Cape Town – Proteas batting coach Neil McKenzie expects New Zealand to come out and “really fight” in the second ODI at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Wednesday.
The visitors have had the edge over the Black Caps in the first two encounters on tour, comprehensively winning the solitary T20I at Eden Park by 78 runs before edging home on the second last ball with four wickets remaining in the first ODI in Hamilton on Sunday.
Considering the Kiwis are ranked No 1 in the world in T20 cricket and were previously unbeaten in all formats at home this summer, it may have been expected that they would dent the Proteas’ own hot streak of victories a bit more.
South Africa are chasing a national record 12th consecutive ODI wins at Hagley Oval, which would be place them second on the all-time list behind Australia’s 21 victories.
However, McKenzie is wary of a Kiwi backlash at a venue where the Proteas will be playing their first ODI.
"New Zealand don't give you much, they're a seriously good fielding unit and all New Zealand sides seem a close knit bunch of guys and really fight,” the former Proteas batsman told the media on Tuesday.
Coach Russell Domingo and on-tour selector Errol Stewart have a couple of permutations to work through before the toss. The match is the only day-game scheduled in the five-match series, which could favour chinaman spinner Tabraiz Shamsi being retained at the expense of one of the all-rounders again. Wayne Parnell sat out for Shamsi in Hamilton.
Shamsi was more economical and even claimed one wicket more than the planet’s premier white-ball Imran Tahir, who had a rare off-day, at Seddon Park last Sunday.
The Kiwis have previously played two spinners at the picturesque ground too with Mitch Satner and Ish Sodhi bowling in tandem against the Sri Lankans last year due to the large playing surface. Hagley Oval is one of the bigger grounds in New Zealand.
Lions all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius has arrived in New Zealand after the birth of his first child although the South African team management have kept Cobras opening bowler Dane Paterson on tour. Paterson, who played in the Auckland T20, was meant to return to South Africa upon Pretorius’s arrival.
Middle-order batsman David Miller is still struggling with his finger injury and will be assessed later on Tuesday, but at this stage it seems likely that Farhaan Behardien will keep his place in the line-up.
LIKELY PROTEAS TEAM FOR HAGLEY OVAL
Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (capt), JP Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi/Wayne Parnell