Proteas skipper Elgar hints at 2nd Test changes as series salvage mission looms

Proteas skipper Dean Elgar hinted at changes that may need to be made for Friday's second Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Elgar's charges were subjected to an innings and 276-run hammering in last week's first Test which left them in a desperate position to save the series.

They need to win the second Test to avoid a first-ever series defeat against New Zealand. With a number of limp individual performances letting the team down, Elgar said the decision will be made at the toss.

Under-fire batter Aiden Markram is one of the players who are under intense scrutiny, with his last 10 Test innings seeing him average only 9.7.

"We've got about 12 or 13 guys who can make up our starting 11 but there are the conditions that will also play a part," Elgar said.

"I'm sure there are guys who are low on confidence, especially from a batting point of view and it's very difficult to make a play with a debutant for instance.

"Those decisions will be finalised at the end of our training session and I'm pretty sure that at the toss, the make-up of the team will be clear."

The Proteas will, however, not be able to call on fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who's still sidelined with an injury niggle that has a two-week recovery time-frame.

In the first Test, South Africa made 95 and 111 in their two respective innings, meaning they've yet to make 300 in the 2021/22 summer.

They last crossed that mark against the West Indies in the middle of 2021. While the surfaces in St Lucia and South Africa were challenging, they only twice failed to make 300 in those games.

The first Test was an embarrassment that left the Proteas think-tank short on answers, especially after New Zealand ransacked 482 runs in their only innings.

Elgar said