ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 25: NZ vs SA – New Zealand Predicted Playing XI

Seeing the game against India washed out without a ball bowled would’ve been frustrating for New Zealand. They might have registered three good wins in the tournament, but are yet to face strong opposition. While the Kiwis were tested by Bangladesh, the target was slightly less to really challenge them and they cruised along nicely for a majority of their innings.

In their next outing, New Zealand will be up against South Africa. While the Proteas have lost three games, they seemed extremely hungry for a win in their last match and seemed determined. New Zealand will have to continue to be on the top of their game and will look to maintain consistency with their eleven.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for New Zealand:

Openers (Colin Munro, Martin Guptill)

While Henry Nicholls could be an alternative, New Zealand will most likely persist with the likes of Colin Munro and Martin Guptill. Both these players are absolute game-changers and are capable of getting the team off to a flyer. However, they have found it tough to maintain the consistency so far in the tournament.

After getting fifties in the first game, both Guptill and Munro got out in the 20s against Bangladesh. While the right-hander bagged a golden duck against Afghanistan, Munro yet again threw his wicket away in the 20s and missed out on the opportunity to finish the game off for his team. They should look to provide the team with a good start in the next encounter.

Middle Order (Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk))

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor at number three and four respectively have been carrying a majority of the batting burden for New Zealand. Both these players are scoring crucial runs and at least one of them is ensuring that he stays in the middle right till the end. For South Africa to fancy their chances in the next game, they should look to dismiss both of them early in their innings.

Once they are allowed some time to settle in, they can be lethal. Tom Latham hasn’t batted much in the tournament so far. He hardly faced a handful of deliveries and is yet to be tested under pressure. He will hope that he gets to spend a decent amount of time in the middle facing a quality South African bowling attack.

All Rounders (James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner)

James Neesham will be all pumped up after the five-wicket haul in the last match. This spell should give him a lot of confidence and the expectations on him, for the obvious reasons, will be sky high. He is a massive hitter of the cricket ball as well and will be crucial for the team in the upcoming game.

Colin de Grandhomme is doing a fair job and is living up to the expectations with the ball. It will be interesting to see how the all-rounders react in case the team loses some quick wickets at the top of the order. Mitchell Santner had literally nothing to do in the last match and will hope to get a few overs to bowl in the upcoming fixture.

Bowlers (Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult)

After starting the tournament so well, it was slightly surprising to see Matt Henry go wicketless against Afghanistan. Moreover, he was the most expensive Kiwi bowler in that game. Thus, there is some work to do and he will hope to bounce back strong. However, Lockie Ferguson has continued with his fine form in the tournament.

The pacer hurried up the batsmen with his pace and picked up four wickets. Trent Boult will be the other pacer in this attack and will spearhead the bowling. He will have a huge role with the new ball and must test the Proteas openers. If he can snap a few wickets early in the game, it will be a massive advantage for his team.