3rd Test
Day 1
South Africa 123/4 (41.0 ov)
New Zealand
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat
Two sessions is often too little time to divine where a Test match would go and such was the case in the decider in Hamilton. New Zealand took the early lead when they took two wickets in the first three overs. South Africa would still have felt comfortable with Hashim Amla sticking around and making his 32nd half-century. So enthralling was the action that rain came by no less than three times in five hours and eventually just didn't leave. So a score of 123 for 4, achieved an hour after lunch, remained until stumps.
It was typical that a day when the bowlers were having more fun than the batsmen had to be cut short. Helping them was a pitch that bore a strange look, with tufts of grass in some areas - 11 to 12 mm long according to the host broadcaster's pitch report - and completely bare patches right alongside them. That meant the same delivery, off a similar pace and length, behaved in different ways after pitching. It sped up when it hit the green bits and slowed down off the bald areas.
Amla negotiated the challenge well, batting outside his crease, and playing as late as he could. His 50 included a couple of scorching straight drives, and a picture perfect back-foot punch through the covers that indicated he was settling in for the long haul. But then came the most dramatic ball of the day, not because it did anything extravagant, simply that it made a set batsman play all around it and then shattered the middle stump.
At that time South Africa were 97 for 4, with Faf du Plessis forced to sit through a disdainful examination of technique by Neil Wagner. Again, there was nothing spectacular happening. The left-arm quick was simply testing the South African captain's judgment of off stump, and occasionally sneaking in the bouncer to catch him off guard.
New Zealand's entire day was built around bowling like that, within themselves. The line was wicket-to-wicket to exploit the swing in the air and the surface ensured there was just that little bit of seam movement. The batsmen knew they were high atop a bed of nails. They also knew it could be avoided. Easily, if they had enough balls to leave. If only Matt Henry and Colin de Grandhomme didn't take such despicable delight in pushing people over the edge.
The first to go was debutant Theunis de Bruyn. For most of his 36 first-class matches, he had been a middle-order player. On Test debut he was thrust up to open and couldn't quite deal with the challenge. Fishing at a back of a length delivery from Henry, far enough outside off to be left, he nicked off to second slip.
Then de Grandhomme managed the inverse sucker ball from around the wicket. It pitched on a length and was wide enough to make Dean Elgar think of no reason to play it. Moments later, he was staring at a flattened off stump. The batsman who had spent 772 minutes canoodling the crease in Dunedin was gone inside 15 in Hamilton.
Henry, charging in for his second spell, toppled JP Duminy for 20 with a bouncer just before lunch. The batsman went for an ill-advised hook - what with the ball climing up towards his badge and its line on middle stump not affording him any chance to put power on the shot - and was caught on the long leg boundary. It was an awkward dismissal - both in terms of timing and for the fact that a batsman at No. 4 in a Test side had fallen to the short ball on what has largely been a slow pitch.
So barring the weather, Kane Williamson did not have too many reasons to feel displeased. Things did begin in a fashion that might make him question if his fairy godmother was shirking her duties. He had lost Tim Southee and Trent Boult on the eve of the match and so had to lead a New Zealand side without both its spearheads for the first time in five years. On the day of the match, he lost his eighth toss in a row - so long were those odds that du Plessis buckled over in laughter when he had called tails and the coin came down as he had bid. But it appeared Williamson's bad luck had reached a limit right there, meaning not much of it could seep into the actual Test, one they have to win to level the series. He could use some DRS tips though.
In the 11th over, Wagner's first, Duminy was pinned in front of middle stump. Umpire Bruce Oxenford thought it would have slipped down leg, but replays indicated it would have crashed into the target. In the 18th, they opted to review another lbw appeal that was struck down on the field and were told umpire Rod Tucker had good reason to because it had pitched outside leg. The worst, though, was yet to come. In the 29th over, Williamson was persuaded to tee it up for another lbw only to find the ball had smashed into the middle of the bat. Predictably, when DRS was no longer an option, Wagner produced a peach that took du Plessis' outside edge through to the wicketkeeper and the umpire didn't notice.
With rain forecast on all five days of the Test - Sunday shapes as the worst to be affected - South Africa have not fallen too far behind. They have a 1-0 lead and could pocket another trophy on the road with even a drawn result.
Day 2
South Africa 314
New Zealand 67/0 (25.3 ov)
New Zealand trail by 247 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Injured tendon? The liability New Zealand hoped to exploit became a blaring irritant to their hopes of levelling the series as Quinton de Kock - with a strapped finger on a splint - produced 90 runs of the highest quality. That he has turned 12 of his 29 innings into scores of 50 or more is testament to why South Africa wanted him in their XI for this Test, no matter what.
On a pitch supporting seam movement and under clouds promising swing, South Africa's 314 was a better-than-par total. To Tom Latham, it might have looked like a monstrous one. He had not passed 10 in the series, and suddenly had 28 overs to survive against Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada. By stumps, however, he had put on the highest opening partnership of the series with Jeet Raval. The determination both men showed, making 67 runs in the process, was necessary, considering they had let South Africa off the hook. A team that had been 190 for 6 should not have made it to 314.
Apart from undermining themselves, New Zealand were also fighting their weather. Forty nine overs were lost on the first day and a few more went down the drain at Seddon Park on the second. Both delays were caused by showers that did not last that long.
Perhaps the only reason Kane Williamson thought better of leaving the field to investigate who was sabotaging his team with repetitive rain dances was the wickets his bowlers were able to give him. Matt Henry, on comeback, was responsible for four of them. His strength is bowling a full length and controlling his line well enough to test batsmen outside off stump. So much that in 75 deliveries to right-handers, barely any slipped down the leg side.
De Kock, being left-handed, coped far better as he made 26 runs off 28 deliveries from New Zealand's stand-in spearhead. And if Henry couldn't make him budge, what chance did the rest have? De Kock launched Jeetan Patel's offspin for a six over midwicket. He carved cuts behind point when there was little room, and his pull shots were outstanding. He finished with 90 off 118 balls - an innings in defiance of a pitch that wasn't all that great for strokeplay.
It was slow as Temba Bavuma found out, toe-ending a pull to first slip. The humidity and cloud cover ensured there was consistent swing too. Knowing that - and perhaps the fact that a draw was enough to win another trophy - Faf du Plessis reached into his closet and put on his Adelaide gear: do as you please but you won't get past me. It wasn't that he was particularly troubled by the bowling. At a drinks break, when a chair was run out for him, the only way du Plessis could have looked more at home was if his dog Giorgio had been by his side and there a braai in the background. So calm was du Plessis, just sipping on his water and chatting with his partner.
New Zealand needed something magical to remove the South African captain, and they got it soon after he got to his 12th Test fifty. Latham, at short leg, saw du Plessis premeditating a lap sweep and began moving quickly to his right. He had already covered a yard or so when the ball came within his reach, and then, it was a matter of letting his reflexes take over and hoping they were good enough. Latham stuck out his right hand and secured a catch to give Mitchell Santner a wicket. The left-arm spinner had to wait 61 overs to get into the mix.
Williamson was far more partial to his quicks, and Henry would feel unlucky that he still does not have a five-for in Tests. He nabbed Philander, who became the sixth South African to the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets, with a teaser outside off stump. Latham did his bit again to enable the wicket with a fine catch, low to his right at second slip.
Henry found the edge again the very next ball, but it fell short of the cordon and Keshav Maharaj survived. Later, an inswinging yorker only just missed making a mess of Morkel's leg stump. Neil Wagner knocked over Rabada in the next over to finish the innings and deny his team-mate his fifth.
Day 3
South Africa 314
New Zealand 321/4 (104.0 ov)
New Zealand lead by 7 runs with 6 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
In another dimension, Kane Williamson would have the swagger befitting a man who became the fastest New Zealander to 5000 runs and their joint-highest century-maker all on the same day. In this one, he shies away from all praise. Perhaps, he suspects them to be in cahoots with those jilted awayswingers, always plotting against him just because they couldn't entice his outside edge.
South Africa tried for a good part of 73 overs to tempt him. There were bouncers that made the heart-rate flutter, reverse swing that melted the heart altogether, and sexy line and length as far as the eye could see. All of them, though, were brushed off by Williamson's soft hands and straight bat. He was the boring husband-to-be at a raging bachelor party, and thanks to his discipline, New Zealand rose to a position of strength in the Hamilton Test. They went to stumps on 321 for 4, with a lead of seven runs. Provided rain stays away, the final two days of this decider promise a whole heck of a lot.
Whatever the result, though, the fans at Seddon Park should toast to Williamson's success. Playing his 110th innings, he conquered Mount 5000 with a pull shot for six. Then, off his 151st delivery, a friendly old full toss from part-timer Dean Elgar, he whipped a four through midwicket and celebrated hundred number 17. The late great Martin Crowe had held both those records for New Zealand all on his own. Now, they have been passed down to his heir apparent. An heir who is only 26 years old and is yet to hit the ages when a batsman is considered to be in his prime.
At the other end was Jeet Raval, who made a career-best 88 off 254 balls, playing with soft hands and sure feet. Over half his runs came behind the wicket as he enjoyed using the pace of the fast bowlers. Against spin, he dialled up midwicket, using his reach to get to the pitch of the ball and rolling his wrists over it. He would have dearly wanted a maiden Test century - and it would have been the first one by a New Zealand opener against South Africa since 1953. Towards the close, Raval became visibly bogged down, his concentration solely on being out there rather than scoring runs. He spent 25 balls on 83. He blocked full tosses. He could have got out to one. And, eventually, he was toppled by Morne Morkel with 14 overs to stumps. It was a gruesome end to a bloody-minded knock.
Then, South Africa found a way back into the match, getting rid of Neil Broom and Henry Nicholls, picking them up and tossing them aside like they were sprinkles on a bowl of ice-cream. They could have had Mitchell Santner too if Vernon Philander hadn't overstepped off the delivery that flattened the off stump. And just like that - after hours and hours of it looking like New Zealand would sail ahead - the match was in the balance again.
As expected on the third day of the Test, batting became considerably easier. The grass on the pitch had died out despite spending a lot of time under the covers. They got an additional one-and-a-half hours this morning to recuperate, but all for nought. So the bowlers had to rely on reverse swing. That was then torn out of their armoury by umpires Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker in the 59th over, prompted into checking the shape of the ball after Philander sent a throw on the bounce in an effort to rough up one side of the leather. Faf du Plessis was utterly unimpressed with the decision, and Philander, from that point on, underamed the ball in from the deep.
Morkel took the 250th wicket of his career, exhibiting both his natural strengths and the experience he has gained over his 75 matches. He had seen Tom Latham quite content to leave everything outside off. So he went around the wicket to trick the left-hander into playing at something he shouldn't. A ball that was coming in for three-fourths of the way, pitched, straightened and nabbed the edge through to the wicketkeeper. Quinton de Kock dived to his left to pick up an acrobatic one-handed catch to seal a passage of play from the top draw.
Spin had started to have a say too, with left-armer Keshav Maharaj ripping it out of the footmarks. Williamson, wary of the threat, was quick to put him off his length, coming down the track several times, hitting a straight six in the process. Their captain's aggression helped New Zealand not lose a single wicket to the turning ball. At the other end, Morkel created doubts in Raval's mind over the position of his off stump from both over and around the wicket. Williamson, too, seemed to be hurried by deliveries that dipped and curled in at him, although remarkably, he was able to put a couple of them away for fours through square leg and midwicket.
Yet, on a day when all of New Zealand's top three made 50 or more for the first time at home, when they put on their third-highest partnership - 190 for the second wicket - ever against South Africa, their middle order put them back under pressure. Luckily for them, Williamson is so good at standing up to it.
Day 4
South Africa 314 & 80/5 (39.0 ov)
New Zealand 489
South Africa trail by 95 runs with 5 wickets remaining
New Zealand's home season had gone a little something like this: reclaimed their beloved Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, conceded a total of 595 to then win the Test and set a world record, spirited nine wickets in the final session on the final day to seal a whitewash. They had about as much to prove as ice does of being icy.
Then came the great Wellington collapse, which led BJ Watling to say, "I don't think we will judge our season on that last game. But we might on this one." If so, going into their last day of 2016-17, five wickets away from securing their first win over South Africa in a decade, should get a Colin de Grandhomme-sized thumbs up.
The 30-year old allrounder was at the centre of New Zealand's dominance after all, making his first half-century, and topping that up with the wicket of Dean Elgar - who in an ideal world would be the brand ambassador of Velcro. "Stick things together as tight as I stick to the crease". An early wicket was the last thing South Africa needed after spending 162.1 overs in the field. Not since June 2010 have they had to flog themselves so badly.
The fatigue was apparent in the dismissals of two of their most important players. Hashim Amla kept poking at deliveries wide outside the off stump. But his feet weren't moving at the usual lightning speed. The bat wasn't coming down with the same rapier-like flourish. One of the most mentally strong cricketers in the world played one of the doziest shots as he cut Jeetan Patel tamely into to the hands of slip. Four overs later, the offspinner had JP Duminy bowled while shouldering arms and South Africa were 50 for 4 - and 125 runs behind. It began looking like ten times that number when Matt Henry had Temba Bavuma caught behind off the second ball of his second spell.
Faf du Plessis - the majority shareholder of Blockathon Inc. - and Quinton de Kock - suspected Gilchrist clone - were the survivors of a day South Africa would only want to remember if they summon their superpower to draw Tests out of nowhere.
It is going to be difficult though. The pitch has begun to take sharp turn. There were footmarks outside both the right-hander and the left-hander's off stumps. And though it was the fourth day, there was still seam movement for the fast bowlers. Challenges that players at the peak of their ability would find difficult, let alone a set who had just spent the equivalent of two full days chasing leather.
It is at a time like this that you don't want silly dismissals. It is at a time like this that irony cannot resist butting in. And South Africa lost their other opener Theunis de Bruyn - a man who has played the majority of his professional career as a middle order batsman - to a run-out borne of a ghastly misunderstanding.
It was the 12th over and Amla defended the ball to mid-off solidly. But the minute he did so, he began haring down the pitch, not noticing that his partner had already turned his back. By the time de Bruyn cottoned on to what was happening, he was wrapped up in a collision with Amla. There was nothing he could do but stand in the middle of the pitch and stare helplessly as Kane Williamson's throw was gathered at the wicketkeeper's end and the stumps were broken.
The final session, when New Zealand simply ran amok, was set up by the first two, when New Zealand could be best described as glacial.
The day began with their making only 76 runs in 206 deliveries. The plan clearly was to keep wickets in hand so they could kick on after lunch. Half an hour to the break though, their key man, Williamson, was bounced out by Morne Morkel after making 176. And off the last ball of the session, they lost Mitchell Santner for 41 off 151 balls.
South Africa would have been pleased with their morning's work. Their bowlers - despite the miles in their legs - were still able to keep tight lines and lengths. Santner's presence at the crease - and his propensity to be unsettled by short balls - also helped as he took his time to work through his troubles.There were only seven boundaries in the session - only three in the first hour of play when New Zealand nudged their overnight score by 32 runs in 17 overs.
A team that needed a win to level the series batting as if they were in the nets seemed bizarre, but Williamson knew the effect it would have on the South Africans. He also knew he had de Grandhomme down the order to biff a few when needed. And finally, if everything went to plan, his spinners would have a well worn pitch to exploit.
It was all reminiscent of New Zealand's unexpectedly brilliant run in the World T20 in 2016. They couldn't take the trophy then, but if they can hold their disciplines for one more day - and rain stays away - a prize equally as coveted could be theirs - victory over a team they haven't beaten for 13 years.
Day 5
South Africa 314 & 80/5
New Zealand 489
Match drawn
August 2006 to March 2017. That's five months shy of 11 years. And in that time, South Africa have only lost one Test series away from home. With a 1-0 win over New Zealand, not only was that record safe, it was made better. So what if they needed a little help from a little rain (51 mm, according to Met Service predictions)? They've deserved it. Few teams in the history of cricket have been such indomitable travellers.
Inherent in that is praise for Kane Williamson's team too. They were stripped of three of their biggest match-winners - Ross Taylor (16 centuries), Trent Boult and Tim Southee (a combined 394 wickets). They lost the toss. They conceded a total of 314 and then took a lead of 175. At stumps on day four, they were five wickets away from beating South Africa for the first time in 13 years.
And then, there was no more cricket. Overnight storms spilled over into the playing hours, and Faf du Plessis, who was at the crease even as his colleagues succumbed to the fatigue of spending 162.1 overs on the field, was denied the chance to add to his many blockathons. He had seen his side careen to No. 7 in the ICC rankings at the start of the summer. "A dark time," he called it at the post-match presentation. On the April 1 cut-off date, du Plessis will be confirmed as the captain of the No. 2 team in the world. With a bumper season at home coming up later in the year, he and his men could easily think about going one better.
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2nd Test
Day 1
New Zealand 268
South Africa 24/2 (7.0 ov)
South Africa trail by 244 runs with 8 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Henry Nicholls' maiden Test century was the centrepiece of a New Zealand fightback on the opening day at the Basin Reserve which was capped by the removal of both South Africa's openers. JP Duminy nipped in with a career-best 4 for 47 as South Africa's spinners shared six wickets to keep New Zealand to 268, but that total grew in significance when Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme struck in a tense seven-over period before stumps.
From 21 for 3 - after early damage done by Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada - New Zealand's total represented a good recovery particularly considering the inexperience of the top order. That said, when Nicholls and BJ Watling put on 116 for the sixth wicket, they will have expected a few more than they ended up with from 217 for 5. The fact that they slipped against the fill-in offspin of Duminy, who claimed three wickets in consecutive overs, will have been a little difficult to stomach.
Still, it was South Africa who finished feeling queasy. Faced with a 25-minute period to face before the close, Stephen Cook's poor series continued when he edged a loose poke to second slip and then de Grandhomme, given the new ball ahead of Neil Wagner, had Dean Elgar taken in the same position: it took New Zealand 548 balls to remove him twice in Dunedin and 19 to get him the first time here.
The fact New Zealand's bowlers had something to work with was down to Nicholls. He entered with Rabada having taken two wickets before conceding a run, the ball moving and Kane Williamson already dismissed. He weathered the challenge through to lunch and came out with a very positive intent after the break.
Shortly after the resumption, he twice upper cut Morne Morkel over the slips and then danced down the pitch at Keshav Maharaj to bring up his fifty. He fell for 98 against Bangladesh earlier this season, but did not have to linger long in the 90s on this occasion: he flayed a wide delivery from Rabada through backward point then pulled him over square leg to reach his century from 150 deliveries.
Some of his driving was especially sweet, latching on when South Africa's quicks overpitched in search for swing, and, with the aplomb of someone renowned as a good player of spin, he milked Maharaj. At a time when there are concerns about the batting depth behind Williamson and Taylor it was a timely innings, both in the short term for this match and the future shape of New Zealand's middle order.
Nicholls' wicket, missing a flick at Duminy, sparked New Zealand's second slide but that should not distract from an outstanding innings which came from his side in the mire. De Grandhomme went softy against Duminy, advancing down the pitch and edging to slip but Watling, who had followed his half-century in Dunedin with 34 off 132 balls, will count himself unlucky having under-edged a sweep onto his back pad flap which looped up for Quinton de Kock.
Spin was not at the forefront of Faf du Plessis' mind when he won the toss. He thought the ball would swing on a slightly warmer day and was also eager to target New Zealand's lightweight-looking top order in the absence of Ross Taylor. The early exchanges justified him on both accounts.
Tom Latham's struggles continued when he edged Morkel to third slip before Rabada, shifted from the new-ball to first change, made an immediate impact. A full, swinging delivery trapped Williamson lbw and when the New Zealand captain called for DRS there was a malfunction with the system - understood to be caused by a piece of mud kicked up by Rabada which confused two of the cameras - which meant ball-tracking wasn't available. It looked like it would be clipping at worst, and New Zealand did not lose the review because the full system wasn't available, but it was scant consolation for losing their captain.
Having plied his trade on the domestic scene for 15 years, Neil Broom began his Test career with a four-ball duck, but he wouldn't have fallen to many better catches in that time than the snaffle by de Kock. Rabada, this time nipping the ball away, found Broom's outside edge and de Kock dived full-length in front of first slip - the ball would not have reached Hashim Amla.
As had in Dunedin, Jeet Raval showed good judgement outside off, waiting to pick off anything on the pads or overpitched and, alongside Nicholls, gave New Zealand a foothold only for it loosen on the stroke of lunch. Late in the session, du Plessis turned to spin. Firstly it was from Duminy, a brief experiment for the offspinner to target two left-handers, before turning to his specialist in Maharaj. He drew an edge first ball which just eluded Amla at slip, brought a nervous jab at another delivery before, tossing one a little wider, Raval pushed away from his body.
Nicholls and James Neesham took 25 off a two-over post-lunch spell from Morkel as New Zealand rattled to three figures, but the surge was stopped in its tracks when Neesham dragged his back foot out of the crease against Maharaj. Neesham knew he was out of his ground and virtually walked for the stumping. For all the focus on South Africa's quicks, it was Maharaj's seventh wicket of the series. At that point, New Zealand had lost half their side for 101 and risked being a distant second by the end of the day. Yet, when stumps arrived in the late-summer Wellington sunlight, the match was fascinatingly balanced.
Day 2
New Zealand 268
South Africa 349/9 (95.0 ov)
South Africa lead by 81 runs with 1 wicket remaining in the 1st innings
South Africa were taken from the potential of a significant deficit to a substantial lead by a rollicking seventh-wicket stand of 160 between Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock on the second day in Wellington. They transformed a pre-lunch position of 94 for 6 with the most dominant batting of the series to date and, although both fell short of hundreds, South Africa closed with a lead of 81 after the last-wicket pair added further frustration for New Zealand.
While the South African pair batted superbly, New Zealand will ponder how things raced away at such a rate after they had managed to rumble the top order during the morning session. Colin de Grandhomme, who finished with 3 for 52, claimed the key duo of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis while Neil Wagner continued JP Duminy's frustrating tour. From the lowest ebb of South Africa's innings the last four wickets managed to amass 255 runs from 65 overs.
Both first innings followed similar patters: New Zealand had recovered from 101 for 5 through a stand of 116 between Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling on the opening day. As the ball grew older, the bowlers struggled to keep control, knocked back by the aggression shown by de Kock who won his little duel with Jeetan Patel for first time on the tour. Crucially, Patel could not strike or provide control for Kane Williamson while South Africa recovered as he conceded five-an-over in his first 10 overs.
The gamesmanship card had been played when de Kock arrived in the middle shortly before lunch as Patel was given the last over of the session to target the man he had removed in the previous four innings. This time, despite the occasional hairy moment as de Kock refused to be dominated, he came through either side of lunch and then started to cut loose against the quicks.
He upper cut Tim Southee over the slips for six and hooked Wagner onto the grass banks. At one stage, as he negotiated Patel, de Kock had 17 off 33 balls but then skipped to his half-century from 55 deliveries as the mood of the day swung back to South Africa. The short-pitched approach did not fluster him - it was arguably over-done - and Kane Williamson was soon on the retreat - a packed slip cordon replaced by scouts on the boundary.
When Patel returned for a second spell before tea, de Kock skipped down the pitch and deposited him straight down the ground. No doubt about the winner this time. He was nine away from a fourth Test hundred when he pushed out at a delivery from James Neesham, who produced a wholehearted burst shortly before the new ball, at a time when New Zealand were looking a little short of ideas.
Bavuma took a backseat once de Kock found his stride after coming through an early trial from the short ball. He had one fortunate moment when he spliced a pull which lobbed over mid-on as de Grandhomme lost his footing. As the afternoon progressed, having batting in de Kock's slipstream, he became far more assured and moved to his fifty from 88 balls.
His off-side driving, off front and back foot, was especially eye-catching and a significant moment - a first overseas century - was on the horizon when he got underneath a pull and found deep square leg. But having come into the tour under a modicum of scrutiny, after a lean series against Sri Lanka, it has been a resounding response from Bavuma following his half-century in Dunedin. However, New Zealand could not wrap things up swiftly as Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel added an unbroken 47 for the last wicket, which included a concerning moment when Morkel took a blow on the helmet from Southee but he managed to finish four short of his best Test score.
How South Africa needed the recovery act. They had resumed on 24 for 2 with both openers already dismissed and Kagiso Rabada, the nightwatchman, soon joined them when Southee swung one through him in his first over. It did not take Wagner long to strengthen New Zealand's position when, with his seventh ball of the day, and first to JP Duminy, he claimed him for the third time in the series courtesy of a loose flick which picked out midwicket.
De Grandhomme then followed Southee after an eight-over spell with success coming almost immediately when Amla, still struggling to find his best form, could barely believe he had picked out midwicket against a delivery on his pads he would normally ease away for runs. Henry Nicholls, the star of the opening day for New Zealand, could not take the catch at the first attempt but was able to grab the rebound: when things run your way, make the most of them.
Faf du Plessis appeared keen to try and wrestle back the situation with aggression - top-edging Wagner for six when he was not in control of the pull - and shortly before lunch inside-edged a drive against de Grandhomme with BJ Watling taking a low catch. At that stage even parity was a long way off, but in a series that has produced six days of counterpunches, South Africa threw the latest of them. It could be a decisive one.
Day 3
South Africa 83 for 2 and 359 beat New Zealand 268 and 171 by eight wickets
South Africa were spun to a three-day victory by Keshav Maharaj's career-best 6 for 40, the second-best figures for a spinner at the Basin Reserve, a ground not famed for the role of the slower bowlers, as New Zealand collapsed after tea for 171. That left South Africa with a simple target of 81, which was knocked off in the extra half hour. New Zealand's top order again struggled, slipping to 90 for 5, then the last five wickets were whisked away for 16 runs in 36 deliveries.
Once South Africa built a first-innings advantage of 91, it was always going to be difficult for New Zealand to take anything from the match - they had only twice overhauled bigger deficits - but the manner of their demise was out of character for a side that prides itself on resilience. While losing the top three to Morne Morkel's pace and bounce was understandable, to let the opposition left-arm spinner take six - with many handed to him on a plate - marks this down as one of New Zealand's poorest batting performances in recent times, even with the qualifier of Ross Taylor's absence.
Morkel claimed two in his opening spell, including Kane Williamson for his second failure of the match, before Maharaj started to make his mark. During a 14-over stint in the afternoon, he removed Henry Nicholls and James Neesham in the space of five deliveries with New Zealand still a run behind.
Jeet Raval, who made a gusty career-best 80, stopped the bleeding alongside Wellington recovery specialist BJ Watling until tea but there was to be no miracle this time. Raval had been given three lives when he was finally stumped by Quinton de Kock - who a short while earlier missed a similar chance - which sparked the cave-in of the lower order. While some of New Zealand's batting was soft, Maharaj's bowling was beautifully controlled - as his economy rate under two would attest - and he was able to feed off the pressure created by the quicks.
Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada, even though they claimed just one wicket between them, provided a clinical examination of the batsmen's techniques: Philander with seam movement and Rabada with pace - he particularly roughed up Raval, pounding him on the gloves, in a passage of play the opener gained much kudos for surviving.
After the brief skirmishes at the start of the day, when Morkel equalled his highest Test score, the contest went up a level as South Africa's quicks armed themselves with the new ball. Morkel immediately caused discomfort and Tom Latham's torment did not last long, when he sparred at a length ball and offered a simple catch to gully.
It meant Williamson was again exposed with the ball still very new and his stay was brief when Morkel made one straighten from off stump to graze the outside edge. Kumar Dharmasena did not detect the very thin nick, but this time du Plessis' call for DRS - which was almost instant - was spot on and they had kept Williamson to a return of just three runs in the Test.
Broom did not have to stew too long on the prospect of a debut pair when he tapped the ball into point for a single. He was then given a thorough working over by an exemplary spell from Philander who probed and beat his outside edge with waspish movement. A couple of deliveries were like 130kph legbreaks and survival was the only option. That he achieved, but he couldn't carry on far beyond the interval. In Morkel's first over after the break, he edged behind where, in a replay of the first innings, de Kock took a flying catch in front of first slip. This time, though, the catch would have reached Hashim Amla, and it took a few moments for team-mates to realise de Kock had grasped it.
Then followed a crazy over of batting against Maharaj - it would not be the first - who had already been donated a few wickets in this series. Firstly Nicholls, who needed treatment for a blow on the hand, under-edged a sweep against a wide delivery into his stumps and then five balls later, Neesham came down the pitch, flicked in the air and the ball was plucked out at midwicket by du Plessis' latest blinding catch.
For close to two hours, Raval and Watling warmed the hearts of the Wellington crowd on a cold day, but there was always the knowledge South Africa had wicket-taking options at hand. Just that Maharaj would not have been top of the list at the start of the series. He tossed a delivery wide to Raval, drew him out of the crease, and this time de Kock - who yesterday spoke about the battering his hands had taken on the tour - completed a swift piece of work.
In his next over, Maharaj produced a delivery he'll want to frame for the rest of his career, the ball pitching on middle and spinning past Colin de Grandhomme's outside edge to hit off stump. The rest was inevitable: Tim Southee slogged to long-off, Jeetan Patel fell to a Kagiso Rabada short ball and the helpless Watling heaved into the deep.
South Africa's chase was without much difficulty although Stephen Cook completed two lean Tests when he edged to the slips. Dean Elgar top-edged a swipe against Neil Wagner moments before the extra half hour was taken, leaving Amla and JP Duminy to complete the formalities. This outcome will leave New Zealand in a quandary. They did not want green seamers for this series, for fear of aiding South Africa's quicks, but the prospect of a turner in Hamilton could play into the hands of a man having the time of his life.
1st Test
Day 1
South Africa 229/4 (90.0 ov)
New Zealand
On 22 consecutive occasions, the captain winning the toss in New Zealand had opted to bowl. When South Africa were 22 for 3 on the opening day in Dunedin, Dean Elgar may have pondered if Faf du Plessis had picked the right time to end that run. But Elgar did more than most to make sure it worked out fine in the end as his seventh Test hundred carried South Africa to 229 for 4.
The dominant stand of the day came between Elgar, who was dropped by BJ Watling on 36, and du Plessis as they added 126 for the fourth wicket before further consolidation alongside Temba Bavuma in a stand of 81 which survived the entire final session. However, New Zealand ensured the game did not run away from them, for the most part keeping a lid on the scoring, after making the surprise decision of selecting two frontline spinners.
Elgar's seventh Test century, and a third in his last seven outings, came from 197 balls including 20 boundaries which highlighted how focused he was on leaving and defending unless there was something on offer to attack. He has become one of the preeminent opening batsmen in the game, although his returns can fly under the radar. He was named Man of the Series against Sri Lanka in January and this innings took his average above 40 for the first time since his third Test (which was also against New Zealand) as he finished within two runs of a new career-best score.
While Elgar's recent returns mean this performance shouldn't be unexpected, there was plenty at the start of the day which did confound expectation. Kane Williamson had put considerable faith in his luck with the coin changing after making the crunch decision to leave out vice-captain Tim Southee in favour of Jeetan Patel. But after losing all five tosses in the one-day series the run continued which meant bowling with an attack New Zealand would be more expected to field on the subcontinent than at home: it was the first time they had selected two specialist spinners at University Oval.
Patel was bowling by the sixth over and conceded just eight runs in his first 10 overs to help New Zealand build and sustain pressure in the first session. There was certainly some grip for him and Mitchell Santner to suggest the selection call was not out of the realms of fantasy, but there were times when New Zealand felt a quick bowler light.
There was nothing strange, however, in the manner of the early wickets. Stephen Cook's defensive mindset led to him padding up against Trent Boult. Then Neil Wagner, on his home ground, produced a superb over at the start of his second spell. Firstly, he caught Hashim Amla flat-footed, after he had made 1 off 27 balls, with a full delivery which clattered into the stumps and then he switched to Wagner 101 mode with a brute of a short ball to bounce out JP Duminy.
When you are a captain who was undecided what to do until moments before the toss, you are probably questioning your decision to bat when walking in at 22 for 3. But alongside Elgar, du Plessis took the sting out of the morning session. A penny for Southee's thoughts as he saw the ball swinging but a spinner in operation.
The major moment of the day came off the first delivery of the second over after lunch when Elgar tickled Boult down the leg side but Watling could not gather the low catch. He did not offer another chance. As the fourth-wicket partnership bedded in, Williamson was left with the juggling act of not over-bowling Boult and Wagner. The way in which Elgar and du Plessis bided their time reinforced how they knew they could force Williamson's hand and their reward was a period before tea which brought seven boundaries in 19 deliveries, although that was a rare period of brisk scoring.
Du Plessis reached his fifty with a delightful drive off Santner before handing New Zealand a boost during an action-packed over against James Neesham who had been selected ahead of Colin de Grandhomme but not bowled until the 57th over. Clocking over 140kph, Neesham had du Plessis given lbw only for the decision to be overturned by the DRS due to a very thin edge (du Plessis initially reviewed for height, so thin was the nick). Three balls later there was no doubt, du Plessis pulling to Boult at deep midwicket ten minutes before tea in uncharacteristically careless fashion.
It was an opening for New Zealand, especially with Bavuma coming off 21 runs in five innings against Sri Lanka, but while the bowling remained accurate it was difficult with the ageing ball. Elgar moved into the 90s with a neat skip down the pitch to loft Santner down the ground then reached three figures with a crunching pull through midwicket off Neesham.
Bavuma took 20 balls to open his account but after a top-edged hook evaded long leg became more secure, surviving Wagner's attempts to rough him up with the older ball. The new ball was taken and caused a few uneasy moments, but could not conjure the breakthrough New Zealand needed. There was much that went against history on the opening day of this series and though it's too early to say how history will judge the match, South Africa will have ended highly satisfied with having hauled themselves out of the mire.
Day 2
South Africa 308
New Zealand 177/3 (55.0 ov)
New Zealand trail by 131 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Kane Williamson led a strong New Zealand first innings on the second day in Dunedin, but they had a significant injury cloud over Ross Taylor who was forced to retire hurt in the final session. Until that point things could barely have gone better for New Zealand after they removed the last six South Africa wickets for 56 before a stand of 102 between Williamson and Jeet Raval set up the reply.
New Zealand were still handily placed at the close on 177 for 3, with Williamson unbeaten on 78 alongside nightwatchman Jeetan Patel. However, they also lost Henry Nicholls, brilliantly caught at slip by Hashim Amla, to give left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj his second wicket so South Africa will be aware they can target the middle order on the third morning with Taylor's future participation in the match uncertain.
Williamson batted outstandingly. He has the highest Test average by a New Zealand captain but, if the record is viewed highly critically, has yet to play a defining innings as leader: his average is boosted by early runs against Zimbabwe and his unbeaten century against Bangladesh in Wellington rubber-stamped a comeback victory rather than set it up. He has the chance now to shape a Test match against a side New Zealand have only beaten once at home - in Auckland in 2004.
South Africa had resumed on 229 for 4, but once Dean Elgar fell for 140 the lower order was whittled away. There was an opening session of sustained accuracy by New Zealand which continued their efforts from the first day when even though wickets dried up the scoring did not run away. The value of keeping South Africa's rate under control came to the fore when Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, the last recognised batsmen, departed in quick succession.
It did not take long for South Africa to respond. Tom Latham was dropped during the one-day series and there was no immediate upturn in fortunes against the red ball when Vernon Philander switched to round the wicket, drawing him into pushing away from his body. In contrast, Raval left the ball well, forcing the bowlers to go straighter and then took them off through the leg side.
It was an excellent innings from Raval, who is in his fifth Test, after facing Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier in the season, and he was able to pick off Maharaj as he moved to a third Test fifty from 95 balls. But, as against Pakistan were he twice made 55, he could not go further when he clipped Maharaj to short midwicket.
The early contest between Williamson and Philander was absorbing; a classy new-ball bowler making it nibble against one of the game's leading batsmen. The value of Williamson's early caution was evident after tea when he started to milk Maharaj then took three boundaries in a row off Kagiso Rabada, including a brace of textbook on-drives, to move him past 50 off 87 balls.
In the period around when Taylor was forced to retire hurt with the score on 148 for 2, Morne Morkel, playing his first Test since January 2016, had returned for a second spell and opted for a burst of short deliveries. He struck Taylor on the helmet two balls before a leg injury ended the batsman's day and also had Williamson ducking, but finished his first foray back into the longer format wicketless form 10 overs.
Before play, Elgar had spoken about South Africa aiming to bat until tea and make around 380. They fell considerably short on both accounts. Neil Wagner bowled an 11-over spell in which he only faded towards the end; Patel kept his hold over de Kock and Trent Boult followed up Wagner's unyielding stint. Between them, New Zealand's two frontline quicks bowled more than 63 overs for seven wickets.
The first hour was nip-and-tuck - five runs coming off the first six overs of the day - and Elgar needed some fortune to reach a new career-high when he top-edged a short ball from Wagner over the slips. Wagner's finally extracted Elgar with another well-directed short ball which the left-handed batsman didn't know whether to play or leave, glancing a top-edge to BJ Watling - who caught him 104 runs after his leg-side miss the previous day.
Bavuma went to a 143-ball half-century, his first in eight innings since Hobart against Australia, and the reward for his watchfulness started to come when he took three boundaries off the last over of Wagner's spell: a clip, a pull through midwicket and a flat-batted swat straight past mid-on. But he couldn't fully cash in, feathering Boult down the leg side when he shuffled well across his crease.
By then, de Kock, someone who could have lifted the scoring rate, had also departed to the man who has troubled him most on this tour. Patel claimed him in each of the final two ODIs and added his name again here, luring de Kock into reaching for a drive and spooning a catch to backward point where Wagner still had the energy to dive forward.
Boult returned to prevent any significant tail-end contributions, ending the innings shortly after lunch when he speared one through Philander to finish with 4 for 64. He and Wagner will have hoped for a long time with their feet up. Their captain could hold the key to that.
Day 3
South Africa 308 & 38/1 (18.0 ov)
New Zealand 341
South Africa lead by 5 runs with 9 wickets remaining
For a third day in a row it was difficult to split the two teams, but the final session in Dunedin provided one of the more action-packed periods of the Test - for a variety of reasons. A limping Ross Taylor helped New Zealand extend a narrow lead; Neil Wagner clubbed boundaries; Stephen Cook fell for a duck when he appeared not to hit the ball; and a fire alarm stopped play, leading to the ground being evacuated.
Midway through the seventh over of South Africa's second innings the alarm in the main stand at University Oval sounded. Play halted, teams and officials strode into the middle of the pitch, the fire crews arrived and supporters were asked to leave. A few minutes later the all-clear was given, but fading light meant New Zealand could not bowl their quicks.
Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla negotiated the spinners, pushing South Africa back into the lead until bad light finally ended play with 10 overs remaining.
The upshot was that the match remained evenly poised, although an iffy forecast for Sunday did not bode well for either to force a result unless New Zealand make swift inroads on the fourth morning. There has been some compelling cricket, but overall the match has progressed at a lethargic pace so far.
New Zealand's promising position was engineered by Kane Williamson's 16th Test century, a wonderful display of batsmanship, and a gritty fifty from BJ Watling. Their approach was cautious until Wagner started swinging, but it was understandable given Taylor's calf injury which basically left them without a key batsman. At 277 for 5, when Williamson and Watling had taken their stand to 84, a bigger lead was possible but Keshav Maharaj collected his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
The 33-run advantage looked a little more significant when Trent Boult struck in his first over, Cook seemingly edging behind when a delivery slanted across him. Cook was content to walk off, but replays suggested he had clipped his pad rather than nick the ball. There were not too many alarms in the gloom for Elgar and Amla, with Jeetan Patel bowling a touch too full, and the fourth day will be the litmus test of New Zealand's twin spin attack.
New Zealand resumed on 177 for 3 and barring a couple of early drives from nightwatchman Patel - who was brilliantly held at slip by Faf du Plessis - scoring was hard work. Williamson did not add to his overnight 78 for the first 50 minutes of play in the face of demanding pace bowling and Jimmy Neesham edged Morne Morkel behind in somewhat controversial circumstances.
Morkel found the outside edge but it was mighty close to a no-ball. Rod Tucker, the third umpire, took nearly three minutes to decide it was a legal delivery, ruling that when Morkel's toe became grounded a fraction of his heel was behind the popping crease even though raised.
Williamson made better progress in the second hour, reaching his hundred from 195 balls when he lapped a full toss from JP Duminy. It was his third century as captain, but on a different level to the previous ones against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, and took him to within one of Martin Crowe's record of 17 hundreds. He continued to purr along early in the afternoon, alongside the gritty Watling, before Rabada found his outside edge with one that nibbled with the new ball.
It ended a stand of 84 alongside Watling and almost brought the innings to a halt. Mitchell Santner survived an early DRS call for caught behind and played one scoring shot off 41 deliveries - that came off his fourth delivery - before driving a full, wide delivery from Morkel low to cover.
Watling, who had been troubled by a knee injury ahead of this series, was rarely fluent but showed his trademark determination to eke his way to a 127-ball fifty, his first in 14 Test innings, which kept the match on even terms. He became Maharaj's third wicket when a delivery cannoned off his pads into the stumps with New Zealand not quite in the lead.
Maharaj's performance was reward for another important role as part of South Africa's four-man attack which helped share the bowling workload. He completed his five-wicket haul by beating Boult's charge down the pitch and having Wagner taken at point. Wagner had struck the ball sweetly, taking 14 off three consecutive deliveries from Philander including a pull for six, to take New Zealand into the lead.
Taylor, having been diagnosed with a low grade calf strain, returned at the fall of the ninth wicket and though he could barely walk managed to swat Morkel for a six onto the grass banks. His prognosis for the rest of the series remained unclear. As did the outcome of this match.
Day 4
South Africa 308 & 224/6 (102.0 ov)
New Zealand 341
South Africa lead by 191 runs with 4 wickets remaining
Could New Zealand's twin-spin attack prove a masterstroke? It may yet depend on the Dunedin weather, with rain forecast for the final day of this nip-and-tuck Test, but late wickets under leaden skies set up what could be a wonderful final day. South Africa, who could barely push their scoring rate above two-an-over, closed with a lead of 191 and four wickets in hand.
The shape of the day - a grey, chilly day that demanded deep resolve from players and spectators alike - changed deep in the final session. After Jeetan Patel removed Dean Elgar, 11 short of becoming the sixth South Africa batsman to make two hundreds in a Test, he cleaned up his bunny, Quinton de Kock, with a beauty (the tally of four successes in four innings not escaping Patel as he celebrated). Between Patel's brace, Temba Bavuma also departed, the ball rolling back off his defensive shot to dislodge the off bail - success for Mitchell Santner who had been ignored for almost 60 overs.
New Zealand's strong end to the day came after being deprived the services of Trent Boult who did not appear after tea due to a sore hip. The second new ball initially went to the two spinners due to poor light, then the immense Neil Wagner - who has had a vast workload - wound himself up for another burst. Boult won't be able to bowl for the first 90 minutes on the final morning and with a tight turnaround of three days to Wellington his prognosis will be a very significant factor.
By close, when the light finally did close in with eight overs remaining, Faf du Plessis suddenly loomed as a crucial figure, unbeaten on 56 from 155 balls with the bowlers for company to try and push the lead over 250. The success for Patel and Santner will encourage him as Keshav Maharaj, who took five wickets in the first, could be a crucial weapon in defending a target alongside his pace trio.
For most of the day it was about Elgar - given out caught behind 73 but saved by the DRS - as he took his time at the crease in the match to almost 13 hours before skipping down the pitch to Patel and finding deep mid-off. However, New Zealand had their chances to remove him earlier and put the heat on South Africa with more time to play with.
On 35, James Neesham found his outside edge from round the wicket but BJ Watling could not gather the chance low to his left. It was the second time in the match that Watling had given an Elgar a life; in the first innings he was spilled down the leg side on 36. Then, on 48, a drive was drilled through the hands of substitute fielder Colin de Grandhomme at cover as Elgar went to his fifty from 144 balls.
Coupled with poor use of the DRS, missing a chance to review against Duminy when he would have been lbw on 20 but using it when he got an inside edge, and dropping the same batsman on 6, it had been a messy first half of the day for New Zealand. However, as events later showed, South Africa's scoring rate meant they were never out of touch and at risk if wickets fell in a flurry.
South Africa resumed just five ahead and Hashim Amla departed early, flicking Wagner to the leg-side trap at midwicket to continue his poor time in New Zealand. Wagner returned after lunch to pin Duminy for a scratchy 39. At that stage South Africa's lead was only 80. Duminy should have gone early when Boult, in the midst of a luckless opening spell, found the edge but Tom Latham, deputising for Ross Taylor at first slip, missed a regulation chance.
For most of the first two sessions Williamson put the onus on Wagner, Boult (with potentially damaging results) and Patel - the latter bowling a 28-over spell - not using Santner until the 65th over. The left-arm spinner created an opportunity first ball when Elgar flicked firmly into Latham at short leg, but the ball ballooned in front of midwicket. Elgar then played a rare attacking stroke, advancing down the pitch to loft Santner straight, but the ball spinning into him created uncertainty and an outside edge fell just short of slip where Neesham and come up from his stance too quickly.
Du Plessis was in no rush to try and escalate the scoring rate against accurate bowling. Late in the day he moved to his half-century off 142 balls with a hint of more aggression, with a brace of boundaries off Wagner, but it was South Africa who were the relieved players when the day ended. Du Plessis will have walked off knowing that his side have not been allowed to dictate terms in this match. Please, don't rain.
Day 5 (abandoned without a ball being bowled)
South Africa 308 & 224/6
New Zealand 341
Match drawn
As forecast the rain swept into Dunedin and washed out what could have been an intriguing final day to the first Test. The umpires made the inevitable call at 1.40pm to bring a damp end to a closely-contested encounter.
Much like five years ago when these two sides last met here everything was possible on the final day. In 2012, New Zealand needed 264 runs with eight wickets in hand so South Africa would have fancied their chances. The same can be said this time even though a lead of 191 was far from secure: if they had extended that to 250 it would have been a tough chase on a pitch that had never been easy for scoring swiftly.
Instead, the teams move to Wellington for second Test, which starts on March 16, having spent four days sparring at each other. There was little to split the sides: Dean Elgar and Kane Williamson traded hundreds, pace bowlers from both sides but in the hard yards and the spinners had a say on a ground not usually in their favour.
However, it's New Zealand who will leave with greater concerns because of injuries to two key players. Ross Taylor suffered a calf strain on the second day which forced him to retire hurt and he has been ruled out of the second Test. Trent Boult was then absent from the field after tea yesterday with a hip problem - he and Neil Wagner had a significant workload over the four days because of the decision to play two spinners - and will be monitored over the next three days. Losing one would be problematic; losing both would severely test New Zealand's red-ball depth.
New Zealand will need to ponder whether they re-balance the side for the Basin Reserve. Jeetan Patel now appears the No. 1 spinner which could put pressure on Mitchell Santner who laboured with the bat in the first innings in Dunedin. Santner was not used for a large part of the fourth day, but when he did finally get a bowl claimed the wicket of Temba Bavuma.
South Africa are comfortable with the set-up of their Test side - three quicks, Keshav Maharaj's spin and JP Duminy if required, although his bowling has gone backwards. Bavuma's first-innings half-century was timely for him after a lean series against Sri Lanka and while Duminy was scratchy, after a poor one-day series, he has credit in the bank in the Test line-up.
Stephen Cook missed out twice, falling to the new-ball against Boult, although appeared not to hit the ball in the second innings. Quinton de Kock faces a little personal challenge to break free from being dominated by Patel who has him four times in four innings.
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