3 things to look forward to in the New Zealand-South Africa Tests

New Zealand will take on South Africa in the first match of the two-match Test series at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, starting on Sunday.

The series has made the news for all the wrong reasons ever since South Africa decided to send a bunch of inexperienced youngsters in place of senior players. The decision was taken by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to allow the senior players to compete in the cash-rich SA20 League instead of going on tour to New Zealand.

While this decision may have its merits, it has split the cricketing world exactly in half. In this listicle, we bring to you three things to look forward to in the series.

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#1 A new-look South African side

Neil Brand (right) will be leading South Africa in this series.

We will see a new-look South African side in this series given that all their senior players have been asked to stay back to play in the SA20 League.

Neil Brand, who has been appointed captain, will also make his Test debut at Mount Maunganui on Sunday. Khaya Zondo, Duanne Olivier, and Dane Piedt are among the few recognisable faces in the South African squad in this series.

This means that most of the players who have been selected are inexperienced and will be getting their first taste of Test cricket in this series.

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#2 Neil Brand's captaincy

As mentioned earlier, Neil Brand has been named captain of South Africa in this series.

In a curious twist of events, Brand will also make his Test debut in this game, making him one of the very few cricketers to have been captains in their debut Tests.

It will be interesting to see how he manages his teammates and how he deals with his own nerves in his first Test. This will also be the first match Brand plays at the international level. It will be exciting to see how he repays the faith shown in him by the selectors.

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#3 Neil Wagner's comeback

Neil Wagner last played a Test for New Zealand in March 2023.

Neil Wagner, who has been selected for both Tests, will be making a comeback into the New Zealand side after almost a year. The last time he played in a Test match was in March 2023 against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.

Wagner went wicketless in both innings in that game but will be hoping for a better show if he gets selected in the playing eleven at Mount Maunganui.

Wagner has the ability to hit the deck hard and also gain some movement off the pitch if he bowls full. Being a left-arm seamer, Wagner adds a lot of variety to the Kiwi bowling attack, and the Proteas will be wary of him.