New Zealand bat in 1st Test against South Africa

New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat in the first Test against South Africa at Newlands on Wednesday. South Africa fielded the team that won the third and final Test against Australia in Perth last month, when they confirmed their ranking as the number one team in the world. Eighth-ranked New Zealand were led for the first time in a Test match by Brendon McCullum. The pitch appeared to have a good covering of grass and was expected to give the bowlers some help in the early stages of the match, which started under a cloudless sky. Teams: South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (wkt), Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel. New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Dean Brownlie, Daniel Flynn, BJ Watling (wkt), James Franklin, Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin. Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Rod Tucker (AUS). TV umpire: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI). Match referee: David Boon (AUS). From : AFP