South Africa and New Zealand face off for a three-match One-Day international series starting today in Centurion after sharing the Twenty20 international series.
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Instead, they went to the wrong room and are now there for the world – and the New Zealand players – to see after the occupant posted them on Facebook.
She wrote next to the photo: “Something tells me I wasn’t supposed to get the South African cricket teams plan/strategy for the New Zealand team batsmen and bowlers under my hotel room door”.
Young pacer Kagiso Rabada, who became only the second bowler after Bangladesh’s Taijul Islam to take a hat-trick on ODI debut, could get a nod ahead of Kyle Abbott to bowl alongside Steyn and Philander.
Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, and Colin Munro are labelled as susceptible to bouncers, while captain Kane Williamson is described as a poor puller of the ball.
This is not the first time a “secret” team dossier has been leaked – The Australian team’s plans for South Africa’s batsmen was revealed to the media on the eve of their Test series in November 2012.
“The cricket we’ve been playing over the last couple of years has created a really good environment and I think Brendon, Mike Hesson and Mike Sandal have created that environment”.
“Dale, if the ball swings, will be challenging, and then it’s a pretty abrasive surface so likely to reverse as well, so there will be some challenges”, Hesson said.
Applying pressure has been the key to New Zealand’s past successes against the Proteas in the limited overs formats.
Apart from a lapse toward the end of their innings in the first T20, Hesson has been happy with the way the batting has been going in South Africa on the back of a successful series against Zimbabwe. Williamson and Martin Guptill have been in good form but the starts were not fully capitalised on by a middle order that’s missing the experience of Taylor.
The sides will contest their second T20I at Centurion on Sunday before locking horns in three one-day internationals later this month.
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New Zealand won the toss and sent South Africa in to bat in the first ODI at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.
