New Zealand vs. South Africa 1st ODI: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

New Zealand and South Africa begin their three-match ODI series in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday. 

Venue: Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

Commences: Tuesday, Oct. 21

Start time: 10:30 p.m. BST (previous day) and 10:30 a.m. local

Live on: SuperSport (South Africa), SkySports (New Zealand SkySports (UK), Willow TV (USA and Canada) and Star Sports (India)

Weather:  AccuWeather.com has given the all clear for the weather throughout the day, but a shower is possible later in the evening. Temperatures will be very cool and partly sunny for most of the day.

Overview

The series has not even begun yet, and already New Zealand have run into problems. Ross Taylor and Adam Milne have both been ruled out of the entire ODI series against South Africa, while Kane Williamson will miss the first match, according to ESPNCricinfo.com.

Tim Southee was also in doubt but has been declared fit, while Dean Brownlie and Tom Latham were both added to the 14-man squad for the first match. Veteran Daniel Vettori also returns for New Zealand after having last played in June last year. After bowling 10 overs for a New Zealand XI against Scotland last week, Vettori is set to make his international comeback against South Africa, as per the New Zealand Herald.

This series is the first of South Africa’s two-legged tour to both New Zealand and Australia and will serve to gather intel ahead of the 2015 World Cup, which will be played in the same countries.

Although New Zealand and Australia are not in South Africa’s groups in next year’s tournament, this is a chance for the Proteas to familiarise themselves with conditions and get a closer look at the opposition they could face in the knockout stages of the competition.

South Africa's coach Russell Domingo said at a press conference in the leadup to the tour that "every game" in the next few months will help the squad become "settled" before the big competition rolls around.

While the Black Caps will have a few selection dilemmas after being struck with injuries, South Africa’s team should pick itself. Having recently achieved success in a tri-series against Zimbabwe, the South African team is unlikely to undergo any wholesale changes.

This tour is all about ironing out the creases for the Proteas as the preparation for the 2015 World Cup kicks into high gear.

Key Players

New Zealand

Tim Southee most recently played for his state side, the Northern Districts, in the Champions League Twenty20. He started off the tournament very well before fading away toward the group stages, going wicketless in his last two outings. Still, his partnership up front with Trent Boult is one of the best in the world, and he should be able to generate plenty of swing early on.

South Africa

AB de Villiers had a great run during the tri-series in Harare and will be looking to pick things up where he left off in the final against Australia. That ended with an unbeaten 57, which played a part in leading South Africa to victory in the final.

Squads

New Zealand

Brendon McCullum (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Dean Brownlie, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Daniel Vettori.

South Africa

AB de Villiers (capt.), Hashim Amla, Kyle Abbott, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn.