After thrashing Zimbabwe Women in their previous series, New Zealand Women will host South Africa Women in a historic five-match T20I series. The South Africa Women team will face their strongest cricket challenge on this tour. The opening match of this T20I series will be played at Bay Oval on 15th March 2026 at 11:45 AM IST. New Zealand Women New Zealand Women enter this series with their extensive experience and their strong home match performance record. They have regularly competed against top teams and understand local conditions well. New Zealand thrashed Zimbabwe Women in the last T20I series, achieving a clean 3-0 whitewash. Amelia Kerr and Isabelle Gaze were the top performers in the batting, while Nensi Patel and Jess Kerr were the standout bowlers in the series. The hosts will be keen to keep their momentum going in this series as well. South Africa Women South African Women under the leadership of Laura Wolvaardt has been exceptional in this format. They will be coming into this series after winning their previous series 2-1 against Pakistan Women. The Proteas Women failed to chase down the target of 145 runs in the final match and suffered a disappointing loss, failing to whitewash the series. They will be aiming to move on quickly and will look to start this fresh series on a positive note. NZ-W vs SA-W T20I Match Details NZ-W vs SA-W WT20I Match Details Match New Zealand Women vs South Africa Women 1st T20I Match Date and Time Sunday, March 15; 11:45 a.m. IST Venue Bay Oval Ground, Mount Maunganui Broadcasting and live streaming TV - Sony Sports Network, Live Stream - Sony LIV NZ-W vs SA-W 1st T20I Pitch Report The surface at the Bay Oval pitch offers a complete batting track for the batters. It’s flat with good bounce and carry, favouring aggressive stroke makers, especially in the first innings. Moreover, the shorter boundary dimensions also give the batting side the license to go big. But as the game progresses, the surface tends to flatten out and batters will get enough time to play their desired shots. Spinners may come into play later in the match if the surface starts to tear. NZ-W vs SA-W 1st T20I Weather Report The weather in Mount Maunganui is expected to remain windy and cloudy throughout the entire match, with 60% chances of precipitation predicted. The temperature is likely to be around 17-21°C. However, the early hours of the evening might assist the pace bowlers in extracting good help from the surface. NZ-W vs SA-W Head-to-Head Records NZ-W vs SA-W head-to-head (in WT20Is) Match Played 17 Won by New Zealand Women 12 Won by South Africa Women 4 Tied 0 No Result 1 NZ-W vs SA-W 1st T20I Probable XI New Zealand Women: Georgia Plimmer, Maddie Green, Amelia Kerr (c), Brooke Holiday, Izzy Sharp, Isabella Gage (wk), Nensi Patel, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Kayley Knight, Brie Illing. South Africa Women: Annerie Dercksen, Sune Luus, Laura Wolvaardt (c), Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Kayla Reyneke Players To Watch Out For In NZ-W vs SA-W 1st T20I Match Amelia Kerr | NZ-W: Amelia Kerr will be an important player for New Zealand as she is a complete all-rounder. She was exceptional in her debut T20I series as captain, both as a player and a leader. Her capability to perform in both roles makes her a threat to the Proteas Women. In the last series against Zimbabwe Women, she scored her maiden T20I century, collecting 183 runs in two innings and taking 4 wickets. Laura Wolvaardt | SA-W: The 26-year-old skipper has been in impeccable form. She had a phenomenal outing in the last T20I series against Pakistan Women, scoring 112 runs in three innings. Moreover, she has a stellar record in T20Is, having scored 2337 runs in 88 innings, including 13 half-centuries and two centuries. NZ-W vs SA-W 1st T20I Toss Prediction Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue In 3 matches played at this venue, the teams that won the toss have opted to bat twice and bowl once. Advantages of Batting First on This Pitch The team batting second at this venue has won 2 out of 6 WT20I matches here, and teams batting first have won 4 matches here. This trend suggests that teams should prefer to bat first on this surface to get maximum benefits. NZ-W vs SA-W Today's Match Scenario Scenario 1 Toss Winner: New Zealand Women (opts to bat first) Power-Play Score: 38-45 NZ-W Total: 150-170 Match Winner: New Zealand Women Scenario 2 Toss Winner: South Africa Women (opts to bat first) Power-Play Score: 42-48 SA-W Total: 160-170 Match Winner: South Africa Women Who will win today's NZ-W vs SA-W T20I match? New Zealand Women begin the match as strong favorites because they have home ground advantage and their players have more experience. The match is expected to be a high-scoring match between these two sides. However, New Zealand is likely to pick a win considering their home dominance under their newly appointed skipper Amelia Kerr.