win but pressure intensifies on Jos Buttler

Quinton de Kock

(4 Tests, 380 runs, ave 47.50, 23 catches)

The highest run-scorer in the series but only he will know how he didn't reach three figures. Was belatedly moved up the order but it was a case of too little too late and reflected South Africa's lack of planning. Batted with reckless abandon but that was also his undoing. Pull to Zak Crawley in Cape Town opened the door for England's route back into the series.

Grade: A-

Zubayr Hamza

(3 Tests, 78 runs, ave 13, 3 catches)

Kept faith in for a baffling amount of time which given his paltry returns was slightly baffling. Having inherited the position somewhat, fortunately, Hamza rarely offered encouragement he was set to make the No.3 role his own during a harrowing series. Was put out of his misery by the time the Johannesburg Test came around.

Grade: E

Beuran Hendricks

(1 Test, 9 runs, ave 9, 6 wickets, ave 29.16)

Unfairly thrown into a near-irretrievable situation at The Wanderers on his Test debut but performed admirably. Left-arm seamers always cause a new threat and that was certainly the case in both innings. His 5-64 in England's second go might just be the most inconsequential landmark haul of his entire career, but it offers some encouragement at the end of an otherwise dreary series.

Grade: C+

Keshav Maharaj

(3 Tests, 94 runs, ave 15.66, 10 wickets, ave 46.30, 2 catches)

Maharaj's tribulations were a good advert for why spinners coming out of the South Africa system have been few and far between. Twice he was hit for three figures in a single innings and the punishment he received - plus the increasingly flat pitches - saw him dropped for the fourth Test. England paid him too much respect in the first Test and from then on he was taken apart ruthlessly.

Grade: D-

^{Faf du Plessis floundered as captain and middle-order batsman}

Pieter Malan

(3 Tests, 156 runs, ave 26, 3 catches)

After being parachuted in to replace the injury-stricken Aiden Markram, Malan initially looked at home in Test cricket. His 84 in the second innings at Cape Town started what looked like being a solid rearguard. But from the moment of his dismissal when he got an edge on a Sam Curran delivery, he and South Africa's fortunes changed.

Grade: C

Aiden Markram

(1 Test, 22 runs, ave 11)

Cruelly denied a lengthy run in this series with a broken finger ruling him out of the final three Tests. In truth, the first game in Centurion had not been kind to him but at 25 still has much to offer at this level.

Grade: D

Anrich Nortje

(4 Tests, 77 runs, ave 11, 18 wickets, ave 27.11, 1 catch)

With the ball at least, Nortje was the hosts' stand-out performer, a decent accolade given the company he operated in. Regularly hitting 90mph on the speed gun, the 26-year-old gave England constant problems with his ability to squeeze every sinew from the often benign surfaces a real asset. His batting vigil in Port Elizabeth ensured he will remain the nightwatchman going forward.

Grade: B+

Rabada gets the England captain. #SAvENGpic.twitter.com/xuRHZy7Nva

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) January 16, 2020

Dane Paterson

(2 Tests, 43 runs, ave 43, 4 wickets, 41.50 ave, 1 catch)

One of five debutants in the series but didn't get much of a look in with the new ball. By the time he was called upon a combination of flat pitches and settled England batsmen meant he was largely ineffectual. His most memorable contributions came with the bat, due to his desire to step back and waft through the off-side. It worked, once, when he struck 39 from 40 balls in Port Elizabeth.

Grade: D-

Vernon Philander

(4 Tests, 160 runs, ave 22.85, 8 wickets, ave 26.62, 3 catches)

It looked like being a titanic send-off for "Big Vern" when he took 4-16 on day two of the first Test in Centurion. England looked helpless to Philander's perfect length and ability to merely kiss the surface. But just four wickets followed in the next three Tests, with his career ended by a hamstring injury in Johannesburg. It was a rather sorry end to an otherwise fabulous career.

Grade: C

Dwaine Pretorius

(3 Tests, 83 runs, ave 13.83, 7 wickets, ave 36, 2 catches)

The 30-year-old was lost in amongst a very pedestrian attack. Missed out at Port Elizabeth yet was recalled for the fourth Test as part of a five-man seam attack. Of the quicks, only an injured Philander bowled fewer overs. Hard to see him having a tangible impact on this side going forward.

^{Vernon Philander was unable to mark his retirement with a series win}

Grade: D

Kagiso Rabada

(3 Tests, 48 runs, ave 12, 14 wickets, ave 28.92, 1 catch)

Much-like partner in crime Philander, Rabada looked a real threat in the first Test but his influence waned significantly as the series progressed. Gave South Africa a real edge in the middle both with his skills with the ball and his intensity, which attempted to rile up the England batsmen. Was adjudged to have overstepped the mark following perhaps one of the balls of the series to get Joe Root, and missed the crunch clash at the Bull Ring as a result - a potentially crucial moment.

Grade: C+

Rassie van der Dussen

(4 Tests, 274 runs, ave 34.25, 8 catches)

One of few positives to be taken from this series as Van der Dussen took his white-ball form into the red-ball arena. Looked comfortable immediately and was quickly promoted up the order. Needs to stay focused when a big score is in his midst, with two centuries evading him during the series. But the early signs are decent.

Grade: B