CAPE TOWN — New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum will face a double challenge when his team takes on world champion South Africa in the first Test at Newlands Wednesday. Handed the captaincy in controversial circumstances, McCullum confirmed Tuesday that he will also open the batting in the absence of the injured Peter Fulton. “Peter was going to open but he has been struck down by an injury. That gives an opportunity to Dean Brownlie,” McCullum said. “I'll come back to the top of the order and Dean will come in at number four. I've been opening the batting for the last little while and you've got to bat at some point,” he said of the challenge of facing South Africa's formidable pace trio of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel. Told that Philander had passed a fitness test after being a doubtful starter because of a hamstring injury, McCullum said: “He's an excellent bowler. His stats have been phenomenal but from our point of view we're playing against a very good cricket team so we expect them to have very good cricketers in their side.” New Zealand's three leading batsmen will fill the first three positions in the order. Martin Guptill will open with McCullum, while Kane Williamson will bat at No. 3. McCullum acknowledged that his team had a difficult task with a side weakened by injuries to several players and the absence of former captain Ross Taylor, who withdrew from the tour. “It's a huge challenge but with that challenge comes a great opportunity to play against a very good cricket team, the number one team in the world. That's why you play the game,” he said. Meanwhile, South Africa will seek to consolidate its top place on the world Test rankings. Coach Gary Kirsten said the South Africans would not take victory for granted. Kirsten said South Africa wanted to start a busy year of Test cricket on a strong note after capturing and then retaining the No. 1 spot with successive away series wins against England and Australia. “We had a good meeting,” said Kirsten. “We're likely to have ten Test matches in 2013, and what we do as a team is set our goals about what we want to achieve for the year. The New Zealand series will be an important stepping stone to that.” Nothing less than a 2-0 series win will be necessary for South Africa to improve its ranking points — and even then it will only gain one point. If it wins the series 1-0 it will lose a point, while if it loses the series 1-0 it will shed seven points and lose its top spot to England. — Agencies
