HAMILTON: South Africa grabbed the second Test against New Zealand by the scruff of the neck on Friday, reducing the hosts to 65/4 at the close of the second day’s play at Seddon Park.
The hosts were still three runs behind South Africa’s first innings score of 253 with Kane Williamson (41) and Daniel Vettori (nought) together at the close after they had slumped to 7/3 in the first 25 balls of their second innings.
Rob Nicol was bowled by Vernon Philander for one when the ball thudded off his pads and bounced back onto the stumps, Brendon McCullum was trapped in front by Philander for five then Martin Guptill hit the ball straight to Hashim Amla at mid-wicket off Dale Steyn to leave New Zealand floundering.
Ross Taylor and Williamson were worked over by South Africa’s pace trio but began to resurrect the innings and gave the hosts a slim chance of going into the third day only three wickets down.
Taylor, however, was trapped lbw by Steyn for 17 with a little more than two overs remaining in the day and with the match so well advanced, South Africa are heavily favoured to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
The visitors had established a 68-run first innings lead courtesy of AB de Villiers’ top score of 83 and the tail producing 165 runs after Mark Gillespie had ripped the heart out of South Africa’s batting line-up with career best figures of 5/59.
While De Villiers ensured his side passed New Zealand’s 185, after the hosts had lost five wickets for no runs late on the first day as they slumped from a comfortable 133/2 to 133/7 in the space of about 15 minutes, his more valuable contribution was guiding the tail-end partnerships. (Reuters)
