NZ vs SA 4th T20I: James Neesham captains New Zealand for first time as South Africa choose to bat first

South Africa captain Keshav Maharaj won the toss and decided to bat first in the fourth T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand at Wellington on Sunday. The visitors will be hoping to improve their batting performance after struggling in the previous two matches of the series.

Follow LIVE | New Zealand vs South Africa, 4th T20I 

New Zealand are currently leading the series 2-1 after winning the last two games. The hosts made a strong comeback after losing the first match at Bay Oval, with their bowlers playing an important role in the wins. The series so far has mostly been low-scoring, with the pitches helping the bowlers quite a bit.

Meanwhile, New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham is captaining the Blackcaps for the first time in his career in T20 internationals. He becomes the 12th player to lead New Zealand in T20Is. The Kiwis had to make a change as Tom Latham suffered a thumb injury while batting in the previous match and is not available for this game.

In Latham’s place, debutant Katene Clark has been included in the playing XI and received his maiden cap before the start of the match.

South Africa will be eager to put up a better performance with the bat today as they try to level the series, while New Zealand will look to continue their good form and take an unassailable lead.

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New Zealand vs South Africa, 4th T20I: Playing XIs

South Africa’s Playing XI: Wiaan Mulder, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen (wk), Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Dian Forrester, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj (c), Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman

New Zealand’s Playing XI: Tim Robinson, Katene D Clarke, Dane Cleaver (wk), Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, James Neesham (c), Josh Clarkson, Cole McConchie, Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears