Outfield set to pass the test

But Centurion is completely different. A lush, green outfield, planted with winter grass in April, had hometown player Du Plessis excited. "It´s in fantastic nick, the outfield is looking amazing. It´s the best I´ve ever seen it," he said.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was less effusive but said: "It looks a good outfield, there don´t seem to be too many clouds about and there should be no problems."
With no rain expected, the match looks set to go the distance. The unknown is the pitch. "It looks a touch on the soft side and a bit moist," said Du Plessis. "We´re not too sure what to expect, I think it might be slow."
With South Africa a lowly seventh in the Test rankings, Du Plessis said the team wanted to play more Test matches in longer series. "A two-match series is too short. With the current schedule, having five-match series is going to be hard in the future.
"I personally like three or four Test series. With two Tests you only just get going and unfortunately a once-off here is what we´ve been dealt."
Williamson was less concerned about the prospect of one match deciding the series. "You don´t have too many lotteries in Test cricket. Over five days, generally the team that plays more consistent cricket wins the game or at least gets ahead in the match.