New Zealand 321 for 4 (Williamson 148*, Raval 88) lead South Africa 314 by seven runs
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Kane Williamson became the fastest New Zealander to 5000 Test runs, achieving the landmark in 110 innings, seven fewer than Martin Crowe © Getty Images
In another dimension, Kane Williamson would have the swagger befitting a man who became the fastest New Zealand batsman to 5000 runs and their joint-highest century-maker all in 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 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 at a raging bachelor party and thanks to his discipline New Zealand rose to a position of strength in the Hamilton Test. The 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 in Seddon Park should toast to Williamson’s success. Playing his 110th innings, with a pull shot for six, he conquered Mount 5000. 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 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 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 out, 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 back in the balance.
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 Vernon 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 top three made fifties 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, their captain is so good at standing up to it.
Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo