South Africa vs New Zealand 2017 Test series: 5 players to watch out for

South Africa buried their poor recent memories of New Zealand with a 3-2 win in the ODI series and head to the three match Test series without their ODI skipper, AB de Villiers, who is on a self-enforced break.

This South African Test side has been used to the absence of de Villiers and has performed admirably under skipper, Faf du Plessis. More than the wins, the nature of the victories has made this Test line-up a ruthless one.

They will be up against the Black Caps, who are usually pretty good in their home conditions. But South Africa have an excellent record in New Zealand and recent form suggests that the home side will have a tough series.

Here we take a look at five players to watch out for in this exciting upcoming Test series.

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#5 Neil Wagner

The left arm fast bowler is a trump card for New Zealand in Tests. He is their leading Test wicket taker since 2016, and is someone who can run in and bowl all day long.

Against the likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma, the Kiwis will need a workhorse like Wagner. The Proteas have been a bit susceptible to the short ball in recent times and Wagner, who has his roots in South Africa, is someone who can bounce the batsmen all day.

Wagner has 118 Test wickets in 29 matches at an average of 28.58 and a best of 6/41 in an innings. While he is mostly overshadowed by the likes of Southee and Boult, Wagner is quickly becoming a senior figure in the Black Caps camp.

#4 Dean Elgar

Elgar will hope to get the Proteas to a fine start

The stoic opener had a great series against the Sri Lankans after he completed another fine run at the top of the order in Australia. He has forged a great combination with Stephen Cook and the duo put on decent stands in the Lankan series.

Elgar's advantage is his ability to test the bowler's patience by remaining tight in defence and then capitalising on anything loose. A batsman with a great temperament, Elgar is the perfect opener South Africa need in these conditions.

He will be challenged by Trent Boult's movement and Tim Southee's accuracy but the southpaw has time and again proved his critics wrong by sticking to his natural game. He has a batting average of 38.60 after 32 Tests and would be hoping to jump over the 40s in this series.

#3 Kane Williamson

Williamson, the leader, needs a good series

Kane Williamson had a good ODI series but was far from his best as he struggled to take on Imran Tahir consistently. But Test cricket is a different ball game and there is no Tahir either. Williamson can make the difference between a decent total and a great one, a reason he is considered among the top batsmen in World Cricket today.

He will have his task cut out against a strong bowling line-up like South Africa's. Rabada had bowled beautifully to him in the ODIs and Philander and Morkel will add the experience angle. Williamson has shown that he can outmatch even the best and will be hoping to anchor the Black Caps batting.

His captaincy will also be under scrutiny, especially given the fact that South Africa have a flamboyant leader in Faf du Plessis with whom he will be compared in all nooks and corners of the country.

#2 Vernon Philander

Philander has an eye-catching record in New Zealand

The seam bowler will return to a country he has had great success in. Of the three Tests he has played in the country, Philander has two five-wicket hauls and a ten-wicket haul. He has a total of 21 wickets in the three Tests with a best of 6/44.

His overall record against the Black Caps is also excellent with 32 wickets in 6 Tests matches at an average of 15.53. If he was excellent against the Sri Lankans at home recently, he was phenomenal as the leader of the pack in Australia, where he won the Man of the Series award.

New Zealand have to be vary of Philander, who can run through batting line-ups on pitches that favour swing and seam. He is equally good against both right and left-handers and will pose quite a few questions on this tour.

#1 Morne Morkel

Morkel's back will be watched with interest when he plays in Dunedin

Morkel has not bowled a ball since the England series but is one of the senior most bowlers in the country. His lanky, tall frame helps him generate disconcerting bounce making him a dangerous customer on any wicket.

The South African has been out of action for a while but his experience and ability against left-handers has earned him a much-deserved place in the eleven ahead of Duanne Olivier, Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell.

The lanky Titans seamer will also have a point to prove after being out of action for a long time. If he goes well in the first Test at Dunedin, for which he is already confirmed in the playing 11, he could earn a berth in the Champions Trophy squad as well.