The Proteas lost the toss and were sent in to bat by New Zealand in the second Test in Centurion.
The Kiwis are hoping to exploit the surface conditions which, with a decent covering of grass, is expected to nip around early.
They are keeping the same side, but the Proteas were forced into one change when Dean Elgar turned his ankle during practice and is replaced by Stiaan van Zyl. Quinton de Kock, who is usually more associated with opening in limited-overs, will open with Stephen Cook. Otherwise, it is the same team which did duty in Durban.
When the first Test was washed out in Kingsmead, it reduced this match to a straight one-off shoot-out; winner-takes-all. Such is the nature of a two-Test series.
In keeping with the ‘battle’ nature of the match, the South African Defence Force put on a display and played the national anthems, raising funds for bereaved military families. The Proteas have also rolled out their big guns.
Faf du Plessis, standing in for the injured AB de Villiers, said: ‘A two-match series is too short. With the current schedule, having five-match series is going to be hard in the future. I personally like three or four-Test series.
Kiwi captain Kane Williamson agreed, saying: ‘It is a shame that we aren’t able to play two full Tests or even more but that is what it is. It would be nice to play three or more Tests in a series. The more you play against the same opposition the more you learn about them.’
Proteas: Cook, De Kock, Amla, Du Plessis, Duminy, Bavuma, Van Zyl, Philander, Piedt, Rabada, Steyn
New Zealand: Latham, Guptill, Williamson, Taylor, Nicolls, Santner, Watling, Bracewell, Southee, Wagner, Boult
