Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 6 : New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine won the toss and elected to bowl against South Africa in their ICC Women's World Cup clash at Indore on Monday.
New Zealand started their World Cup campaign against Australia with an 89-run loss, while South Africa faced a humiliating loss to England by 10 wickets as they were bundled out for 69 runs. Both teams will be aiming to make amends for their losses in campaign openers and bounce back.
During the toss, Devine said, "We are going to have a bat first today. I think it is a pretty good surface. I thought even in our last game here, I do not think it changed too much. Maybe slightly slower in the second innings, but I think it is a good cricket wicket, good outfield, so looking forward to putting a big total on the board."
"The players are really excited to go out here today and make sure they stamp their mark on today's match. We know that the South African bowling line-up is so threatening. So we are going to have to be at our best to make sure we can beat them. It is hard to say. The weather seems to be a bit different because of the rain today, but there have been a few spits of rain around. So, yeah, for us, it's just about staying really focused, concentrating on our processes and making sure that we stay tuned and perform for 100 overs today," she added.
On the other hand, Proteas skipper Laura Wolvaardt said, "Yeah, do not mind it too much. I think it will be a hard wicket to defend later on the leg, so do not mind chasing that. Took our learnings from it, but at the same time, put it behind us as quickly as we could. Obviously, a quick turnaround, but I think that is a good thing to come off today and really start the tournament properly again. No changes."
New Zealand Women (Playing XI): Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine(c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze(w), Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Bree Illing
South Africa Women (Playing XI): Laura Wolvaardt(c), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta(w), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.