New Zealand won the toss and chose to field against South Africa in Lahore, Pakistan, on February 9, 2025. Mitchell Santner is leading New Zealand, which sees Devon Conway replace the injured Rachin Ravindra. South Africa’s squad is missing key players from their Champions Trophy team as they begin their participation in the tri-series following recent matches.
New Zealand’s captain, Mitchell Santner, won the toss for the second consecutive match and opted to field against South Africa in the ongoing cricket tri-nation series. This match is being held in Lahore, Pakistan, on Monday, February 9, 2025. Due to a head injury sustained during a previous match, opening batter Rachin Ravindra was replaced by Devon Conway in the New Zealand side.
Rachin Ravindra was forced to rest after receiving a blow to the forehead while fielding in New Zealand’s commanding 78-run victory against Pakistan on Saturday. He incurred the injury while attempting to catch the ball from Khushdil Shah at deep mid-wicket, which resulted in him losing sight of the ball.
The South African team enters this series understrength, as seven key players from their Champions Trophy squad are unavailable, with expectations that they will join the team in Karachi later in the week. New faces Matthew Breetzke, Mihlali Mpongwana, Senuran Muthusamy, and Eathan Bosch are making their ODI debuts on a pitch that Mitchell Santner described as suitable for high scoring, indicating it “looks like another 300” pitch.
In their opening match, New Zealand achieved an impressive 330 runs for the loss of six wickets, with Glenn Phillips notably scoring his maiden ODI century. The teams have made the following selections for this match:
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Ben Sears, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Matthew Breetzke, Jason Smith, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Mihlali Mpongwana, Senuran Muthusamy, Eathan Bosch, Junior Dala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
In summary, New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, won the toss and chose to field first against South Africa, whose team is currently missing several key players. Devon Conway replaces the injured Rachin Ravindra in New Zealand’s lineup. The match is pivotal as both teams aim to solidify their standing in the tri-series, with New Zealand coming off a strong victory in their first match.
Original Source: apnews.com
