NZ VS RSA Match Prediction 

1st Test, South Africa tour of New Zealand, 2024

Who Will Win Today's Match?

NZ Vs RSA Match Prediction

NZ Vs RSA Match Preview

New Zealand and South Africa will renew their Test rivalry starting from February 4 in the first of the two-match Test series. The match is set to take place at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui and will commence at 3:30 AM IST on all five days. 

Interestingly, New Zealand have never been able to beat South Africa in a Test series in 93 years having faced them for the first time during the 1931-32 season.

This time though they have a good chance as the visitors have named a second-string squad as the series is clashing with SA20. However, a new-look squad of South Africa will be keen on proving a point even as their captain Neil Brand would want his players to put their best foot forward to come out on top in this series.

Who will win today’s match? We will answer this question in this article next:
 

New Zealand Preview

In a massive boost to the home side, former skipper Kane Williamson is set to make his comeback after recovering from hamstring injury sustained against Pakistan in T20I series. 

Moreover, they have the home advantage and the hosts will be keen on catching the opposition by surprise given their lack of international experience.
 

New Zealand - Who Will Be The Best Batter?

When Kane Williamson plays, he has to be the best batter for New Zealand. The man is a top performer in the longest format and rarely endures a failure. 

Williamson had amassed 8263 runs so far in 96 Test matches at an impeccable average of 54.36 with 29 tons and 33 fifties. He will be certainly looking to increase his tally with a massive show in the series opener.

Top Batter Stats - Recent Matches

Betting Tip - Best Batter For New Zealand

New Zealand - Who Will Be The Best Bowler?

Matt Henry will take the new ball for the Kiwis in the whites. He can move the red cherry significantly especially at home and would be keen on repeating his 7/23 heroics from the last tour. 

In just 21 Test matches, Henry has picked 72 wickets so far and would be keen on getting even closer to the 100-wicket mark in the longest format of the game. 
 

Top Bowler Stats - Recent Matches

Betting Tip - Best Bowler For New Zealand

South Africa Preview

South Africa certainly have a point to prove after the kind of criticism the board had to cope after naming the squad. But a lot of their players are experienced in domestic cricket and would be eager to prove their worth at the highest level. 

Neil Brand is their skipper and he will need the cricketers with international experience to step up at least in the first Test.
 

South Africa - Who Will Be The Best Batter?

Neil Brand is the captain of this inexperienced South Africa squad. But he is one of their better players in the domestic circuit and he has to lead from the front for the visitors. 

Brand has played 51 first-class matches scoring 2906 runs at an average of 39.27 with six tons to his name. Brand also fared decently in the practice match scoring 46 runs in the first innings before getting retired out.

Top Batter Stats - Recent Matches

Betting Tip - Best Batter For South Africa

South Africa - Who Will Be The Best Bowler?

Duanne Olivier might have played his last Test in 2022 but the man has played 15 Test matches in his career. He has also picked up 59 wickets and that makes him a key player for South Africa in this series.

If there is help from the pitch, Olivier tends to swing the new ball a lot and can trouble the batters especially if the visitors bowl first.
 

Top Bowler Stats - Recent Matches

Betting Tip - Best Bowler For South Africa

NZ Vs RSA - Who Will Be The Player Of The Match?

The aforementioned cricket betting tips will help you in determining the player of the match award winner for the first Test of the two-match series. New Zealand are the favourites hands down and for the same reason, Williamson is the top candidate to win it in the series opener.
 

NZ Vs RSA - Who Will Win Today's Toss?

When the Test match is in New Zealand, it is always better to bowl first. Hence, the toss prediction for the first Test is that the team winning the toss will opt to bowl. The pitch tends to flatten in the second innings and we might see low scores in the first innings at least.
 

NZ Vs RSA Venue, Pitch and Weather Report

The Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui has hosted four Test matches so far and even though the average score in first innings is 359, bowling first would be wise given the conditions on offer. 

The cricket odds will be in favour of New Zealand while the weather in the lead up to the Test is not great with rain predicted. However, on all five days of the Test, there is no rain in the forecast.