Cricket test match: South Africa vs New Zealand at Newlands

The mighty Proteas take on the scrappy Black Caps in a five-day nail biter in Cape Town

The 2013 international cricket season starts its run in sunny South Africa on Wednesday, 2 January with the number-one ranked South African Proteas taking on the eighth place New Zealand Black Caps at Sahara Park Newlands in the first of two test series. Comprising of five days of matches, the Cape Town leg of the challenge draws to a close on Sunday, 6 January 2013.

An old rivalry, the SA vs NZ cricket battle reignites at a time when Graeme Smith’s men have conquered England and Australia in nail-biting series wins away from home. The Proteas, with their Herculean efforts and never say die attitude, have managed to keep the country beaming as of late, even when things got tough.

Thanks to these few trying months in the trenches, our local boys have emerged as clear favourites, without a shadow of a doubt. But that’s not to underplay the grit and determination that characterizes the Kiwis, a side that has always been able to cause an upset or two in the face of adversity. Needless to say, there are bound to be fireworks at some point over the course of the five-day series.

Some game changing players to keep an eye out for, (even though teams win test matches, not men), are, from South Africa: Dale Steyn, who is the world’s number one fast bowler (according to official ICC rankings), and Vernon Philander, who is the world’s number two fast bowler. Not to mention, there’s Faf du Plessis, who is the new captain of the T20 squad and only the fourth South African in history to score a century on debut.

The players to watch from New Zealand are: Brendon McCullum, who is the newly crowned captain of all formats after a few controversial weeks in NZ cricket and one of the best batsmen in T20 world cricket. Aside from him, only out-of-favour veteran Chris Martin features on an otherwise young and uncapped team; the Black Caps will certainly be missing the likes of Ross Taylor (their number one batsmen), Daniel Vettori (their number one bowler) and Tim Southee (form bowler ruled out with a thumb injury).

Test timetable and ticket information

All five days of the SA vs NZ cricket test series are slated to start at 10:30am; close of play – as it’s dependent on light and weather - will be determined by the umpires.

Tickets range from R45p/p to R70p/p and are available from all TicketPros outlets:

Online via Ticketpros.co.za
Telephonically via +27 (0) 87 151 4400
At outlets at all PostNet stores

In a move that has fans holding their heads in their hands even before game play, the SABC has confirmed that it will NOT be broadcasting the SA vs NZ January 2013 test matches live in their entirety. Instead, the matches will be packaged as a combination of real play and highlights and shown in two-hour blocks twice daily. The matches will be shown in their entirety on SuperSport.

SABC Test Series Television Schedule

Weekday highlights (2, 3, 4 January): 1:55pm – 2:45pm and 10:05pm – 11pm
Saturday highlights (5 January): 1pm – 3pm and 9:30pm – 11pm
Sunday highlights (6 January): 2pm to 4pm and 10pm - midnight

PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST - SAHARA PARK NEWLANDS

In order to ensure your safety and comfort at this venue, please take note of the following: PROHIBITED ITEMS – these may NOT be brought into the stadium grounds:

• Firearms, weapons, knives and sharp objects
• Stainless Steel utensils ( knives, forks, metal cups, etc.)
• Fireworks, explosives, flammable items.
• Mace/Gas Containers
• Glass bottles or containers
• Alcohol or Illegal Substances
• Cans (soft drinks / alcohol)
• Braai Equipment/Skottels/Webber Braais (no open fires allowed)
• Animals/Pets
• Bicycles, skateboards, scooters
• Balls (soccer/rugby/etc)
• Video cameras and non-accredited media equipment (i.e. professional photographic or recording equipment)
• Airhorns/Vuvuzelas/Blowhorns/Kutuzelas
• No musical instruments
• Any mass branded clothing or items which constitute ambush marketing
• Banners/flags with derogatory text or drawings
• Oka Pipes
• Unofficial merchandise with the intention to trade within the grounds
• Chairs other than collapsible deckchairs and or camping chairs (for grass embankment seating only)

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