South Africa vs New Zealand 2017 Test series: 5 players to watch out for
South Africa buried their poor recent memories of New Zealand with a 3-2 win in the ODI series and head to the three match Test series without their ODI skipper, AB de Villiers, who is on a self-enforced break.
This South African Test side has been used to the absence of de Villiers and has performed admirably under skipper, Faf du Plessis. More than the wins, the nature of the victories has made this Test line-up a ruthless one.
They will be up against the Black Caps, who are usually pretty good in their home conditions. But South Africa have an excellent record in New Zealand and recent form suggests that the home side will have a tough series.
Here we take a look at five players to watch out for in this exciting upcoming Test series.
#5 Neil Wagner
The left arm fast bowler is a trump card for New Zealand in Tests. He is their leading Test wicket taker since 2016, and is someone who can run in and bowl all day long.
Against the likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma, the Kiwis will need a workhorse like Wagner. The Proteas have been a bit susceptible to the short ball in recent times and Wagner, who has his roots in South Africa, is someone who can bounce the batsmen all day.
Wagner has 118 Test wickets in 29 matches at an average of 28.58 and a best of 6/41 in an innings. While he is mostly overshadowed by the likes of Southee and Boult, Wagner is quickly becoming a senior figure in the Black Caps camp.