New Zealand is set to take on South Africa in the second T20I of the five-match series on March 17 at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The hosts are looking to bounce back after their defeat in the first match, while South Africa will be hoping to maintain their winning streak.

New Zealand had a poor beginning to the series as they were defeated by seven wickets in the first T20I. The Kiwi openers had a poor show in the match, with only James Neesham managing to score more than 20 runs, as he scored 26. The team lost their first four wickets for just 21 runs and never managed to recover. Mitchell Santneradded 15 runs, while Bevon Jacobs scored a quick 10 before getting run out. The bowlers also failed to put pressure on the opposition, taking only three wickets in the match. The hosts will now look for a better all-round performance in the second game.

South Africa, on the other hand, delivered a strong performance in the series opener. Their bowlers dominated the match by dismissing New Zealand for just 91 runs. Gerald Coetzee and Ottneil Baartman picked up two wickets each, while Nqobani Mokoena impressed with three wickets. In the chase, debutant Connor Esterhuizen played an important innings of 45 not out to guide the team to victory in 16.4 overs. The Proteas will aim to repeat a similar performance and move closer to winning the series.

NZ vs SA: Head-to-Head in T20Is

• Matches Played: 21
• New Zealand Won: 9
• South Africa Won: 12
• Tied/No Result: 0
  

NZ-W vs SA-W: Pitch Report

The pitch at Seddon Park is usually good for batting. The surface helps fast bowlers early with the new ball, but batting becomes easier once players settle at the crease. As the ball gets older, pacers use hard lengths and slower balls to challenge batters. Teams can expect average totals around 170–185 runs in most games played here.

See Also: NZ-W vs SA-W Today Match Prediction - Who Will Win the 2nd T20I?

NZ vs SA: Predicted Playing XIs

New Zealand (NZ):

Mitchell Santner (c), Katene Clarke, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Jayden Lennox, Cole McConchie, Tim Robinson

South Africa (SA):

Keshav Maharaj (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Jordan Hermann, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla, Prenelan Subrayen, Jason Smith