A superb counterattack of an innings from Colin de Grandhomme headlined an impassioned effort from New Zealand, as the second Test is now back in the balance.
The Blackcaps began the day at 157/5, with over 200 runs of deficit. Fortunately for NZ, De Grandhomme resumed his aggressive knock and was severe on anything too short or too full. Daryl Mitchell adeptly played second fiddle, as he reached a half-century of his own during the first session. But of course, all eyes were on De Grandhomme, who combined his routine power-hitting with delectable timing throughout his innings.
The South African seamers hardly had any luck, with Rabada, Jansen, and Sipamla all bowling testing but wicketless spells. It was the introduction of Keshav Maharaj that finally brought about the much-needed opening. Mitchell played down the wrong line and was struck plumb in front of middle and off. It was the end of a bruising 133-run stand, as the Proteas regained a bit of lost momentum.
The first session proved not to be completely fruitless, as Jansen repeatedly tested Kyle Jamieson with the short ball, which he ended up fending to gully. However, De Grandhomme reached his second Test century in the most opportune of circumstances, when his side overcame a crucial phase of play to lessen the gap.
South Africa managed to wrap up the Blackcaps innings within 6 overs after lunch, with Kagiso Rabada claiming 5 wickets, with two in two to close it out. Neil Wagner smacked a handy cameo of 21, and the lead for the Proteas was a decent 71 at the halfway mark.
This was the opportunity for SA to extend the already handy advantage, and the second innings got off to a rocky start. Tim Southee dismissed both the openers in the first 11 overs of the game. The early agony continued, as Aiden Markram was the next to go, making it 38/3. He looked compact for much of his troubled stay, but a straight yorker from Matt Henry brought a potentially fate-determining innings to a rather swift end.
Despite a rough outing for the top three, Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma spearheaded the repair job, solidly defending as well as pouncing on available scoring opportunities. As usual, Van Der Dussen remained subdued but later took a liking to Neil Wagner’s short-ball tactics. He expertly employed the pull shot, but a burgeoning, threatening stand was cut short when a non-committal pull from Van Der Dussen provided the simplest of return catches for Neil Wagner.
Wagner’s fiery spell continued, as Bavuma’s attempted drive offered an easy catch for Tim Southee, leaving SA at 114/5. It was an all-too-familiar kind of position for the Proteas, as the batting struggles have been commonplace in recent times, but on a more positive note, the lead was passed 200.
SA managed to reach a safe stopping point, with Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder cautiously negotiating the remainder of the third session.
The lead is currently at 211, and South Africa keenly will be eyeing the 300 benchmark. Every run is worth its weight in gold, as the bowlers will need plenty to work with. Will South Africa successfully set up a difficult target, or will New Zealand have other plans and throw a wrench in the works? Tune in for what will be a white-knuckle Day 4 tomorrow.
SA 364 + 140/5 (van der Dussen 45 – Southee 2/28)
NZ 293 (de Grandhomme 120*, Mitchell 60 – Rabada 5/60, Jansen 4/98)
