Published: Feb 15, 2024, 12:37 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 15, 2024, 12:37 PM (IST)
At lunch on Thursday, during the third day of the second cricket test, South Africa held a lead of 119 runs over New Zealand with seven wickets remaining in their second innings.South Africa held a 31-run lead in the first innings after dismissing New Zealand for 211 in response to their own total of 242.
During the lunch break, South Africa stood at 88-3, with David Bedingham not out on 34 and Zubayr Hamza on 14.Opting against rolling the Seddon Park pitch before play commenced, South Africa faced a surface displaying a slight inconsistency, offering varying bounce levels.
Taking advantage of the bounce, tall New Zealand seamer Will O’Rourke claimed the wickets of Raynard van Tonder (1) and Proteas captain Neil Brand (34).
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The pitch’s unpredictable nature led to O’Rourke bowling in tandem with left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra, who entered the attack after just nine overs with the new ball.
In his second over, Ravindra claimed the wicket of opener Clyde Fortuin for 3 runs. Fortuin was deceived by a flighted delivery from Ravindra, which landed on the leg side, spun back sharply, and sneaked under his attempted lap shot, striking his back pad in line with the middle stump.
Starting the day with the possibility of a hat-trick after dismissing the last two South African first innings wickets with consecutive deliveries, O’Rourke showcased his additional height and pace, enabling him to generate more bounce compared to his counterparts Tim Southee and Matt Henry, who were also sharing the new ball.
Van Tonder fell to a short-pitched delivery from O’Rourke that rose to head height. Attempting to play a hook shot, he struggled to control the bounce, resulting in the ball carrying to Neil Wagner, stationed at fine leg, who completed the catch.
Brand unleashed consecutive boundaries off O’Rourke in the 16th over, executing a pull shot through the vacant midwicket region and a firm push through cover, thereby achieving his highest score of the series thus far. His previous scores were 4 and 3 in the first test and 25 in the first innings of this match.
Brand had contributed 34 runs to South Africa’s total of 39 when he encountered a brilliant delivery from O’Rourke. The ball nipped back sharply from outside off, caught the inside edge of Brand’s bat, and was safely pouched behind the stumps by Tom Blundell.
Prior to lunch, Bedingham and Hamza found the boundary with regularity, posing a concern for New Zealand captain Southee, given the significance of every run. With the pitch showing signs of deterioration, New Zealand would be wary of having to chase a target exceeding 250 on the fourth or fifth days of the match.
