4th T20I: NZ aim to seal series versus SA
What's the story
New Zealand will be looking to secure a rare bilateral series victory over South Africa in the ongoing five-match T20I series. The Kiwis lead 2-1 after three matches, with the fourth match scheduled at Wellington's Sky Stadium on March 22. The Kiwis have only won one of their previous six bilateral T20I series against South Africa, making this potential victory even more significant. Here is the match preview.
Details
Venue details and pitch report
The pitch at Sky Stadium in Wellington is known to be balanced, favoring both batters and bowlers who stick to their plans. With an average first-innings score of 159 at the venue in the last five T20Is, teams chasing have won all three games here. Pacers are likely to get assistance with the new ball. Meanwhile, the game will get underway at 11:45am IST.
Team dynamics
New Zealand eye series win; South Africa aim for comeback
After losing the first match, New Zealand have staged a strong comeback in the series. However, skipper Mitchell Santner, alongside several other names, won't be available for the final two fixtures. Tom Latham will instead lead the team now. On the other hand, South Africa will be hoping for their key players to step up. The team has struggled with their batting in the series, particularly their openers.
Match statistics
A look at the head-to-head record
Coming to the head-to-head record between these two teams, the two sides have clashed in 23 T20Is, with South Africa winning 13. The remaining 10 games have gone in NZ's favor, as per ESPNcricinfo. The semis of the recent T20 WC saw NZ beat SA for the first time across six meetings in the tournament. At home, New Zealand have won three of their seven T20Is against the African team.
Player spotlight
Key players to watch out for
Devon Conway has an impressive average of 44.52 in home T20Is. He has over 1,000 runs in this regard. Keshav Maharaj averages a decent 26.73 in T20Is, as his economy rate reads 7.86 (52 wickets). In his maiden T20I series, South Africa's Nqobani Mokoena has taken three wickets at an economy rate of 6.95. Latham, who had not played a T20I in almost three years before this series, made an unbeaten 55-ball 63 in the third game.
Team line-ups
A look at the probable playing XIs
New Zealand Predicted XI: Tom Latham (c & wk), Katene Clark, Tim Robinson, Bevon Jacobs, Nick Kelly, James Neesham, Cole McConchie, Nathan Smith, Zakary Foulkes, Ben Sears, and Kyle Jamieson. South Africa Predicted XI: Tony de Zorzi, Wiaan Mulder, Connor Esterhuizen, Rubin Hermann (wk), Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, George Linde, Nqobani Mokoena, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj (c), and Ottneil Baartman.