New Zealand-South Africa Tests: The first game of the two-match Test series between New Zealand and South Africa will begin on Sunday at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
Since South Africa sent a group of inexperienced youth players in lieu of veteran players, the series has garnered negative media attention. Cricket South Africa (CSA) decided against sending the senior players on a tour to New Zealand, opting instead to let them participate in the lucrative SA20 League.
New Zealand-South Africa Tests
Even while there may be some justification for this choice, it has split the cricket community in part. We’ve highlighted three items in this listicle for you to look forward to in the series.
A revamped aspect of South Africa
Given that every senior player for South Africa has been invited to return to participate in the SA20 League, we may expect to see a completely different team in this series.
On Sunday at Mount Maunganui, Neil Brand, who was named captain, will also play his first Test match. Among the few known faces on the South African team for this series are Khaya Zondo, Duanne Olivier, and Dane Piedt.
This indicates that a large number of the picked players are novices who will be seeing Test cricket for the first time during this series.
Neil Brand as the captain
Neil Brand is the new captain of South Africa for this series, as was previously announced.
Strangely enough, this match will also mark Brand’s Test debut as captain, making him one of the very few cricketers to have done so.
Neil Brand, captain of the Proteas Test team in New Zealand speaks about the togetherness in the team 🇿🇦🤝#BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/Tci73fLWYq
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) February 3, 2024
It will be intriguing to watch how he controls his nerves and leads his colleagues throughout his first Test. Additionally, this will be Brand’s first foreign game. It will be interesting to watch how he lives up to the selectors’ confidence in him.
Neil Wagner’s return to form
After nearly a year away, Neil Wagner, who was picked for both Tests, will be rejoining the New Zealand team. He last participated in a Test match at Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2023, against Sri Lanka.
Wagner will be hoping for a better performance if he is included in the playing eleven in Mount Maunganui, after he was bowled out in both innings of that match.
If Wagner bowls full, he can get some movement off the pitch in addition to hitting the deck hard. Wagner is a left-arm seamer who gives the Kiwi bowling attack a lot of diversity; the Proteas should be cautious while facing him.
