NZ vs SA Preview । Unbeaten New Zealand to take on Proteas in 5th T20I of tri-series

ByUmesh Sharma,SportsCafe Editor

Today at 7:06 PM

New Zealand's Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra

The table toppers New Zealand and South Africa will face each other in the crucial and all-important game of the ongoing T20I Tri-Series in Zimbabwe, to secure the top spot ahead of the tournament’s final. The game will be played at the Harare Sports Club Stadium in Harare on Tuesday, July 22.

After crushing Zimbabwe by a massive eight-wicket margin in the previous game, the Blackcaps will face the Proteas in the fifth game of the T20I Tri-Series. Both teams are eyeing the top spot with a win in this game. On the other hand, South Africa is also coming off a seven-wicket win against the hosts in their last game on Sunday.

So, this game is going to be a crucial for both New Zealand and South Africa, considering their current positions in the Tri-Series. The winner of this game will have a moral advantage before the summit clash of the series.

Form Guide

New Zealand: W W

Mitchell Santner’s men have been unbeaten so far in this series, with two consecutive wins in their two matches. In their campaign opener, the Kiwis defeated South Africa by 21 runs, followed by an eight-wicket win against Zimbabwe in the next match. So, they will have an edge while going to take on the Proteas in this game.

South Africa: W L W

Speaking of the Proteas, they have played three matches in the series, with a defeat and two wins. Their journey started with a 5-wicket win against Zimbabwe before they lost to New Zealand by 21 runs, followed by another win against Zimbabwe. A win in this game will propel them to the top spot in the tournament’s points table.

NZ vs SA Head-to-Head in T20S

New Zealand and South Africa have faced each other in 16 T20 Internationals so far, with the Kiwis winning only five games and the Proteas winning 11 games in the head-to-head faceoffs. In the last five games, NZ have won three games while SA winning three games, including the Blackcaps’ 21-run win in the previous encounter. South Africa looks heavy in the head-to-head clashes, which gives them an advantage while going into this game.

Pitch and Weather

The surface at the Harare Sports Club is known for its balanced nature, with slight assistance for the bowlers (especially spinners) in the first innings. The average score here has been 136 runs, which seems enough to convince the toss-winning skipper to bowl first.

The weather is expected to be good, with clear skies at the start of the game. The minimum temperature will be 9 degrees Celsius, alongside the maximum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. There will not be any kind of rain interruption throughout the entire game.

Team News

Both teams are coming off big-margin wins in their respective last games, so they might opt to go with the unchanged playing XI, without changing their winning combination.

New Zealand Probable XI: Tim Seifert (WK), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, and Adam Milne.

South Africa Probable XI: Lhuan-dre Pretorius (WK), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen (C), Rubin Hermann, Dewald Brevis, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Andile Simelane, Nqabayomzi Peter, Nandre Burger, and Lungi Ngidi.