New Zealand v South Africa, 1st ODI, Hamilton – Preview
Having conceded the one-off Twenty20 International in Auckland to South Africa, New Zealand will be determined to begin the five-match One-Day International series, starting at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday (February 19), on a winning note.
Though New Zealand fans could argue that the 78-run loss at Eden Park came in a different format, South Africa would surely be revelling in the confidence gained ahead of the five-match showdown. Should South Africa win on the morrow, it will mark a national record-equalling 12th consecutive ODI win, a mark that was established in 2005.
"Faf (du Plessis, South Africa's T20I captain) and I are very similar in the way we play our game," AB de Villiers, South Africa's ODI captain, told reporters on the eve of the match. "We grew up together and both have a very competitive nature. There's a great feeling in the team, especially after last night. It was vital for us to start well (but) it doesn't guarantee us any success in the ODI series, we know that."
Imran Tahir claimed five wickets on Friday night to skittle New Zealand, the top-ranked side in the ICC Team Rankings for T20Is, for just 107 with five overs to spare, after his team batted first to post 185 for 6 in their 20 overs.
Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, admitted that his team was outplayed by the visitor on the night, and would need to quickly recover from the loss and get going in the longer format.
''We were certainly off in most departments, which got exposed," he said. ''All in all not a great performance and certainly one we're going to have to turn around pretty quickly.
''It certainly showed us how many good players they have," added Hesson. "It was a thorough performance from South Africa but disappointing from our perspective that we didn't fire too many shots at them."
New Zealand is well aware of South Africa's limited-overs strength, made clear by its performances in recent times, including a 5-0 drubbing at home of Sri Lanka recently.
But New Zealand will take confidence from the fact that it too has done well in ODI cricket of late, and especially at this venue. Riding on Trent Boult's career-best figures of 6 for 33, it beat Australia by 24 runs in the third match of the Chappell-Hadlee trophy, clinching the series 2-0 in the process and felling the world’s top-ranked ODI side. The host has lost only one of its previous six ODIs at Seddon Park.
Boult produced figures of 4-0-8-2 in the T20I on Friday night, and while Hesson lauded him for the effort, he also stressed the importance of the other bowlers supporting him when he's in such great form.
''Trent was exceptional, and he's got a lot of confidence but we weren't able to back him up at times," he said.
The match is set to be played on the same pace-friendly pitch that was prepared against Australia, so Ish Sodhi, the leg-spinner, could be expected to sit out of the encounter. He was left out for the match against Australia for the same reason, but it could be a gamble for the host, given he has been in great form recently. Sodhi has bagged 14 wickets at an average of 19 in the domestic Ford Trophy for Northern Districts since picking up 6 for 11 for Adelaide Strikers against Sydney Strikers in his last Big Bash League appearance in January.
New Zealand's batting unit is without the services of the injured Martin Guptill, and the home side would be hoping for veteran Ross Taylor to lead the onslaught and back up Kane Williamson, the captain.
For South Africa, there is still a cloud over David Miller's availability, with the batsman still recovering from an injury to his little finger.
Weather-wise, there are chances of rain in Hamilton on Sunday, and it could have a significant role to play in the outcome of the day-night encounter.
Teams (from):
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Neil Broom, Dean Brownlie, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi (wk), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
South Africa: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, David Miller, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.
