The New Zealand national cricket team toured South Africa from October 1953 to February 1954 and played a five match Test series against the South Africa national cricket team. South Africa won the Test series 4–0. South Africa were captained by Jack Cheetham and New Zealand by Geoff Rabone.
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Team
The manager was the former Test batsman Jack Kerr. The four players who had not yet played Test cricket – Beck, Bell, Leggat and Overton – all played their first Tests on the tour.
The average age of the team was 25. With the aim of establishing a high standard of fielding, some older or slower players were overlooked, including the spinners Tom Burtt and Alex Moir, and the opening batsman Gordon Leggat. Leggat later joined the team for the Australian leg of the tour, replacing the injured Rabone.