SA vs NZ Preview | New Zealand to start T20I tri-series campaign against South Africa

The Proteas started their campaign in the tri-series with a comprehensive win against Zimbabwe on the back of an explosive knock by Dewald Brevis in a low-scoring encounter. The victory extended South Africa's great form in T20Is in recent times, winning three of their last five outings in the format. Though the side under the leadership of  Rassie van der Dussen is filled with so many young and inexperienced players, they showed a lot of character in the last game, especially when the side was in trouble after losing their top three very early in the powerplay. This was also a glimpse of the match-winning ability the players possess despite their inexperience.

The forthcoming match will be the start of New Zealand's campaign in the T20I tri-series and will be led by spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner in the tournament, and will be playing the Rainbow Nation in the T20I format after a gap of eight years. The last time the Black Caps had faced South Africa in the shortest format was in a one-off T20I game in 2017 at Auckland,

Form Guide

SA: W A W W L

NZ:  W W L W W

SA vs NZ Head-to-Head in T20Is

The two teams have battled each other 15 times in T20 Internationals from 2005 to 2017. The Rainbow Nation has been dominant against the Blackcaps in the format, having won 11 games, while the Kiwis have emerged victorious in only four encounters. 

SA 11-4 NZ

Pitch and Weather

The surface at Harare in the opening game was a two-paced track, where the bowlers were getting a lot of assistance with the new ball such as some extra bounce and seam movement. However, as the game progressed, the conditions got easier for the batters who were able to score their runs freely. Looking at how the wicket played, the team that wins the toss would probably prefer to chase.

The weather reports look promising at the venue, with the temperature expected to be 22 degrees Celsius in what is likely to be a clear and sunny day.

Team News

South Africa under the leadership of Rassie van der Dussen is expected to keep the same playing XI as the last game after their dominant win against Zimbabwe. Though prodigies Andile Simelane and Lhuan-dre Pretorius had disappointing outings in the first game, the team will most likely continue to back them.

New Zealand will be led by Mitchell Santner, with Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, and Mark Chapman expected to make up the top order, while Tim Seifert, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, and James Neesham will probably make up the middle order. The bowling department will most likely feature Matt Henry and William O'Rourke as the two specialist pacers.

SA Probable XI: Reeza Hendricks, Lhuan-dre Pretorius (wk), Rassie van der Dussen (c), Rubin Hermann, Dewald Brevis,  George Linde, Corbin Bosch,  Andile Simelane, Nqaba Peter,  Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi

NZ Probable XI: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Tim Seifert (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, William O’Rourke

Broadcasting Platforms

The Zimbabwe T20I tri-series match two between South Africa and New Zealand will be digitally streamed on the FanCode app and website in India.