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CricBattle Daily Fantasy Cricket League Tips

South Africa v New Zealand on August 19

·         South Africa were defeated by India and then England in consecutive test series, which got them down to the 7th position in the latest ICC Test Rankings. They will return to the test format after a gap of almost 7 months, with their key players AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel ruled out of the two-match series due to injuries. Faf du Plessis, who was dropped for the last test match against the Three Lions, returns to the side and will act as the stand-in skipper. They are going to face an inexperienced, but confident New Zealand side under the captaincy of Kane Williamson. The Kiwis are coming from a fresh 2-0 series win over their African counterparts - Zimbabwe. All the batsmen are in sublime form, with runs in almost every recent innings. As of now, they have the upper hand against the Proteas on paper. New Zealand are ranked 5th in the latest ICC Test Rankings.

·         Best economical pick – The South African born left-arm pacer Neil Wagner will be leading the pace attack alongside Southee and Boult. 11 wickets in 2 tests against Zimbabwe has earned him a fixed place in the team. His ability to swing the ball is his most lethal weapon in South African conditions.

·         Top captains & vice captains – The New Zealand Captain Kane Williamson has been the backbone of their batting lineup, with the experience of Ross Taylor filling in for the now retired Kiwi maestro Brendon McCullum. Kane Williamson was the man of the series in the last test series against Zimbabwe where Ross Taylor was the top run getter of that series.

·         Smart pick – Faf du Plessis The stand-in Proteas skipper for the test series and he will remain under the spotlight. Faf lost his place in the South Africa's test playing XI in the last test against England due to his recurring poor form. He will be eyeing an impressive performance with the bat and defend his selection in the side as a batsman as well as a captain.

·       Cautions Pick – Coming into the first Test, South Africa have problems of their own mostly in relation to bowling. The pace bowlers has very expensive in the last test series against England. Wayne Parnell is one of them.

My XI – K Willamson (Captain), Ross Taylor (Vice-Captain), Neil Wagner, Faf du Plessis, Kagiso Rabada, Matt Henry, Mark Craig, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Hashim Amla, Stephen Cook