New Zealand vs South Africa 5th T20I: Preview, Weather Forecast, Pitch Report And Predicted Playing XIs

New Zealand and South Africa lock horns with each other in the deciding T20I of the five-match series in Christchurch. South Africa took the early lead after winning the first match while the home side made a stunning comeback to make it all square and then went ahead after winning the third clash as well. 

The Proteas then bounced back and made it 2-2 to take the series into the decider. The winner in this fifth and final encounter
will get its hands on the trophy. 

The South African medium pacers looked in good touch as they picked up majority of wickets in the previous encounter as well. Gerald Coetzee scalped a three-wicket haul while Wiann Mulder got one and Ottneil Baartman picked up a couple of wickets. With the pitch in Christchurch offering assistance to medium pacer, South Africa will bank upon the pacers to get positive results. 

Here we take a look at the pitch report, weather forecast and other stats. 

Weather Forecast

The weather in Christchurch on the match day is expected to be cool and comfortable. It will be around 15°C with some humidity. There are very few chances of rain, so a full match is likely. Later in the evening, there should be a slight dew, and that can make batting easier in the second innings.

Pitch Report

The track at Hagley Oval usually offers a balanced contest between bat and ball but the pacers are likely to get more assistance at the start. As the pitch is likely to have more bounce and movement, early overs might get tricky a bit. 

Predicted Playing XI

New Zealand XI: Tim Robinson, Dane Cleaver, Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, James Neesham, Josh Clarkson, Cole McConchie, Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith

South Africa XI: Wiaan Mulder, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen, Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman

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