There's a healthy and boisterous crowd in Paarl, the locals know how big a game this is for the hosts. Lose and an early exit is on the cards.

We have had the anthems and are ready to get going.

Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits will open the batting for South Africa. Spinner Eden Carson has the ball in hand for New Zealand.

South Africa XI: Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.

New Zealand XI: Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine, Maddy Green, Hayley Jensen, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Kerr, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas.

BBC Sport have teamed up with former England spinner and BBC Test Match Special pundit Alex Hartley to get her predictions and players to look out for at this World Cup.

Image source, BBC Sport

"Nonkululeko Mlaba has just risen to third in the ICC bowling rankings and is a canny left-arm seamer," says Hartley. "She is consistent, very steady, and will complement the express pace of Shabnim Ismail nicely.

"Laura Wolvaardt plays through the off side like nobody else in the world. She scores big runs and scores them quickly, and she is going to be vital for South Africa's batting."

Image source, BBC Sport

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine is going to have a huge role to play because of how much T20 cricket she's played all around the world," says Hartley. "New Zealand are heavily reliant on her because she is destructive with the bat, a great captain and a useful bowler. Getting a Commonwealths medal will have given them so much confidence, too.

"Molly Penfold is a bowler with the potential to have a breakthrough World Cup. She's very quick, a bit erratic at the moment but that can unsettle batters, so if she plays she will have a real impact."

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine: "We would have looked to bat first as well but it's still a good surface.

"Looking at the game before, I think it played pretty well and there looked to be a bit more pace and bounce in it. that's going to suit us either way.

"The great thing about World Cup games is that you've got to move on quickly, we've assessed where we went wrong and, on reflection, we didn't miss by much but against an Australian side, you don't have to miss by much to go the distance.

"We know that we're close and tonight's a great opportunity to take on the host side."

South Africa captain Sune Luus: "Obviously a double-header game, the pitch might slow up in the evening but I don't think that's so much of a concern at the start of the game.

"Paarl is a bit on the slower side so we wanted to get the extra spinner in.

"We want to put the result in the first game aside and take the positives out of the performance, there is still a long way to go in this tournament."

South Africa skipper Sune Luus wins the toss and decides to have a bat first.

Welcome to coverage of the second match of the day from Paarl and already this feels like a decisive game.

Let's start with news of the toss.

We may only be four days into this World Cup but the pressure is already on hosts South Africa and New Zealand after defeats in their opening matches.

Another loss here and an early exit is looming already...

Image source, Getty Images