South Africa vs New Zealand
South Africa. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

South Africa, who registered their first win of the ICC World Cup 2019 by beating Afghanistan, will face a much a tough challenge when they take on New Zealand at Edgbaston on June 19 (Wednesday). The Proteas will have to win this game to keep thier hopes alive of making it to the semifinal.

Kiwis aim to replicate the 2015 World Cup semifinal

Meanwhile, very few have forgotten the emphatic semifinal of the 2015 World Cup. It was Grant Elliot’s – a New Zealand all-rounder’s famous hit which put curtains to South Africa’s World Cup campaign in the semifinals. South Africa will don’t want a repeat of the same as another defeat means they will be out of the race for the semifinal. The Proteas will have to draw confidence from their win over Afghanistan to beat the Kiwis whom they have not managed to beat since 2003. The return of Lungi Ngidi will bolster their bowling attack as they will look to contain New Zealand to a small score.

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ICC World Cup 2019: Match 25, New Zealand vs South Africa – Toss Report
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On the other hand, Kane Williamson & Co will be in action after a washout against India on June 13. So far, New Zealand have produced a clinical effort and will aim to keep up the excellent work. The form of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor will keep them in high stead. Besides, Trent Boult has also done significantly well with the new ball and will wish to provide breakthroughs early. New Zealand will only want their lower middle-order to step up and contribute against a top South African side.

Toss Report

Toss delayed due to wet outfield. The next inspection is at 2:45 PM IST.

The umpires took a stroll around the square and see how damp the outfield is. The two sides have got an update from the umpires and the next inspection is at 3:30 PM IST.

Some good news coming out from Edgbaston. The skies are bright and the toss will be at 4:00 PM IST. It will be a 49-over game as confirmed by the umpires.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has won the toss and elected to field first against South Africa.

Here is what the captains said,

Kane Williamson

“We are going to bowl. Same side for us. The guys are ready to go. We thought about Sodhi but stuck to the same team for this game. The past record against South Africa is irrelevant.”

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Faf du Plessis

“We would have bowled as well. There is a bit of blue sky, hopefully, the ball will come on nicely to the bat. The previous game was really good, there was a real intensity from the team. Hopefully, we can do something similar today. Lungi (Ngidi) is back for us. It’s another big game for us (smiles).”

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Playing XI

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

South Africa: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis(c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir

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