Key match-ups show little divides the two teams
Captains
Understated, softly spoken and unremarkable with his hillbilly beard and slight frame. Don’t be fooled. He is a modernday great at number three and is showing jaw-dropping moments of genius as a captain. (9)
(ODIs) and (Tests): De Villiers is still finding his way back into the job after his injury hiatus but showed his inclination to attack and being unpredictable against Sri Lanka. Du Plessis is the most natural leader in the squad and has a tactical instinct and ability to read the game that is close to eerie. (8)
Opening batsmen
Early wickets seem inevitable under New Zealand conditions so opening partnerships of substance can turn matches. The 24-year-old left-hander has what it takes, with six centuries and an average of 40 after 29 Tests. (7)
Like Latham, a nuggety left-hander with a remarkably similar Test record — six hundreds from 32 Tests and an average of 39 but with five years more experience. (7)
Middle order
The 33-year-old has seen it all — although with the recent aid of corrective eye surgery. More than 6 000 runs from 80 Tests at an average of 47, his 16 centuries is a New Zealand record. (8)
Amla was taken to hospital for surgery after a blow to the groin on the last tour to New Zealand but, painful memories aside, he should flourish this time. He has 24 Test centuries and an average of over 51, a recent slump included. The great man is back. (9)
Strike bowlers
The 27-year-old left-arm swing bowler blows hot and cold. Recent form suggests he is blowing hot and a real threat in both Tests and ODIs. (8.5)
At just 21, Rabada already has 63 wickets at a cost of only 21.7 runs each from just 14 Tests. Only New Zealand’s notoriously slower pitches might reduce his effectiveness. But the ball still travels 145km/h. (8.5)
Swing and Seam
Like most genuine swing bowlers, Southee can be devastating in the right conditions. His 201 wickets in 56 Tests suggests he’s also doing something right in unhelpful conditions. (7.5)
Try as the groundsmen might to negate his threat with “dead” pitches, Philander thrived on the last tour and there’s no reason he won’t again. Overcast skies and a few blades of green grass are all he needs. (9)
Spinning all-rounders
Both left-armers and genuine batsmen, their ability to bowl maidens and score valuable lower-order runs may be crucial to the outcome of the Test series in conditions unlikely to offer them much encouragement.