Ken Borland

New Zealand may be the reigning world Test champions, but the weight of history is against them as they start a two-Test series against South Africa at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch at midnight on Wednesday evening South African time.

In the 16 series played between South Africa and New Zealand since 1931/32, the Proteas have won 13 of them and three have been drawn. Even at home, the Kiwis have only managed to draw two of the eight series.

The absence of the best Black Caps batsman and the regular captain, Kane Williamson, as well as Trent Boult, the fourth New Zealander to take 300 Test wickets, who is missing the first Test for the birth of his third child, levels the playing field even more.

But the Kiwis are the masters of playing in their own conditions, especially since South Africa’s last tour, in 2016/17, when New Zealand probably would have drawn the series 1-1 were it not for the last day of the final Test being washed out.

“I was aware that New Zealand have never beaten us in a series,” Rassie van der Dussen said on Tuesday, “but the team hasn’t spoken about it. We know our teams have been really successful here in the past, probably because conditions favour seam bowling.

“It’s a bit different in this series though, because New Zealand are the defending Test champions and they have been really successful over the last couple of years, especially at home.

“They have played at home a lot and they really know the conditions, which are quite good for seam bowling. There’s not much spin, but there’s quite a bit of bounce and the pace of the pitch needs some getting used to.

“The pitches always look very green and grassy, but the surface is quite hard underneath, which makes for consistent pace and bounce. The conditions favour swing and we know that’s the big challenge,” Van der Dussen said.

The way South Africa’s batsmen grinded their way to victory over India gives them a template for success, however. Their leading run-scorer, Keegan Petersen, has not been able to travel to New Zealand though because of a positive Covid test, clearing the way for Sarel Erwee to make his Test debut.

Van der Dussen said the way the left-hander has accumulated thousands of runs in domestic cricket suggest he will find a way to prosper at Test level as well.

“Sarel is a very experienced domestic cricketer and he has toured with us for the last year. He knows how to bat long and how to score big runs.

“For me, the step up to Test cricket was all about keeping the fundamentals the same, although there is more skill and intensity from the bowlers.

“Debut or not, he knows what his game is about and he has nothing to prove because we know what type of player Sarel is,” Van der Dussen said.

Dewald Brevis may be just 18 years old and was playing only his second senior T20 match, but he showed he is one of the cool cats when it comes to finishing an innings as he steered the Northerns Titans to a seven-wicket win with 15 balls remaining against the KZN Dolphins in the CSA T20 Challenge at St George’s Park on Monday.

Northerns were chasing 135 in 19 overs to win, and although Theunis de Bruyn (24) and Quinton de Kock (26) made a solid start by adding 53 off 43 balls, they were both dismissed in the space of two overs, leaving the Titans with 71 to win off 61 deliveries.

Brevis, who Mumbai Indians paid R6 million for in the IPL auction at the weekend, began cautiously, but then opened up in the latter stages as he stroked an impressive 46 not out off 30 balls, with four fours and two sixes.

Sibonelo Makhanya helped add the finishing touches to the innings with a busy 21 not out off just 11 deliveries.

Thando Ntini was the best of the KZN bowlers with 2/21 in four overs.

Northerns had earlier won an important toss after morning rain had delayed the start of play, sending KZN in and reducing them to 28/3 as their seamers proved too testing for the Dolphins top-order.

But David Miller, the country’s premier finisher, lashed 57 not out off 40 balls and was helped in turning the innings around by Jason Smith (38).

While the Northerns pacemen – Lizaad Williams (4-0-29-1), Junior Dala (4-0-27-2) and Aya Gqamane (1-0-3-1) – prospered, left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso was also outstanding, conceding just 19 runs in four overs.

In Monday’s other game, Wihan Lubbe (24 off 21) and Lesiba Ngoepe (27 off 21) ensured there was an advantageous platform laid for the Eastern Province Warriors, but Tristan Stubbs once again stole the show with a brilliant, fiery 65 off just 35 balls, taking them to a daunting 170/5.

But the Free State Knights’ opening pair of debutant Christoffel Klijnhans and Jacques Snyman then stole Stubbs’ thunder as they added a massive 156 in 17 overs to set up a nine-wicket win with eight balls to spare, their first in the competition.

While Snyman, who also took 2/23 in three overs with his part-time off-spin, was dismissed for a matchwinning 90 off just 52 deliveries, Klijnhans batted through to score an impressive 67 not out off 54 balls.

South African pacemen bowling too short in foreign conditions has been enough to give their fans and coaches kittens in the past, but current bowling coach Charl Langeveldt has been stressing the need for fuller lengths in New Zealand.

The Proteas on Monday had their first look at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, the venue for the first Test against the Black Caps starting at midnight on Wednesday evening, South African time. They have also been practising at the university ground in the largest city on the South Island.

“We had our first practice at Hagley Oval and there were overcast conditions and a green pitch,” Langeveldt said on Monday. “But it can be misleading because it actually played better than it looked.

“With the new ball there was a bit of swing and seam, but then batting got better, easier when the ball got older. So batsmen need to stay in and take it deep and our bowlers need to make them play at the new ball.

“So we need to bowl a fuller length and once the ball is old we can go back to the usual four-to-six metres from the bat. We have to adapt and get fuller, normally we bowl back-of-a-length in South Africa.

“So it can be harder for the guys to get those fuller lengths going. But everyone is looking good out in the middle, the bowlers are doing it,” Langeveldt said.

And the changeable weather also plays a big part in a team’s tactics.

“When the sun comes out, it gets a bit easier for batting and there’s not so much swing and nip,” Langeveldt said. “The grass starts to look a different colour.

“In New Zealand, generally everyone needs to chip in with a coupe of wickets, but if it is your day then you must exploit the conditions and go with it. It’s not as warm so you can bowl longer spells, it’s not as testing on the body.

“Our confidence is high after the India tour and momentum is important for both batsmen and bowlers. The batsmen must take it deep and then they can score big if they rake care of the new ball.

“The bowlers must challenge them and make them play. We will look at how often the opposition batsmen have been out caught behind or lbw, but we will focus on our strengths,” Langeveldt said.

The 15^th instalment of the Indian Premier League will be Rassie van der Dussen’s first as the Proteas batsman has been signed up by the Rajasthan Royals, the team who won the first edition of the T20 tournament and have been the side the 33-year-old has supported since then.

Apart from the R2 million payday, Van der Dussen is delighted to now be able to mix it on the global stage with his international batting peers, having proven his worth with an average of 38 and a strike-rate of 130 in his 31 T20 innings for South Africa.

Rajasthan Royals, who beat the Chennai Super Kings by three wickets in the first IPL final in 2008, have the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer on their roster.

Van der Dussen had just made his first-class debut for Northerns as an opening batsman when the first IPL was played. Just as that tournament has grown and evolved, so too has Van der Dussen’s game, such that he is now one of the most successful middle-order batsmen in the world of white-ball cricket.

“It feels pretty good to now be part of the IPL, but it’s been a long road to get there,” Van der Dussen said on Monday. “It’s good to be acknowledged and it’s another opportunity to do what I do.

“I’ve always been a Rajasthan Royals fan since the early days, with Graeme Smith playing there. So I’m happy and honoured to be playing for a prestigious franchise like that.

“It’s an exciting prospect to be playing with several world-class players,” Van der Dussen said.

The Central Gauteng Lions star, egged on by the need to be adaptable in different situations batsmen face in the middle-order, feels he has the skills to do well in the IPL.

“My move from being an opener into the middle-order meant I had to adjust my game. I feel I have all the bases covered, I’ve shown I can adapt well in challenging conditions.

“I feel I’ve got the skills to adapt to all situations. I can hit sixes in South Africa where the ball comes on nicely; India is more challenging with spin, and it’s more about working the ball around and picking up the ones.

“But that’s what we’ve done lately with the Proteas. And I’ve managed to perform well in Paarl, where conditions are as similar to India as you’ll find anywhere outside of the subcontinent.

“I’ve shown I have the skills to adapt and execute in those conditions,” Van der Dussen said.

Van der Dussen averages 80 in T20s in Paarl, having scored 240 runs in five innings, with two not outs.