9.15am
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa won the toss and elected to bat against New Zealand in their World Cup Group B match today.
South Africa were 28-0 after fives overs with new addition to the sqaud Graeme Smith on 17 and Herschelle Gibss on 5.
Black Caps pace bowler Shane Bond was rested by captain Stephen Fleming after being hit by Smith for three fours in his first two overs. He was replaced by Jacob Oram.
South Africa recalled fast bowler Allan Donald while left-hand batsman Smith replacedJonty Rhodes, who was ruled out of the tournament after breaking a bone in his hand.
New Zealand made one change to the side that beat West Indies by 20 runs on Thursday, batsman Craig McMillan coming in for 'bits-and-pieces' all rounder Chris Harris
Earlier South Africa captain Shaun Pollock said he was confident his side would have an important psychological edge over the Black Caps.
New Zealand have not won a one-day international on South African soil in 11 attempts and, with 34 000 fans at The Wanderers roaring South Africa on, Pollock believes this will give his team a significant advantage.
"You will probably find there is a mental edge," Pollock told a news conference on Saturday (SA Time). "We've played well against them over the years and it's up to them to turn it around.
"They do realise that we've played well against them and that's very difficult to forget."
Although Pollock conceded Rhodes would certainly be missed, he was confident that young left-hander would prove an able replacement.
"Jonty will be missed, there's no doubt about that," he said. "He was a quality player and very much a part of the spirit of the side.
"Graeme on the other side is a similar kind of person - he's very bubbly and gets the boys going. I'm not saying he can replace Jonty but, although it might sound harsh, we've got to put sentiment behind us and move on.
"Jonty played a part, but this 15 that go ahead are the guys we must focus on. In a way, we must forget about Jonty and concentrate on what we've got," Pollock said.
- REUTERS, HERALD STAFF
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Cricket: South Africa win toss, bat first against NZ
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