South Africa began their tour of New Zealand with an emphatic T20 win on Friday and the next passage of their stay sees the two nations embarking on a five match ODI series which begins in Hamilton on Sunday.
Although this should be a hard fought series in its own right it will act as solid preparation for both sides ahead of the Champions Trophy which takes place in England in the summer.
Schedule
1st ODI: Feb 19 at Hamilton
2nd ODI: Feb 22 at Christchurch
3rd ODI: Feb 25 at Wellington
4th ODI: Mar 1 at Hamilton
5th ODI: Mar 4 at Auckland
New Zealand
The Kiwis will be looking to bounce back from that hefty defeat in the T20 in a format they have a bit of momentum in. They go into this series off the back of a series win against Australia recently which will have given them some confidence to go in here with. Home advantage can be crucial for the Kiwis and they’ll be aiming to use that to the full.
New Zealand’s batting didn’t completely convince against Australia or indeed Bangladesh in the series before that but they were able to put up competitive totals and with the way they bowl in home conditions that was enough to win both series. They might need more runs here though.
South Africa
It hasn’t just been New Zealand who have been winning 50 over series in recent times. South Africa head into this one off the back of a 5-0 win over Sri Lanka over the last few weeks. In that series their batsmen were able to enjoy themselves against an attack which was bordering on cannon fodder but things won’t be so easy here.
The Proteas laid a marker down ahead of this series with an emphatic win in the 20 over match. That was without the likes of Kagiso Rabada in the side so they have even more to give in these matches. They won’t lack for motivation after losing to New Zealand in the semi-final of the World Cup in Auckland two years ago.
Head to Head
These two have played nine bi-lateral series in the 50 over format and South Africa have had much the better of them having landed seven successes to the two of New Zealand. Down in New Zealand the record is 3-1 to South Africa. In all matches between the two South Africa lead 38-22 with five no results.
Betting
I fancy this series could go either way but with the weather not always the most trustworthy at this time of the year I think I’ll seek out better value as we go along in it rather than take anything before the off. There is one player bet I like though.
Imran Tahir is on top of his game right now and he is good value at 11/4 to be South Africa’s leading bowler in the series. We saw in the T20 match that few of the New Zealand batsmen are able to pick him but with the quality of the South African seam attack you get the feeling the Kiwis will have to keep on attacking him. That plays into the hands of the wily leggie and at 11/4 I think Tahir is a good bet to lead South Africa’s wickets in the series.
Tips
Back I.Tahir Top South Africa Series Bowler for a 2/10 stake at 3.75 with William Hill
Back him here:
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