New Zealand have won the toss in the one-off T20 and have chosen to bowl first in their first encounter at Auckland since the World Cup semi-final.
A lot has happened since the Proteas’ last limited-overs match away from home. Since that early exit from the Tri-Nation series in West Indies, the South Africans have won 11 ODIs in a row and they are the No 1 side in the world. Now they take on the No 1 T20 side in the world, in the one-off T20 before the five-match 50-over series.
While this match is of little significance in the bigger picture, it is a chance for the sides to gather some momentum and gain a psychological boost ahead of the ODI series. The Proteas, boasting a number of players from that World Cup exit in 2015, might want to get a bit of revenge.
It’s a familiar looking ODI-style setup for the Proteas, as they’ve opted to take the same squad through for the T20, but Dane Paterson has come into the side at the expense of Kagiso Rabada, who’s been given a rest before the ODIs. East London-born Glenn Phillips comes in to make his debut for the Black Caps.
New Zealand: Glenn Phillips, Kane Williamson, Colin Munro, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ben Wheeler, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
Proteas: Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Paterson, Imran Tahir
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Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
