New Zealand and South Africa begin their 2015 Cricket World Cup preparations today in an unusually scheduled October three match series kicking off at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Winter has only just finished in New Zealand, and the nations favourite sporting team (the All Blacks) are still commanding most of the media coverage on the back of a narrow weekend victory and an end of season tour squad announcement. That has allowed South Africa to sneak into the country, and the Black Caps to prepare for the series without too much fuss. In fact to be even talking about cricket in New Zealand during October is unheard of; there has never been an international cricket match played in New Zealand in October.
The players could command some headline space with some series heroics, however, most will be using the series to press their claims for inclusion in their sides’ World Cup squads. Fine tuning combinations, testing new game plans and managing workloads / injuries will be the norm in the series. The combination of small New Zealand grounds and the fact that 350 scores will win the World Cup (not 280) should see some decent scores in the series if weather does not intervene.
New Zealand
1 Jimmy Neesham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Dean Brownlie, 4 Brendon McCullum (capt), 5 Tom Latham, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Trent Boult/Matt Henry
New Zealand’s probable line-up features a number of talking points. Injuries to Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, and Tim Southee mean plenty of opportunities for fringe squad members to prove their wares. All-rounder Jimmy Neesham will get the chance to open although it doesn’t appear to be a baptism of fire rather than an opportunity to savour. Facing Steyn, Morkel and Philander on an October pitch seems scary. Middle order novices Dean Brownlie and Tom Latham come in to the middle order basting of decent winter form. With Taylor, Williamson, and potentially wild child Jessie Ryder to return, the pair appear to be fighting for a batting back up spot only. Daniel Vettori also returns; he’ll bowl his ten overs for very few runs and generally labour around the outfield.
South Africa
1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir
On paper the South African squad is Beyonce flawless. The squad is well settled; they have no injury concerns. The team also enter the series in a rich vein of form having toppled Australia (and Zimbabwe) in a recent ti-series. A couple of question marks remain about their soft middle order of Duminy, Miller and McLaren, but those three are only required if du Pleases, de Villiers and Amla miss out (which is incredibly rare).
Predictions
Win Match 1 – New Zealand – $2.68 – Topbetta (NZ are a strong ODI side at home, worth a punt)
Most Runs SA – Faf du Plessis – $4.50 – Tom Waterhouse (Faf du Plessis’ last nine international innings include three centuries, two nineties, and two fifties)
Most Runs NZ – Dean Brownlie – $6 – Tom Waterhouse (In dominant form for NZA recently. A quality back foot player, which will help against Morkel, Steyn. Test century against SA. Other NZ’ers without much cricket recently)
Most 6’s – South Africa – $2.10 – Unibet (Nothing in the odds, but aside from McCullum and Anderson they don’t hit sixes. de Villiers, Miller and de Kock will).
