***Official*** South Africa in New Zealand 2017

[Blain]

Mmm, pretty much. I'd say we have the better seam attack, slightly, but their batting is way in front of ours currently.

TBH I have NFI why we produced a sub continent pitch Hamilton, who thought up that idea?? It's not like we have ever been good at batting on those wickets. Hard and fast pitch with some swing thanks. To have a chance against the Saffers, we need to take early wickets. Lockie Ferguson and Boult are the only guys I see being able to take quick wickets up top.

It's almost like we have too many bits pieces cricketers, again. Hesson loves it. I'd like to see (wont happen);

Worker (Top run scorer in domestic easily. bowls handy spin too)
Brownlie
KW
RT
Broom
Neesham (Bowl him a little please)
Blundell (Latham has looked like a walking wicket for a month now, Ronchs doesn't deserve more chances, too old, no runs for a season and a half)
Santner
Southee
Lockie (bowl him out early, pre 40 overs)
Boult

Sodhi Stream is a nice thought, but I think he just doesn't offer as much as Santner (control wise certainly, batting is probably less important). If Worker plays, you'd have 2 spinners anyway. 3 with Kane.

 

[Immenso]

Half the Seddon block is hard and fast clay, the other half is turning clay.

It's a small ground with probably max 6 pitches.

Anyway, I don't think I agree on your point. Saffas are better than us in hard/fast conditions. But your point that we are poke in sub-continent conditions is valid. So probably 6 of one ....etc

 

[Bahnz]

Half the Seddon block is hard and fast clay, the other half is turning clay.

It's a small ground with probably max 6 pitches.

Anyway, I don't think I agree on your point. Saffas are better than us in hard/fast conditions. But your point that we are poke in sub-continent conditions is valid. So probably 6 of one ....etc

Yeah, SA also aren't flash when it's turning, so it probably slightly leveled things out - though we did get lucky bowling second. Tahir would've had us for breakfast in the evening session.

 

[CapeTown Guy]

SA aren't flash when it's turning? We beat India in India in our most recent ODI series there, so I guess nobody is flash when its turning.

 

[StephenZA]

SA aren't flash when it's turning? We beat India in India in our most recent ODI series there, so I guess nobody is flash when its turning.

In all honesty those pitches where flat,hardly any spin. Kholi and Shastri had a absolute fit over those pitches.... it is pretty much why we got the pitches we got in the Test series.

 

[StephenZA]

Yeah, SA also aren't flash when it's turning, so it probably slightly leveled things out - though we did get lucky bowling second. Tahir would've had us for breakfast in the evening session.

When Southee becomes a pacey off-spin bowler it gets a little silly.... most batsmen would have struggled.

 

[CapeTown Guy]

In all honesty those pitches where flat,hardly any spin. Kholi and Shastri had a absolute fit over those pitches.... it is pretty much why we got the pitches we got in the Test series.

I got the idea we got the pitches in the Test series we did cause we tend to beat them whenever the pitch is not a raging turner.

Anyhow, Re your Southee becoming a pacey off-spinner - I can recall Shaun Pollock running in bowling off-cutters during an ODI series in Sri Lanka. 2004 maybe?

 

[SeamUp]

Only day game starting tonight. Going for a record 13 ODI wins on the trot.

Team news
New Zealand have previously played Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi together at Hagley Oval - against Sri Lanka in 2015-16 - although they were barely needed. The odds favour an extra seamer being brought in although the larger playing-area works in Sodhi's favour. If they retain Latham as keeper, it creates room for another bowler.

New Zealand (probable) 1 Dean Brownlie, 2 Tom Latham (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 James Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Ish Sodhi/Lockie Ferguson, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

South Africa will also have to decide whether to retain Tabraiz Shamsi or return to another of their allrounders, either Wayne Parnell or Dwaine Pretorius who is now available having arrived following the birth of his child. David Miller's finger was being assessed but he remained an uncertain starter.

South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions
This is the only day-game of the series, on a ground that has provided some high scores. Five of the nine first-innings totals at Hagley Oval have been over 300 - in the previous ODI, when New Zealand faced Bangladesh, they piled up 341 for 7. The threat of showers has subsided and there is a high forecast of 29 degrees with some sunshine for most of the day.

Stats and trivia
AB de Villiers needs 50 runs to become the fastest to 9000 in ODIs, although there is no innings pressure on the feat with Sourav Ganguly's current mark being 228 innings. De Villiers has batted 203 times.

This will be South Africa's first international match at Hagley Oval. The last time they played in Christchurch was 2004.

In his short international career, Colin de Grandhomme has scored 319 runs off 285 balls across the three formats.

The Standard Bank Proteas are still searching for the ‘perfect game’, despite their record-equalling run of 12 consecutive One-Day International (ODI) wins.

The Proteas head into the second ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch on Wednesday one win away from setting a new South African record, but have placed more attention on the areas that have brought them success over the last six months, instead of the milestone.

“The big view for us is that we have certain blueprints that we are trying to impose on our game,” Proteas batting coach Neil McKenzie said to the media in Christchurch on Tuesday.

“We have a certain game plan that we want to achieve, and the 12 wins in a row have shown that what we have been doing over the last year has worked.

“We have to try and play that perfect game, hopefully that game comes in a semifinal or a final,” he explained.

“That blueprint has to be honed in and used in every game that you play. The numbers are a nice goal to have at the back of the head, (assurance) that something we have done is working, that the game plans are working, so we must keep going with that. We haven’t played the perfect game, hopefully that perfect game is a big build up in the next couple of months.”

The only experience the Proteas have of the 18 000-seater Hagley Oval are the two warm-up matches played against Sri Lanka and New Zealand during the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015. The conditions are unlikely to resemble the rank turner produced for the first ODI in Hamilton, but early assessment and adaption will be key regardless.

“I’m not too sure,” McKenzie said of the conditions.

“I know they played two warm-up matches in the World Cup, I wasn’t with South Africa then. We have a good squad; we have all of our bases covered in terms of the extra spinner, the all-rounders who tend to lengthen the batting, something we haven’t had in the last year or two.

"We also have some youngsters, someone like Dane Paterson who is on his first full tour with the one-day squad. It looks like there is a bit of grass at this stage but I’m sure the mower will be getting out there soon.”

Paterson has been added to the ODI squad for the remainder of the series and David Miller has passed a fitness test and is available for selection for the match.

 

[_Ed_]

The ruckus is building as we prepare for the coin going wheeeee.

Looks like we're in for some interesting Cricinfo commentary today.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

6 years ago today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teicHEyJbf0

 

[_Ed_]

6 years ago today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teicHEyJbf0

Yep, absolutely. Looking forward to seeing the memorial that they're unveiling by the Avon today.

Good to mark the anniversary with a game at Hagley. They did an amazing job of turning it into such a great venue for international cricket.

 

[Bahnz]

Anyone able to comment on the surface? Seems a bit strange to be playing 2 spinners at what has traditionally been a seam friendly venue. If they'd wanted another look at Sodhi, I'd have preferred it if they just rested Santner for a game.

 

[_Ed_]

Anyone able to comment on the surface? Seems a bit strange to be playing 2 spinners at what has traditionally been a seam friendly venue. If they'd wanted another look at Sodhi, I'd have preferred it if they just rested Santner for a game.

I was wondering about that too, especially since Cricinfo reported Kane saying the pitch is "a bit behind where they want it to be because of the recent weather".

 

[Zinzan]

Anyone able to comment on the surface? Seems a bit strange to be playing 2 spinners at what has traditionally been a seam friendly venue. If they'd wanted another look at Sodhi, I'd have preferred it if they just rested Santner for a game.

Just from the first over, looks a little tacky & slow. Not much in the way of swing or seam movement from Morris.

 

[straw man]

Yeah it's interesting not picking another seamer today, however I gradually came to like the balance we picked last match and am pleased to see it repeated.

The XI today is my guess at our best XI, when Guptill comes back for Brownlie. And I say that even though more than half the players need to do more to solidify their spots in the side (Latham, Broom, CDG, Neesham, all the bowlers except Boult) - that's just the uncertainty we have at the moment.

 

[Zinzan]

Don't think it's a bad toss to lose for NZ. Have a feeling it could slow as the day goes on. Could be wrong, but just has that feel about it.

 

[_Ed_]

Sounds like Brownlie's started nicely again. He's in good touch. It's a shame he'll have to make way when Gup comes back on Saturday.

 

[Zinzan]

Jeez that's poor Latham. Gift.

 

[Zinzan]

Sounds like Brownlie's started nicely again. He's in good touch. It's a shame he'll have to make way when Gup comes back on Saturday.

If only Brownlie could keep wickets. Latham looks in terrible nick.

 

[Meridio]

Yep, really soft dismissal that. Nothing delivery sliding down the leg side and it gets a wicket - Latham has a definite issue with falling over his pads at the moment.