Neil Brand, the uncapped Test captain for South Africa, emphasized before the New Zealand visit that their status as the “underdogs” motivates them. The first batter said they wanted to take something away from the series. They were honored to be wearing the Proteas’ emblem.
For the two-Test tour of New Zealand, Cricket South Africa has picked a squad that is heavily composed of rookies due to the SA20 league. Duanne Olivier, a fast bowler, has the most Test appearances (15), out of all the players in the team of 15. Only two players have participated in at least ten games in the format, including Olivier.
Neil Brand, the captain of Proteas, before his two-test tour of New Zealand
During his Friday speech, Brand said that the Proteas are content to start as the underdogs because they have enough elite experience to put pressure on New Zealand.
SA Cric Mag, stated: “It was brought to our attention that each player has played 96 first-class games on average. What a wealth of experience that is. We are going to do our hardest at it. I believe it is advantageous that we are the underdogs. We are motivated by the fact that we have been written off by others. Ultimately, we continue to wear the Proteas emblem and are eager to return with a victory.”
Opening batsman Brand has a strong first-class record. In 51 first-class matches, he has amassed 2906 runs at an average of 39.26, including six hundreds. He’ll probably bat at the top of the order with Edward Moore.
“Observing him perform, inspires me to follow in his footsteps” – Neil Brand Dean Elgar
Brand stated that he is cautious about New Zealand’s advantages and that his greatest motivation has been the tenacity of Dean Elgar as an opener. The cricket player from Johannesburg stated:
“You have to have toughness when opening the batting. Batting with Dean for the past three years has taught me how to score runs in difficult circumstances. Observing him do it inspires me to follow suit. As an established nation, New Zealand has performed admirably in its environment. They have a deep batting order and a potent bowling attack.
On February 4, at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand and South Africa will play their maiden Test match.
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