New Zealand and South Africa will be up against each other in the third T20I of the five-match series in Auckland on Friday. The series is levelled at 1-1 after South Africa clinched a victory by 7 wickets in the first match while New Zealand made a roaring comeback, riding on their exceptional bowling performance in the second fixture to win the match by 68 runs and make it all square.
The South African bowling unit put up a brilliant show in the first match and bundled out the opposition for 91 within the first 15 overs. Nqobani Mokoena starred with the ball, picking up three wickets for just 26 runs in 3.3 overs. Gerald Coetzee, Ottneil Baartman and Keshav Maharaj scalped a couple of wickets apiece.
The Proteas bowlers looked in decent touch in the second encounter as well as they picked up wickets regularly but it was Devon Conway’s 60 off 49 and a late surge from Josh Clarkson who chipped in with 26* off 9 that took the hosts to 175/6 in 20 overs. Later, the New Zealand bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears rattled the Proteas batting line up and bundled them out for 107 to win the match in a comprehensive manner.
Here we take a look at the Predicted XI for both the sides for the third match as well as the weather conditions in Auckland.
Will it Rain in Auckland Today?
No, the weather is pretty clear and there are no real chances of showers coming in. It seems to be perfect weather conditions for cricket in Auckland today.
Pitch Report
Eden Park typically offers a batting-friendly surface, with small boundaries allowing mishits to clear the rope. While the pitch may slow slightly as the game progresses, T20I matches generally maintain consistent playing conditions, making it ideal for a high-scoring encounter.
Injury Concerns
New Zealand suffered a massive blow as Ish Sodhi was ruled out of the series suffering a thumb injury during training. He picked up the injury while bowling in a training session at Bay Oval on March 14, with scans later confirming a fractured thumb. The injury will keep Sodhi out of action for at least four weeks.
Predicted Playing XIs
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Tim Robinson, Tom Latham (WK), Nick Kelly, Mitchell Santner (C), James Neesham, Josh Clarkson, Cole McConchie, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen, Wiaan Mulder, Jason Smith, Rubin Hermann (WK), Dian Forrester, George Linde, Nqobani Mokoena, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj (C), Ottneil Baartman
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