Match 32 of 48 in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will see New Zealand and South Africa look to take a step closer to semi-final qualification when they face off at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday.
New Zealand made the perfect start to their 2023 CWC campaign, as they secured four consecutive wins, overcoming England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in their first four matches in the competition.
While that start saw them firmly set in the top two, back-to-back losses against India and Australia in their next two games have seen them drop to third place, still on eight points, and with a net run rate of +1.232.
In that match against the Aussies, The Kiwis suffered a heartbreaking loss, falling short by just five runs in a chase that would have marked a record-breaking effort in the history of World Cup cricket.
The major issue for the Blackcaps over the last couple of games has been their bowling attack, which has failed to fire, and the likes of Trent Boult and Matt Henry will be under pressure to deliver here against a free-scoring South African top order.
Still, the Black Caps have developed something of a tendency to thwart South Africa at major International Cricket tournaments, and it is hard to write them off from doing likewise in this crucial match.
Meanwhile, South Africa kicked their World Cup campaign off with a record-breaking win in their first match of the competition against Sri Lanka and followed up with another big win over Australia a few days later.
The Proteas were then involved in what has probably been the biggest upset of the competition so far when they were beaten by a plucky Netherlands side that also cost them qualification in the T20 World Cup.
However, they rebounded in the best way possible by defeating England and Bangladesh convincingly before securing a nail-biting one-wicket victory over Pakistan in Chennai last week.
Opener Rachin Ravindra has scored 406 runs in his six innings, while Daryl Mitchell has recorded 322 in five knocks, and the pair will need to be at their best to give their side a solid platform at the top of the order.
After playing an excellent innings of 57 from 39 balls in the previous game, James Neesham is set to continue down the order alongside Mitchell Santner and Henry.
South Africa will continue to be without the services of the injured Sisanda Magala and Anrich Nortje, with the pair unlikely to be risked with the excellent possibility of the Protea's reaching the knockout stages.
Kagiso Rabada was absent in the match against Pakistan due to injury, raising anticipation about his potential return, while captain Temba Bavuma, who missed two matches due to illness, has recovered and is available for the upcoming fixture.
