New Zealand v South Africa, 2nd ODI, Christchurch – Preview
New Zealand has the unenviable task of stopping the South African juggernaut when the teams lock horns in the second One-Day International in Christchurch on Wednesday (February 22).
South Africa, which came into the five-match series with 11 ODI wins on the trot, equalled its national record of 12 consecutive wins - set in 2005 - following a rusty four-wicket victory in the first ODI at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
Though South Africa has forged one of the most successful limited-overs sides in world cricket, it will not take its foot off the accelerator, not with only a handful of one-day games left before the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in England in June.
New Zealand’s recent record in the 50-over format hasn’t been too bad either. The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy title victory with a 2-0 win in the three-game series against Australia (one game was abandoned due to rain), and the 3-0 win over Bangladesh in the earlier one-day series, will have given it confidence that it could stretch AB de Villiers and his men in its own backyard. But Chris Morris ran riot in Hamilton, and de Villiers then steered the ship home in a tense chase.
"We aren't thinking too much about their records - we're thinking about our cricket and how we want to improve,” said Kane Williamson, the New Zealand skipper, after the loss. “There are certainly a lot of areas to improve on from this. Saying that, I'm sure the surfaces going into the bulk of the series will be very different to that.”
With the first ODI out the way, New Zealand will hope for a better show from its batsmen. Save for Williamson, much of the batting unit has left a lot to be desired. The skipper will expect more from the experienced top-order trio of Tom Latham, Ross Taylor and Neil Broom.
As far as its bowling is concerned, New Zealand is packed to the brim with quality. Trent Boult will be raring to go on a pitch that is expected to assist seamers. Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme too should benefit on this strip.
The only dilemma for New Zealand in terms of selection would be to assess if it requires the services of both its spinners, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi, or if it should bring in Lockie Ferguson, the 25-year-old, as another seaming option.
South Africa’s bowling looks well settled with Kagiso Rabada and Morris up front forming a potent combine. Rabada will be training his eyes on maximum purchase at a venue where there should be plenty of movement and bounce for the young South African quick.
In addition to Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo, South Africa could add either Wayne Parnell or Dwaine Pretorius, who is available for selection after returning from the birth of his child, to provide the pace department with more muscle. But if it does stick to playing two spinners, as it did in the first ODI, Imran Tahir, who went wicketless in the first game, and Tabraiz Shamsi should team up again.
South Africa’s batting looks as destructive as ever with David Miller the only missing link. Miller, who injured his right little finger during the series against Sri Lanka, missed the first game and there is still a cloud of uncertainty over his availability for the second 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.
