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Battle of bowlers in series decider
- Updated: August 26, 2016
Match facts
August 27-31, 2016 Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)
Big Picture
This is South African cricket’s week to find out what the country’s other two big sports experience all the time. Rugby and football are used to one-off encounters with other countries.
Although the cricket teams have spoken about the winner-takes-all fixture in slightly different tones, with New Zealand calling it “exciting” and South Africa admitting it “definitely” adds to the pressure of the occasion, they both agree that more matches would be better. Faf du Plessis explained how a three or four match rubber would allow for a better ebb and flow, and Trent Boult said he wanted to test himself against the best for longer periods of time.
They will both have to wait until March next year to meet again. This series will be decided on the next five days. At least, they could not have asked for a better place for the crunch clash.
SuperSport Park has laid out a green carpet, with a re-laid outfield that will not pose the same problems as Durban’s because it underwent the process much earlier. The pitch underwent almost three weeks of preparation and the groundsman predicts an even, if slower than usual, contest between bat and ball. The Highveld winter, meanwhile, has reached its balmiest stage, the one that would be called summer in many parts of the world.
Du Plessis expects the contest to be between “two high quality,” bowling attacks, who he said left Durban happy, which puts both line-ups under pressure. South Africa did not apply themselves as well as they wanted to in the opener, New Zealand did not get the chance to apply themselves at all. Whoever does it better this time, will take the series.
Victory for South Africa will see them climb a place on the Test rankings to No.6 while a win for New Zealand, who will remain at No.5 regardless of the result, will give them a first-ever series triumph over South Africa.
Form guide
(last five completed …
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