After an exciting ODI series which went right down to the wire, New Zealand and South Africa now get ready to play out a three match Test series which should be equally as competitive between two of the best nations in the world.
Both sides have been pretty active in the long format of the game already this winter so there should be no worries about either not being prepared for this series which should ensure we get some captivating action.
Schedule
1st Test: Mar 8-12 at Dunedin
2nd Test: Mar 16-20 at Wellington
3rd Test: Mar 25-29 at Hamilton
New Zealand
New Zealand have already played two home series this summer and have won them both. The scorelines in the series against Pakistan and Bangladesh were emphatic but there were times when both opponents were competitive although when the big moments came New Zealand rose to the occasion.
A theme of their cricket in all three formats has been their bowling attack being their strength. At no stage have they batted with what you would call assurance neither have they been convincing with the willow but their bowling attack has been all over the opposition which has saved them. It will be interesting to see if their bowling can dominate here.
South Africa
The Proteas have already been to this part of the world and had series success this summer. They took Australia to the cleaners to begin what has been a busy run of matches for them. Since that series win they have eased past Sri Lanka at home but there is a case to be made for this being their toughest test of the summer thus far.
South Africa’s bowling attack has already ripped the heart out of Australia in similar conditions to this and they will be out to do the same to New Zealand too. Any success that South Africa may have in the series will be determined by how well they bat. On paper that looks like the weaker of the two facets of the game for them.
Head to Head
There have been 15 previous Test series between these two nations and New Zealand probably won’t want to know that they are still looking for their first win. They’ve only managed three draws in that time too so South Africa very much have the edge in series results.
It is no better in the match outcomes either. South Africa have won 24 Tests to just four of New Zealand with 14 of them being draws. That is a very one sided past in the favour of the tourists.
Betting
Those statistics above would suggest that South Africa are great things in this series but I do still wonder about their batting and whether it can stand up against the top class level of this New Zealand attack so it is just a player bet for me in the series.
That comes in the South Africa bowler market where I believe these wickets will be absolutely ideal for Vernon Philander. I don’t think too many of these South African bowlers will get much in the way of swing and New Zealand’s batsmen are fine against pace but lateral movement is a different story completely.
Pitches are usually grassy in New Zealand and suiting the out and out seamers and there are few better than Philander at that discipline. Philander has 32 wickets in his six Tests against New Zealand at 15.53 apiece. I’m expecting him to enhance those statistics over these three matches.
Tips
Back V.Philander Top South Africa Series Bowler for a 3/10 stake at 3.50 with Paddy Power
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