Newlands to provide unseasonal surprises

Hashim Amla: another chance to stake his claim © AFP

At a time when players are reportedly unhappy with the non-stop schedules imposed on them by their boards, it might seem out of place to moan about the gap between matches, but South Africa and New Zealand start the second Test at Cape Town on Thursday after eight days of doing nothing.

New Zealand might have expected to play a tour match in that time, but the itinerary has left them with nothing more strenuous than the occasional net and plenty of time off. That hasn't stopped them losing Shane Bond, who failed a gentle fitness test on his knee on Tuesday and will return home, hobbling out of the tour and of his summer commitments with Gloucestershire.

Hamish Marshall has also been ruled out with a rib injury, although at least their third doubt, Nathan Astle, has been passed fit to play despite bone chips in his left knee. New Zealand have given Michael Papps a chance to restate his claim at the top of the order, although he has failed to impress against short-pitched bowling in the past and is sure to be tested here. "The openers are an area of concern," admitted Stephen Fleming, New Zealand's captain. " We've got to wait until someone comes along that has good statistics behind them and is a good opening bat. At the moment our best batsmen are on tour and it's a case of finding a position for them.".

South Africa have no such worries, with just one self-imposed change. Hashim Amla is likely to take the No.3 slot in the batting line-up after Herschelle Gibbs was left out. Amla has much to prove after a very disappointing time against England in 2004-05, making 36 runs in four innings, with serious questions being raised about his technique. Boeta Dippenaar is likely to replace Gibbs as opener.

The pitch is something of a mystery as Newlands has never staged a major match this late in the year. The hard-pressed groundsman admitted that he had struggled with heavy rain taking longer to dry than it would in a conventional season, and that will mean any moisture in the pitch will linger well into the day. The general consensus is that it will give variable bounce to the seamers, as well as help to the spinners earlier than might otherwise be expected.

Early-morning dew could make the first hour of the day even more tricky for the batsmen. Both teams have postponed their practice sessions from 9.30am to 10.30am to avoid the wetness. The Test itself starts at 10am.

If the pitch does turn, it has to help New Zealand, for Daniel Vettori is the one class spinner in the match. If it really looks likely to break up then New Zealand might even contemplate drafting in a second spinner - Jeetan Patel - but that would leave their attack dangerously imbalanced if they were to lose the toss and bowl first.

South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Boeta Dippenaar, 3, Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 AB de Villers 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Sean Pollock, 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.

New Zealand (probable) 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Michael Papps, 3 Stephen Fleming (capt), 4 Scott Styris, 5 Nathan Astle, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 James Franklin, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Chris Martin.