New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said that he is excited to be a part of the series and expects competitive cricket between the two teams.
“It’s a great series to be a part of. We know South Africa are a great team, great game in the last few years. It’s always good to play in front of another great crowd in New Zealand. (Conditions) look great, maybe it’s going to be a slow start, Cash will be pretty happy with that. What we do with the bat, start and see what happens after the pitch there,” said Sunner after scoring a few runs.
South Africa captain Keshav Maharaj admitted the disappointment of their previous semi-final exit still lingered but insisted the team was looking forward with a young squad.
“The (semi-final) disappointment is there. We’ve got a new squad with fresh faces. Hopefully the youth in our environment will come out today,” Maharaj said.
New Zealand also gave Nick Kelly his T20I debut in the match, while South Africa introduced four players making their international debuts — Connor Osterhuizen, Jordan Herman, Diane Forster and Nkobani Mokwena.
Teams:
South Africa (Playing XI): Connor Esterhuizen (W), Jordan Herman, Tony De Zorzi, Robin Herman, Jason Smith, Diane Forster, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Kesho Maharaj (C), Nkobani Mokoena, Otnel Baartman.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Dion Conway, Tom Latham (w), Tim Robinson, Nick Kelly, Bevan Jacobs, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Zachary Foulkes, Cole McConchie, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears.
