South Africa opt to bat against New Zealand in the first test at Kingsmead

19th August (CRICKETNMORE) - South Africa won the toss and chose to bat in the first test against New Zealand at Kingsmead on Friday. 

"We hope the ball will get wet quickly and nullify the chances of any swing," said home captain Faf du Plessis

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said he would have opted to bowl had he won the toss.

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"There are a lot of unknowns with this wicket but hopefully a bit for us and we can make some early inroads with our seamers. We'll need to be patient with the ball in hand," he said.

Teams:

South Africa: Stephen Cook, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis (captain), Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.

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Saurabh Sharma