New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and opted to bat against South Africa in the World Cup third semi-final match in Mirpur on Friday.
Vettori returned to the side after missing the last two matches due to a knee injury.
South Africa elected to continue with the strategy of playing three spinners in Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir, along with two fast bowlers in Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.
The winner will meet either Sri Lanka or England in the semi-final in Colombo on March 29.