SA look to keep semi-final hopes alive against NZ
The second city of England, Birmingham, will host its first match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup when unbeaten New Zealand takes on misfiring South Africa today.
The 25th match of the tournament is slated to get underway at 1500 Sri Lanka time.
The 2015 finalists New Zealand has an unblemished record winning against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan so far while the mouth-watering clash between the Kiwis and high-riding Indians was washed-off.
Although they are yet to face a formidable opponent, the New Zealand bowling attack comprising Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Jimmy Neesham and Trent Boult have already made a statement about their credentials in English conditions.
The batting line-up looks solid on paper with Martin Guptill, Skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor having the skill and experience to guide the Kiwis to back-to-back World Cup finals.
However their untested spinners could be one of the vital factors against genuine title contenders with Mitchell Santner making minimal impact so far in the tournament.
The contribution of the all-rounders will also play apart as they pursue on winning its maiden World Cricket title.
On the other hand the once-ever consistent South Africa has endured one of the worst World Cup campaigns in their history.
They only managed to beat Afghanistan while losing to England, Bangladesh and India.
The game against West Indies was washed-off, leaving them eighth in the Points Table.
Captain Faf du Plessis has been an isolated figure on the field as batters and bowlers have equally but unexpectedly misfired in the games played so far.
Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla have not provided solidity at the top of the batting order while Kagiso Rabado and co. have failed to provide breakthroughs adding to the woes of a team that is lacking genuine all-rounders.
Injuries to key players including Dale Steyn have plagued the campaign of the South Africans who are all but out of contention and now playing for pride at what promised to be an open tournament at the start of May in England and Wales.
A victory for New Zealand today will put them on the Top of the Points Table and Kane Williamson’s team is overwhelming favourites to win the game on a batting friendly Edgbaston deck.
Coach Gary Stead will also be looking for squad rotation, providing the fringe players a World Cup game ahead of some important fixtures.
The African heavyweights need a win to rejuvenate the dwindling team which has done reasonably well heading to the world cup.
With fit-again Lungi Ngidi returning to the playing XI, if the batsmen can overcome the new ball challenge, the South Africa lineup has the firepower to defeat all teams competing at this year’s World Cup.
The weather and toss will play a part in the outcome of the encounter and the clash of the Southern Hemisphere heavyweights will likely to see a low-scoring game despite being played on a traditionally batter-friendly ground.
Prediction: Another win for New Zealand