The Proteas’ World Cup hopes dangle by a thread with the threat of rain looming in the Birmingham sky ahead of Wednesday’s clash with New Zealand.

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EXPERTS: 50-50 on Proteas’ hopes

The South Africans, and their fans back home, will be hoping that the inclement weather does not come to pass much in the same manner it sounded a warning ahead of their win over Afghanistan.

The buildup to that game has now been repeated with weather officials predicting a 60% chance of rain.

New Zealand, second on the log, start Wednesday’s match as one of the leading teams with three wins and a rained-out clash behind their name. Their opponents have accrued just one win and one rained-out result leaving them languishing in eighth.

While rain is one thing, a return to Edgbaston always brings up some nightmares. For fans old enough to remember those harrowing scenes 20 years ago, this ground evokes painful memories of a dropped bat, a run-out and the emergence of the ‘chokers’ tag. Though victory against New Zealand will not exorcise those demons, it will at least offer some form of redemption.

In 2015 England scored 408 against New Zealand but totals of that magnitude are rare here, with only one other side managing anything north of 300 in that time.