New Zealand vs South Africa Live Score, 1st T20I: New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat against South Africa in the opening T20I, with both teams fielding some new faces in their playing eleven. The match also saw several debuts, highlighting a new phase for both sides.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said he is excited to take part in the series and expects 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. It’s always nice to play in front of another big crowd in New Zealand. (Conditions) It’s looking pretty good, It might start slow, Kesh will be pretty happy with that too. That’s what we’ll do with the bat, we’ll start and see how the pitch plays,” Sants said.
South Africa captain Keshav Maharaj admitted the disappointment of their previous semi-final exit still lingered, but stressed the team was looking ahead with a young squad.
“The (semi-final) disappointment is there. We have a new team with fresh faces. Hopefully that youth in our environment shows on the field today,” Maharaj said.
The match also saw New Zealand hand a T20I debut to Nick Kelly, while South Africa fielded 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).
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.
