NZ vs. SA, 5th T20I Live Score: New Zealand won the toss and elected to field.
The five-match T20 series between New Zealand and South Africa is tied 2-2. Both teams won after two matches and today’s final match was decided.
James Neesham: We’ll be bowling first. Not too concerned. It looks like a pretty close contest. There is some grass on the course which should help the ball move early so that is a positive. It’s always great to be back at Hagley Oval. There is definitely more experience in the group that plays here now. We’ve spent a lot of time at this venue and it’s always a fantastic venue for cricket. The crowd builds and creates a great atmosphere. With the series on the line tonight, it’s an important game and hopefully we can give them a good show.
Keshav Maharaj: Actually we were looking for the bat first, we took a bit of cue from the women’s game played earlier. It seemed like a better option, especially if the pitch held up the way it was, so yes, batting first was probably the plan. Yeah, it’s definitely useful. You have to factor in the weather a bit overnight, but generally the conditions don’t change much. It gives you a good reference point, especially in terms of bowling around the right lines and lengths to hit. And from a batting perspective, it helps you identify scoring areas, whether it’s goal squared, offside or down the ground.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Robinson, Katene Clarke, Dane Cleaver(w), Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, James Neesham(c), Josh Clarkson, Cole McConchie, Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears
South Africa (Playing XI): Wiaan Mulder, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen(w), Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj(c), Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman
