AUCKLAND: South Africa Test skipper Dean Elgar said that the upcoming series against New Zealand will be a great test for both teams to compare themselves. The Proteas will be facing the Blackcaps in a two-match Test series in Christchurch, starting from February 17.
"We know they are going to come out all guns blazing and so are we. The rivalry is pretty deep. They play cricket pretty similarly to us. They are extremely proud, extremely passionate and their bowlers are quality. We are aware of their ability. We respect that. And it's going to be a great test for us to match ourselves and compare ourselves with a team that's playing at their peak. With respect, New Zealand's attack are a little bit down on pace compared to the Indian attack. In saying that, they execute their skills perfectly in their conditions," said Dean Elgar as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
New Zealand played their last Test game last month against Bangladesh and bowled them out for 126 and 278 to win by an innings and 117 runs. Trent Boult's first-innings 5 for 43 set the tone but he won't be part of the first Test against South Africa as he awaits the birth of his first child.
Meanwhile, South Africa have included six seam bowlers into their squad. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen are likely to start, and Duanne Olivier, Lutho Sipamla and Glenton Stuurman will be in reserve.
"We've got Sarel Erwee - he has been with us for quite a few hours now - and he is the favourite. We also have Zubayr Hamza, who has come with a lot of South Africa A runs under his belt. It's those two options for us at the moment. Sarel has been with us for the longest period of time. He is a great team guy and from a respect point of view, and pecking order, a guy like Sarel is ahead of Zubayr. That's my opinion," said the Proteas skipper.
Regarding the quarantine rules, Elgar said that the players have been given the luxury of using the gym during the allocated hours only. "We are allowed to leave the hotel to go and train as a group but once we return to the MIQ, we are straight back into our rooms. There's still no mingling between the players. We do have the luxury to go and use the gym. We've got allocated times and we've got a training schedule we are allowed to fulfil as a group. It's very strict," Elgar said.