When South Africa’s Faf Du Plessis discovered that the absence of batsman Ross Taylor from the New Zealand Twenty20 side was purely form-related he responded with a wry smile mixed with a hint of bemusement.
"Good for us," grinned the international Twenty20 and Test captain.
"Any New Zealand side without Ross Taylor is always a surprise."
The Proteas landed in Auckland on Monday morning for their month-long tour of New Zealand, which is comprised of a one-off Twenty20, five one-dayers, and a two-Test series.
Proceedings get underway at Eden Park on Friday where the tourists will face a T20 side which curiously omits Ross Taylor, the Blackcaps' third-highest run scorer in the format, despite being fully fit and set to appear for the New Zealand XI in a warm-up match against South Africa on Tuesday.
Either way, Du Plessis knows they’re up against a quality side which is amidst a rich vein of form with the Blackcaps unbeaten on home soil this summer.
"New Zealand has a great record at home, so that’s a great challenge for us – to beat a team that’s playing well but whose record is also really, really good in New Zealand."
"If you can turnover that record here, that means your team is playing some good cricket."
Currently ranked atop the ICC ODI rankings and third in Tests, Du Plessis sees it as the ideal litmus test for his side which is on its own undefeated run, including impressive series wins over Australia and Sri Lanka.
"We’ve got a nice thing going at home where we’ve won 12 on the bounce, which is important when you come to a place like New Zealand.
"Obviously they’re a quality one-day team with a really good record at home, so you need all the confidence and momentum on your side."
The 32-year old spoke of fond memories of their ODI series win in New Zealand back in October of 2014, but admitted he’ll always be haunted by their last visit to Eden Park for the 2015 World Cup semi-final, where they suffered a heart-breaking defeat courtesy of a Grant Elliot six from the contest’s penultimate ball.
"It will be mixed feelings heading back there. Something like that you always carry with you.
"As a team we’ve definitely put it behind us, but the emotions of that day will always be with us."
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