New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said he was excited to be part of the series and expected competitive cricket between the two teams.
“It’s a great series to be a part of. We know South Africa are a great side, great games over the last few years. To play in front of another great crowd in New Zealand is always nice. (Conditions) Looks pretty good, Maybe it will start slow, Kesh will be pretty happy with that as well. It’s what we do with the bat, start and see what the pitch plays like. Go out there and get some runs,” Santner said after the toss.
South Africa captain Keshav Maharaj admitted that the disappointment of their previous semi-final exit still lingered but stressed that the team is looking ahead with a youthful squad.
“The (semi-final) disappointment is there. We have got a new squad with fresh faces. Hopefully that youth within our environment portrays on to the field today,” Maharaj said.
The match also saw New Zealand hand a T20I debut to Nick Kelly, while South Africa introduced four players for their international debuts — Connor Esterhuizen, Jordan Hermann, Dian Forrester and Nqobani Mokoena.
Teams:
South Africa (Playing XI): Connor Esterhuizen(w), Jordan Hermann, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj(c), Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Tom Latham(w), Tim Robinson, Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Cole McConchie, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears.
