Guptill cleared of serious injury

A New Zealand team bolstered by positive fitness news for opener Martin Guptill hope they can maintain a recent trend of bouncing back in international cricket series.

Guptill injured his left hand when he fell awkwardly in the outfield during the first one-day international against South Africa at Centurion on Wednesday. He dropped to No.4 in the order, scoring 25 as New Zealand lost by 20 runs.

An MRI scan on Thursday revealed no fracture, leaving the possibility an in-form Guptill could be available for the two remaining games, in Potchefstroom on Sunday and Durban three days later.

The loss maintained a pattern of series-opening defeats for the Black Caps, which have typically been followed by positive responses.

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Allrounder Jimmy Neesham says the tourists have become adept over the last year at tweaking their game to cater for various opponents and conditions.

"We're well versed on what it takes to make those little one per cent improvements and come back stronger in the next games," he said.

"We've shown that once we do get a look at a team, we find ways to improve and manage to get an edge from then on."

They bounced back to square the Twenty20 series 1-1 against South Africa last week while earlier in the month they beat Zimbabwe 2-1 after dropping the first ODI in Harare.

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Neesham bats in New Zealand's second T20 victory // Getty Images

Tours to England and Pakistan (in the United Arab Emirates) over the last year have begun with opening losses in Test and limited overs series before winning responses.

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Neesham says small adjustments against the Proteas can get the desired result in Potchefstroom, singling out the need for more potency with the new ball and to extend their batting partnerships deeper.

The 24-year-old scored 41 and was involved in a rapid 71-run stand for the sixth wicket with Colin Munro (33) which threatened to snatch an opening win before both fell in quick succession.

"We're under no illusions that we didn't play our best game but on the other hand we weren't far off beating a very good South African side."

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Hashim Amla guided the Proteas to victory // Getty Images

Neesham was pleased to make a healthy contribution with the bat after several short but useful cameos on their African tour.

He revealed he hasn't fully recovered from the back stress fracture which sidelined him for six months this year and has been on limited training duty.

Another painful sacrifice was turning down rounds of golf with his teammates.

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"It's a tour to get back into the swing of things and get back home injury-free first and foremost," he said.

"Hopefully the body can hold together for a couple more games."