LOOSENING UP: Members of the South African cricket team go for a quiet jog around Wellington's waterfront.
South Africa's cricketers expect a hostile on-field reception, but Wellington turned on the charm as the tourists stretched their legs on arrival for their much-awaited six-week tour.
Led by their bowling coach Allan Donald, the Proteas emerged bleary-eyed from their central city hotel for a quiet jog around the waterfront in warm sunshine yesterday. Their first training session is scheduled for this morning at the Basin Reserve.
The 14-man Twenty20 squad flew in late on Saturday under the guidance of Donald and head coach Gary Kirsten, but without stars Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith who arrive in time for the first one-day international in Wellington on February 25.
AB de Villiers captains the tourists for the T20 and ODI sections of the tour, before Smith takes the reins for the three-test series starting in Dunedin on March 7.
Donald, the former fast bowler, is an intriguing figure after he verbally agreed to continue as New Zealand's bowling coach after last year's World Cup, then defected at the last minute after his former Proteas team-mate Kirsten came calling. Kirsten previously coached India, a role also on New Zealand coach John Wright's CV.
On the eve of the tour, Donald said he'd been forgiven by the New Zealanders for his sudden departure but predicted some spicy on-field rivalry. Their previous meeting, which New Zealand won in a World Cup quarterfinal upset almost a year ago in Bangladesh, was punctuated by some tense exchanges.
"We can expect a hostile reception. The last tour they specifically targeted Graeme Smith, so that sort of stuff will go on," Donald said.
On South Africa's last visit, under new captain Smith, in 2004, New Zealand won the ODI series 5-1 before a 1-1 draw in the tests. Then-captain Stephen Fleming targeted Smith with several on-field verbal barrages, notably when he strode out to bat in Auckland and Fleming walked to greet him.
While Donald rated New Zealand a confident, much-improved side who would be aggressive, he also saw areas South Africa could target. "We always know there are certain guys who we can target, guys who wouldn't go to war with you, some softer guys," he said.
Key men in the T20 squad are prolific batsmen de Villiers, JP Duminy and Hashim Amla, fast bowler Morne Morkel and his all-rounder brother, Albie, and wily spinner Johan Botha.
T20 is the only discipline where New Zealand rank higher than the tourists; second to their fourth. In ODIs South Africa are ranked third to New Zealand's seventh, and in tests second to New Zealand's eighth. If they can win the test series 3-0, the top ranking beckons at England's expense.
The tour opens with a T20 game against Canterbury in Christchurch on Wednesday. South Africa will be based in Wellington most of this week, with the first T20 international at.
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