YORKSHIRE'S Joe Root is hoping England can repeat recent history – by clinching the one-day international series at the Wanderers today, just as they did in the third Test here last month.

Root returns to the scene of his ninth Test century, in a series-securing seven-wicket win, on the back of another hundred – this time his ODI career-best 125 at Centurion on Tuesday.

That innings came in defeat, though, South Africa easily chasing 318 for eight – on the back of an opening stand of 239 between Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla – to narrow the deficit to 2-1 with two to play.

It was 1-0 to England, with two to play, when they reached Johannesburg in the Test series.

Root did not disappoint then, and neither did world number one Test bowler Stuart Broad, who took six for 17 in the second innings, and appears set to return on Friday for his first ODI match in almost a year.

Asked if the surroundings of the Wanderers will motivate England to pull off a repeat success, Root said: "Absolutely. We've got a lot of positive things to look at throughout this series anyway.

"We've already won here on the tour, and it'd be great to do that again.

"We're going to have to play some really good cricket on what should be a very high-scoring ground."