Day 1
South Africa 283/3 (88.0 ov)
New Zealand
A day of thorough domination, something South Africa's Test team hasn't enjoyed for a few months. Their top four batsmen - Quinton de Kock, Stephen Cook, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy - all struck fifties as the hosts finished at 283 for 3 after they had been put into bat by Kane Williamson at Supersport Park.
South Africa's newest opening combination, de Kock and Cook, laid the groundwork for the middle order to capitalise by adding 133, South Africa's best first-wicket partnership since 2014. Amla and Duminy were initially circumspect after the tea break, but runs flowed as the final session wore on. In between a number of delectable boundaries, which included an upper cut over third man for six, Amla brought up his fourth successive fifty-plus score in Centurion.
At a time when batting seemed easiest, however, left-arm seamer Neil Wagner brought one back in sharply from around the wicket and kissed Amla's outside edge. It required such a delivery to leave Amla in disbelief.
Duminy's place in South Africa's Test side was under scrutiny going into the Test, and he had an immediate stroke of luck when a first-ball edge of Doug Bracewell did not carry to second slip, because of the slowness of the surface. Duminy used his luck to compile a diligent and unbeaten 67, an innings laced with sweetly-timed drives and flicks, his confidence and footwork improving with every stroke.
The differences from Durban were stark when play had begun under a blue Centurion sky. The absence of cloud cover and the slower nature of the pitch meant South Africa's openers were comfortable off the back foot as long as they did not waft at inviting lengths.
In the first session, they thrived after weathering a testing spell from Southee and Boult, both of whom hit exemplary lengths. After being watchful during the first hour, de Kock - opening because Dean Elgar had sprained his ankle while training on the eve of the Test - and Cook capitalised in the second. As de Kock got bolder and Cook more resolute, regular offerings of width coupled with pick-off-the-pads deliveries helped them score boundaries on both sides of the wicket. South Africa were 100 for 0 at lunch.
New Zealand's bowlers were forced to use the most trusted plan of their African journey, a barrage of short balls, to stall the hosts during the middle session.
Both Southee and Wagner resorted to bouncers to de Kock with a leg gully and deep square leg in place. De Kock, though, did not shy away. Wagner, bowling from around the wicket, delivered three successive short balls, one of which de Kock backed away from and ramped over the slip cordon. Wagner was mature and experienced, de Kock was young and exuberant. It was a test, and Wagner's next well-directed bouncer accounted for de Kock, who pulled compulsively and was caught at fine leg.
After bringing up his half-century, Cook seemed to lose his discipline in leaving deliveries he did not need to play. A couple of loose drives, bat away from the body and feet rooted in the crease, whistled through cover but another such shot ended his innings. A thick skew off the outside half carried low to Kane Williamson at gully, and New Zealand had an opening. Until Amla closed it again.
About ten overs after Amla fell with the score on 246 for 3, New Zealand took the new ball as soon as it was available. Barring gentle swing, though, they found nothing to trouble Faf du Plessis and Duminy, both of whom were intent on keeping straight deliveries out and leaving whenever they could.
The Decision Review System did not aid New Zealand either, with two lbw decisions - Duminy on 44 and Amla on 17 - reversed. There were two more lbw appeals that replays indicated would have been overturned but Williamson chose not to review. As a result, New Zealand endured the worst day of their African sojourn and needed to make a strong comeback if they are to challenge for their first Test series win against South Africa.
Day 2
South Africa 481/8d
New Zealand 38/3 (16.0 ov)
New Zealand trail by 443 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Faf du Plessis scored his first century in 17 innings since December 2014 and South Africa's seamers picked from where they left off in Durban to give the hosts control of the series decider. Du Plessis was one of a quintet of batsmen to cross fifty - only the second time all of South Africa's top five have done so - as they wore New Zealand out before declaring on a day of toil for the visitors.
The current New Zealand crop have never been kept in the field for more overs than the 154 they were during South Africa's innings. As a team, they have spent more time on the park eight times before in the first innings, most recently in 1999. The consolation for them was that Neil Wagner claimed his fourth five-wicket haul on his first Test appearance at his former home ground while the rest of the attack went largely luckless. Trent Boult will be particularly envious of the returns the other seamers enjoyed after he went wicketless despite creating numerous chances, beating the bat, finding movement and several edges.
Instead, it was South Africa who reaped reward, as they plucked out New Zealand's openers early. This time Vernon Philander was in on the action too. He created the first chance when he squared Martin Guptill up with a delivery that straightened from leg stump and took the edge but went over the slips where Stiaan van Zyl was reaching for it. Van Zyl only had to wait until Philander's next over to make amends. Guptill was fishing outside off again and van Zyl took the catch off the edge.
At the other end, Dale Steyn was trying to force the batsmen to drive, and got one to nip back into Tom Latham and appealed for caught behind. Umpire Paul Reiffel gave it not out but Steyn was insistent and South Africa reviewed. Replays suggested the ball had brushed the pocket but a thin spike on Ultra Edge convinced the third umpire Richard Illingworth Latham was out off the inside edge.
The decision fired Steyn up even more. He greeted Ross Taylor with a 140kph bouncer that struck him on the shoulder and another, even faster, at 145 kph, on the arm. Taylor weathered the storm but the the pressure got to him. As the first change was made - Kagiso Rabada took over from Philander - he nudged into the leg side set off a single. Temba Bavuma swooped to his left from short leg and his direct hit found Taylor short of his ground and dismissed for the first time on New Zealand's African tour.
Kane Williamson batted to the close but the "oh no," he uttered when he squandered a review earlier in the day - agreeing to go upstairs when Wagner thought he had Philander out lbw - could have applied to the whole day for New Zealand.
They started strongly when Boult continued his blistering new-ball spell and threatened a wicket in almost every over. He could have had one off the first ball of the morning, which nipped back into du Plessis and almost took out off stump. Later he drew an inside-edge, rapped du Plessis on the pads and had him pulling to deep square leg where Henry Nicholls let it slip through his grasp.
Fortune was with South Africa as JP Duminy survived too. He could have been caught in the slips but the edge fell short and he was regularly beaten but he fought his way into form. Duminy seemed destined for a first Test hundred in two years but then got a bottom edge off a rash pull to finish 12 short.
Wagner used a signature short ball to remove Temba Bavuma, the only batsmen not to get into double figures, but South Africa's long line-up meant New Zealand were not through. Stiaan van Zyl - now batting in the middle order after an unsuccessful stint at the top - joined du Plessis in circumspection and batted most of the second session while du Plessis patiently played for a century.
His strike rate only climbed when he moved from 60 to 80 in 15 deliveries. For the rest of his innings, du Plessis was willing to wait and it was only after van Zyl and Philander were dismissed that he got there. In two emotional overs, Wagner celebrated a five-for in front of friends and family from his hometown and du Plessis was vindicated after being dropped in the last Test series and brought back as stand-in captain for this one. Personal performance aside, du Plessis doubtless ended the day the happier man.
Day 3
South Africa 481/8d & 105/6
New Zealand 214
South Africa lead by 372 runs with 4 wickets remaining
South Africa gained control of the second Test in Centurion after their seamers made light work of New Zealand's middle and lower order to bowl them out for 214. On a 13-wicket third day at SuperSport Park, South Africa's lead ballooned to 372 despite New Zealand's quicks scything through their top order to leave them 105 for 6 at stumps.
Kane Williamson's diligent work ethic helped weather a testing period in the morning, but regular breakthroughs meant South Africa ripped through New Zealand's largely untested middle order, and took a first-innings lead of 267.
Having chosen not to enforce the follow-on, South Africa began their second innings in sprightly fashion after an early tea, with Quinton de Kock hitting five fours and a six off the first 11 balls he faced. But Trent Boult and Tim Southee utilised appreciable lateral movement to nip out three wickets in two overs: Stephen Cook lbw after being pinned in the crease to a Boult inswinger, Hashim Amla caught at second slip off Southee, and JP Duminy playing around his front pad. After five overs, South Africa were 32 for 3.
Just like in the first innings, New Zealand persisted by bowling short at de Kock, but he didn't shy away from pulling. He made use of any width on offer and brought up his second fifty of the Test, off 42 balls. But an unplayable bouncer from Doug Bracewell, jagging into the left-hander from around the wicket and rearing towards his head, caused him to glove a catch to gully. By then, though, South Africa were 349 ahead.
It looked like Temba Bavuma and Stiaan van Zyl would play out the overs remaining till stumps, but just when they seemed set to achieve that objective, Wagner produced a lovely delivery in the channel outside off to have van Zyl caught behind.
In the morning, Williamson displayed exemplary technique - head over the ball, soft hands at point of contact and bat near pad - to quell Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander, all of whom got the ball to move both ways through the day. Williamson repeatedly left deliveries on a testing line outside off stump, forcing the quicks straighter and then picking them off through midwicket - his modus operandi for most of his innings. He scored 77, his first Test fifty in South Africa.
At the other end, South Africa peppered Henry Nicholls with short balls. Despite looking awkward while fending or avoiding the bouncers, Nicholls seemed largely untroubled against the ensuing full deliveries until he missed a drive off Rabada. Umpire Paul Reiffel adjudged Nicholls to be not out but on review, Hawkeye indicated that the ball had pitched in line and would have hit middle stump.
The short-pitched plans continued after Nicholls' dismissal with a leg gully and short leg in place. Williamson and BJ Watling, two of New Zealand's better-equipped batsmen to tackle the bouncer, ducked or swayed out of the line.
Steyn persevered and reaped reward when he had Watling fending off his ribs, the ball grazing his glove on the way to wicketkeeper de Kock. A thin spike on the Snickometer resulted in South Africa's second wicket of the day, via their second successful review. With Mitchell Santner inside-edging Philander onto his stumps shortly before lunch, and Bracewell and Southee falling within six overs of each other after the break, New Zealand were 169 for 8.
Rabada, regularly clocking 150 kph, discomfited Wagner with a series of bouncers, one of which took the edge of his bat and lobbed to second slip via his shoulder. However, replays indicated Rabada had overstepped. Thereafter, Wagner changed tack from wearing blows to all-out attack, and heaved three fours and a six in the space of five Steyn deliveries to hurry New Zealand past 200.
He kept playing the pull, and eventually, one took his leading edge on the way to de Kock and Steyn duly directed Wagner back to the dressing room. Williamson was last man out in the next over, top-edging a pull just as Wagner had done.
Day 4
South Africa 481/8d & 132/7d
New Zealand 214 & 195
South Africa won by 204 runs
A masterful display of swing bowling from Dale Steyn, who picked up his first five-wicket haul in international cricket since December 2014, helped South Africa bowl New Zealand out for 195 in their chase of 400 on the fourth day in Centurion. Steyn and Vernon Philander, abetted by exaggerated variable bounce on a deteriorating SuperSport Park surface, set up South Africa's first Test series win since early 2015 by ripping through New Zealand's top order in a devastating seven-over period before lunch.
Despite an impressive half-century from Henry Nicholls, New Zealand never really recovered from being 18 for 4 at lunch, and they were eventually bowled out half an hour from stumps.
Steyn landed the first ball of the fourth innings in the channel outside off stump - it was wide enough for Tom Latham not to play but the extra bounce caught him unawares, and the ball clattered into the stumps off Latham's withdrawing bat. It was the third time in three innings on this tour that Steyn had dismissed Latham.
Five balls later, Martin Guptill got an unplayable outswinger: it pitched on off and swerved away to take the outside edge to Hashim Amla at first slip.
The variable bounce kept troubling New Zealand. In the second over, Kane Williamson was rapped on the glove by an inswinger from Philander that reared at him from a good length. In the next over, Steyn got one to land on a similar length and scoot along the surface to Ross Taylor, trapping him in front. Could New Zealand's situation get worse?
It did. Williamson, perhaps still suffering the after-effects of the blow to his left hand, wafted at a wide delivery from Philander. He had avoided playing that line throughout the first innings. The ball swung further away and took his outside edge, and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock completed a stunning one-handed catch low to his right.
Nicholls offered New Zealand's only real resistance with 76, his highest Test score. He was particularly effective square on either side of the wicket, picking off straight deliveries and punishing width outside off. When the bowlers overpitched, he collected runs through vacant areas down the ground.
After weathering a tough period before lunch, he added 68 with Watling for the fifth wicket. With the ball moving both ways, Nicholls and Watling left well outside off, forcing the seamers towards the stumps. The quicks were continually rotated and batting became gradually easier as the middle session wore on.
Just when it looked like New Zealand would get through the session unscathed, the offspinner Dane Piedt got one to spin back viciously. Watling shuffled across, missed his flick, and was struck in front of off stump. Watling reviewed, but umpire's call on impact meant South Africa had their only wicket of the session.
Kagiso Rabada, hitting the high 130-kph range as opposed to the 150 mark he regularly clocked in the first innings, struggled for fluency, rhythm and accuracy before tea. A number of wayward deliveries on either side of the wicket were easily avoided or dispatched to the boundary. However, he returned late in the day to pick up two-lower order wickets: he had Tim Southee bowled with a spearing yorker on off stump and beat Neil Wagner for pace to pin him in front of middle and leg.
Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell and Southee all got off to starts, but could not stay long enough at the crease to help Nicholls to a maiden Test ton. At 195 for 9, Nicholls was quickly running out of partners and du Plessis recalled Steyn. A top-edged pull off a short delivery, aimed at Nicholls' ribs, was taken at fine leg to end New Zealand's resistance.
In the morning, resuming from a score of 105 for 6, overnight batsmen Temba Bavuma and Vernon Philander were patient early, leaving and blocking Trent Boult and Tim Southee, both of whom generated appreciable lateral movement like they had on the third evening. Philander looked untroubled until he left a good-length delivery from Southee that jagged back prodigiously to uproot the off stump. South Africa declared at 132 for 7, having added 27 in the first hour.
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