On a day that ebbed and flowed at Hamilton, South Africa have managed to make it through the entirety of the overs despite a brilliant bowling display from New Zealand.

Both teams opted for multiple changes. The Proteas chose to play two frontline spinners (von Berg and Piedt) at the expense of Moore and Olivier, while the Blackcaps switched out Mitchell (foot injury) for Young, as well as Santner and Jamieson for Wagner and debutant O’Rourke.

The top-order struggles for SA continued, as makeshift opener Clyde Fortuin played a loose drive on his first ball. Glenn Phillips took an excellent grab at gully.

Skipper Neil Brand nearly saw off the first hour, but he became O’Rourke’s first Test wicket when he was trapped in front.

Raynard van Tonder and Zubayr Hamza briefly appeared to bring things back on track, but the introduction of Wagner’s short-ball barrage elicited yet another timely breakthrough. After a solid 32, van Tonder fended one to gully.

While the NZ pacers set the tone, it was Rachin Ravindra’s left-arm spin which stole the show. Hamza toughed it out for 99 deliveries, but a familiar lapse in patience undid the hard work. Keegan Petersen came and went rather quickly after edging to slip. Ravindra would get his third wicket, courtesy an unfortunate dismissal for the well-set David Bedingham. An inside edge ricocheted off his shoe, and Will Young at short leg took the catch. Upon review, it was given out.

However, Ruan de Swardt continued to resist, and the arrival of the experienced first-class veteran Shaun von Berg was just what they needed in order to rebuild.

Both players initially found it tricky, but continued to press on. De Swardt remained resolute in his defense, while putting away the occasional poor deliveries. The left-hander would eventually bring up his first ever Test half-century, as von Berg found his timing and scored an unbeaten 34 at the close.

At the moment, it’s an unbroken 70-run partnership, but there’s plenty more to do. Tomorrow’s a new day, and the NZ bowlers are itching to wrap up the Proteas innings in the first session itself. But on the whole, it’s been a far better start when compared to the previous game.

300 is the psychological threshold, and SA will look to take advantage of scoring opportunities. In addition, Rachin Ravindra found some turn and bounce on this surface, and that could bode well for the Proteas spin duo, should they find their rhythm early on. In any case, a captivating Test match awaits us.

SA 220/6 in 89 overs (de Swardt 55*, Bedingham 39 – Ravindra 21-8-33-3)