New Zealand 67 for 0 (Latham 42*, Raval 25*) trail South Africa 314 (de Kock 90, du Plessis, 53, Amla 50, Henry 4-93) by 247 runs
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Tom Latham prepares to take a stunning catch to dismiss Faf du Plessis © Getty Images
Injured ten…dun, dun, dunnnn. The liability New Zealand might have hoped to exploit became a blaring irritant to their hopes of levelling the series as Quinton de Kock – with a finger set on strapping and splint – produced a half-century of the highest quality. That he has only 29 innings against his name and has turned 12 of them into scores of fifty or more is testament to why South Africa wanted him in their XI no matter what.
On a pitch supporting seam movement and the cloud cover promising swing, South Africa’s was a better-than-par total. To Tom Latham, however, it might have looked like a monstrous one. He hadn’t crossed 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 highly necessary, considering they had let South Africa off the hook earlier. A team that had been 190 for 6 should not have made 314 in the first place.
Quite apart from undermining themselves, New Zealand were also fighting their own 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 all 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 that he can monopolise the corridor of uncertainty. So much that in 75 deliveries so far 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 kept carving cuts behind point when there was precious little room and his pull shots were outstanding. He finished with 90 off only 118 balls. An innings in pure defiance of a pitch that wasn’t really 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 the fact that a draw was enough to win him another trophy – Faf du Plessis reached into his batting closet and put on a look that he debuted in Adelaide: the do as you please but you won’t get past me. It wasn’t that he was particularly troubled by the bowling. Indeed, at a drinks break, when a chair was run out for him, the only way he could have looked more at home was if his dog Giorgio had been by his side and there was braai being prepared 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 Santer 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 in particular, who 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 secured 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.
Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo