NZL vs ZAF 1st Test Day 1 match prediction 25 Feb 2022

NZ vs SA 2nd Test Day 1 Predictions & Betting Tips

The second Test of the South Africa Tour Of New Zealand 2022 will take place between South Africa and New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch starting Friday, February 25. I have handpicked three of the best betting tips from the NZ vs BAN Day 1 match prediction for a handsome return.

New Zealand managed to register a huge win against South Africa by an innings and 276 runs in the first Test in the absence of New Zealand key players. The Black Caps were playing without the likes of regular skipper Kane Williamson, bowling spearhead Trent Boult and Ross Taylor, who declared their retirement after the Bangladesh Test series last month. Tom Latham is leading the White Ferns in the absence of Williamson. New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl first. In the first innings, the South African batting order collapsed in the top order with the loss of skipper Dean Elgar. Apart from Zubayr Hamza, who scored 25 runs in the middle order, none of the other batters including Rassie Van Der Dussen and Temba Bavuma could add runs to the scoreboard. As for the Black Caps batters, Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls resurrected the innings with a valuable 75 run partnership after losing two early wickets in the form of skipper Tom Latham and Will Young. Tim Southee picked up five wickets as South Africa was bowled out for 111 as New Zealand won the game by an innings and 276 runs. New Zealand and South Africa have faced each other in 46 Test matches. Out of these 46 games, New Zealand have won 5 whereas South Africa have come out victorious on 25 occasions, while 16 matches ended with a draw. Ahead of day 1 of the second Test match, take a look at the top bets from the New Zealand vs South Africa head to head match.

NZ vs SA Player Bets:

We can expect a cracker of a contest with both sides having some promising players in the squad. However I have picked Henry Nicholls and Dean Elgar to earn us some hefty bucks from the NZ vs SA player betting tips.

NZ vs SA Team Bets:

The bookkeepers are yet to come up with markets for the upcoming fixture, but considering the past statistics of the teams I have picked the winner bet from the NZ vs SA match prediction.

Henry Nicholls To Continue A Good Form

Henry Nicholls has made a dream start to his Test Voyage for the Kiwis. He played a blistering knock of 105 from 165 balls played in the first innings against the Proteas which included 11 shorter boundaries. Nicholls holds a remarkable average of 50.57 from the 6 matches he has played against South Africa and accumulated 354 runs from his seven innings. His scores from these six innings read - 105, 0, 7, 118, 12, 76 and 36. Co-incidentally Henry Nicholls struck his maiden Test hundred against South Africa back in 2017. He has made himself the bedrock of Test in middle order and has played some pivotal innings. Since his Test debut, Nicholas has added 2498 runs to his tally of total runs from the 67 Test innings played, with an average of 40.95. Nicholls has already notched 8 centuries and 12 half tons in the 45 Test matches played. The Kiwi batsman averages 49.45 from the 40 innings played at home to gather 1731 runs from them. The 30-year-old batter has played 8 Test innings under the captaincy of Tom Latham and mustered 426 runs from them at a staggering average of 53.25 from 6 games. The middle order batsman will be looking to add some crucial runs to the scoreboard as the Kiwis meet South Africa in the second Test match. Pari Match is likely to offer odds for Henry Nicholls closer to the NZ vs SA match prediction.

Devon Conway To Score Well On Top

Devon Conway gave a steady start to the Kiwis at the top order in the series opener. In five Tests, the left handed batter has scored 659 runs at an average of 65.60 with three centuries and two fifties. He played a decent knock in the series opener striking 36 from 76 balls played. Back in June 2021, the South Africa-born batsman scored 200 at the Lords which was his debut in Test cricket against England. He was also in impressive touch in the Test series against Bangladesh where he scored 122 in the eopening Test which was followed by 13 and 109-knock runs at Christchurch. Hence in the 10 Test innings played, Conway has scored - 36, 109, 13, 122, 19, 54, 3, 80, 23 and 200. The top order batsman has an outstanding record of playing at home where he averages 70.00 from three games and piled 280 runs. The left handed batter has played 6 innings under the leadership of Tom Latham and made 363 runs from them at 60.50. In the six first innings matches played, Latham has racked 601 runs. He has a stunning average of 100.16 from them. He is sure to display a stellar performance in the upcoming game against the Black Caps. Head over to Pari Match to place your bets on Conway in the NZ vs SA player betting tips.

New Zealand To Win

New Zealand wrapped the first Test against the Proteas with a clinical victory of an innings and 276 runs at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. New Zealand are the ICC World Test Championship champions and will not be easy to deal with. South Africa on the other hand are struggling for options across all formats. While the Kiwi side are nowhere near their full strength set up, they do have capable players as replacements. New Zealand has always been a tough candidate to get past at home. Having missed three key players from the Kiwi squad, New Zealand have done a fabulous job against the Proteas in the series opener. In fact this is the first time they have won a home series against South Africa that too by a monstrous margin to take a 1-0 lead. Canterbury pacer, Matt Henry single handedly dismissed seven Proteas batsmen as the visitors skittled out at 95. Henry Nicholls and wicketkeeper-batter Tim Blundell led the scoring charts for the Black Caps with 105 and 96 runs each. The Kiwis have played a total of 10 Test matches at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch to win eight, lose 1 and draw the remaining one game. Another important factor worth considering about the Proteas side is that they do not really have a lot of experience while playing in Kiwi conditions. South Africa last toured New Zealand in 2017 and only four players from that tournament are part of the current campaign. New Zealand have been brilliant in recent times and have won most of their recent games by massive margins. Keeping all that into consideration, South Africa will have a stiff challenge ahead of them as they take on Black Caps on Day 1 of the NZ vs SA head to head match.

My Picks:

Henry Nicholls To Continue A Good Form

Devon Conway To Score Well On Top

New Zealand To Win