×

SA win by 204 runs | South Africa vs New Zealand 2nd Test, Day 4, Live Updates| SA win series 1-0

South Africa have a firm grip over second Test with a substantial lead at the end of Day Three.

Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s live updates of South Africa vs New Zealand 2016. Here you will get all the live cricket updates of Day Four’s play of the second Test of the two-Test series. The match is being played at SuperSportPark, Centurion. South Africa have a firm grip over the game as they have a substantial lead of 372 runs with 4 wickets remaining over New Zealand at the end of Day Three. South African bowlers managed to bundle out New Zealand for 214 with Kane Williamson scoring 77. A rather unlucky day for the Black Caps was made most of by South Africa’s batsmen bowlers. However, New Zealand bowlers managed to get 6 wickets and put some pressure on South Africa but the hosts seem to have an upper-hand before Day Four starts. Let’s see if South Africa continues to dominate or New Zealand bounce back on  Day Three. Stay tuned!  FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: South Africa vs New Zealand, 2nd Test at Centurion

In the last session, New Zealand bowlers took some momentum back from the hosts as Faf du Plessis did not enforce a follow-on after having a healthy lead and they came out to bat again. South Africa are tottering at 105 for 6 at stumps on Day Three, but still lead by 372 runs. Tim Southee and Trent Boult got two wickets each whereas Wagner and Doug Bracewell shared two wickets among themselves to rattle the hosts, a bit, in their second innings. New Zealand’s no showing with the bat in the first innings will cost them dearly as even a spirited effort from their bowlers may go unnoticed having already conceded a lead of near 400 to the hosts. READ: SA vs NZ: Seamers shine on Day 3 at Centurion

In the first innings, du Plessis scored a hundred along with half-centuries from Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Stephen Cook and JP Duminy. Among the New Zealand bowlers, Wagner remained the most successful with a 5-for while Southee, Doug Bracewell and Mitchell Santner all bagged a wicket each.

In response to South Africa’s huge score, New Zealand could not get a good start, losing three of their top-order batsmen on Day Two itself. None of Martin Guptill, Tom Latham or Ross Taylor could put up a double-digit score.

Talking about his hundred from first innings to AFP, du Plessis said, “There is a lot happening in the wicket and we just needed one guy to anchor the innings and keep them out there as long as possible. The plan right from the beginning was to try to get to 400, which is a good score on this wicket, and then have a little dip at them at the end of the day.

“The grass stands up a little more towards the end of the day and because of the light you can see the little indentations on the pitch which you don’t see when the sun is shining brightly in the middle of the day. It plays on your mind a bit.”

The first Test had ended in a draw. New Zealand had started things off well, restricting the hosts at 263. Amla was the only batsman to score a half-century while Temba Bavuma contributed with a 46. Both Boult and Wagner had bagged 3 wickets to cause the total damage to the South Africa innings.

South Africa made a comeback with their bowling as ace speedster Steyn promptly removed Guptill and Latham in quick succession at the very start of New Zealand’s batting innings. As Williamson and Taylor were batting, rain disrupted play. Though rain stopped post second day, the poor condition of the Kingsmead outfield, its wetness compelled the match umpires to call off the match.

The hosts look set for winning the series which is currently tied at 0-0. It will be interesting to see when and on what score do they declare. New Zealand still have a herculean task of saving the test, as win looks likely, but their approach will be up for grabs for everyone with another grueling Test series coming against India, at their den. Their bowlers have reduced some momentum from the hosts but it is up to their batsmen to stand up and deliver.

While a washed out first Test due to the adverse wet outfield did steal away what would have perhaps been a spectacular show of pace bowling from the seamers — six days later the second Test between South Africa and New Zealand has brought out the ‘swing and bounce demons’ from the earth at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The Day Three saw 13 wickets fall, 12 of them were picked up by fast bowlers. Of course, the seamers from both the teams needed a few verbals just to ruffle the feathers of the batsmen, but for most of Day Three, the ball did the talking.

In an era when a top-edge carrying all the way for six makes viewers happy and not leave them wondering about why a bowler has to be on the receiving end of it most of the time; when the debate around the dimensions of bats and their sizes is gathering very few voices, the second Test at Centurion will be remembered for some of the best fast bowling on exhibition. Just two days after a T20 match between in India and West Indies saw an aggregate of 489 runs being scored, making bowlers look absolutely helpless, Day Three came as a delight to every aspiring fast bowler. If the pitch starts to get any worse on Day Four, we might see an end to the second Test and South Africa winning the two-match Test series by 1-0.

Squads

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Stephen Cook, Quinton de Kock (wk), Jean-Paul Duminy, Dean Elgar, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Stiaan van Zyl

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk)

FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: South Africa vs New Zealand, 2nd Test at Centurion

trending this week