Dane Piedt took five wickets as the Proteas bowled New Zealand out for 211 to earn a 31-run first innings lead on day two of the second and final Test of the series.
The Proteas need to win this Test to avoid suffering their first ever series loss to New Zealand in the format.
Proteas earn unlikely lead
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After resuming on 220 for six, the Proteas could only add 22 runs to their overnight score for the loss of their remaining four wickets.
Dane Paterson struck early to remove Devon Conway in the first over of the Black Caps innings but Tom Latham and Kane Williamson steadied the ship.
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New Zealand might rue missing out on starts as Latham made a poor choice in playing back to a full and spinning ball from Piedt which castled him to start a procession of softish dismissals.
Williamson was worked out by Piedt who made the most of the defensive mindset of the Kiwi kingpin and had him caught close in for 43.
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Despite those wickets, New Zealand made steady progress on the runs from and another stand between Rachin Ravindra and Will Young took them to within 100 runs of the Proteas total.
Chopped on
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Ravindra and Tom Blundell would both chop onto their own stumps one trying to be positive but ultimately playing an unnecessary shot and the latter getting himself caught in between and poking at one just outside the line of his stumps.
Paterson and Piedt combined to build pressure on the New Zealand lower order which put up a fight but couldn’t erase the Proteas first innings advantage entirely.
Piedt delivered career-best figures in this innings, taking his first Test five-fer and giving this side hope of saving this series and one of the Proteasd proudest records.
The Proteas will begin their innings on day three, 31 runs in the black but still the underdogs in this clash.
Scores: New Zealand vs Proteas
Scoreboard after day two of the second Test between New Zealand and South Africa in Hamilton on Wednesday:
South Africa 1st innings (overnight 220-6)
N. Brand lbw b O’Rourke 25
C. Fortuin c Phillips b Henry 0
R. van Tonder c Latham v Wagner 32
Z. Hamza c sub (Santner) b Ravindra 20
D. Bedingham c Young b Ravindra 39
K. Petersen c Southee b Ravindra 2
R. de Swardt b O’Rourke 64
S. von Berg b O’Rourke 38
D. Piedt c Blundell b Southee 4
T. Moreki not out 4
D. Paterson C Latham b O’Rourke 0
Extras (b9, 1b2, w3) 14
Total (all out, 97.2 overs) 242
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Fortuin), 2-40 (Brand), 3-63 (van Tonder), 4-99 (Hamza), 5-101 (Petersen), 6-150 (Bedingham), 7-227 (von Berg), 8-234 (Piedt), 9-242 (de Swardt), 10-242 (Paterson)
Bowling: Southee 25-8-63-1, Henry 17-5-44-1 (w1), O’Rourke 18.2-4-59-4 (w1), Wagner 16-6-32-1 (w1), Ravindra 21-8-33-3
New Zealand 1st innings
T. Latham b Piedt 40
D. Conway c Fortuin b Paterson 0
K. Williamson c van Tonder b Piedt 43
R. Ravindra b Moreki 29
W. Young c de Swardt b Piedt 36
T. Blundell b Paterson 4
G. Phillips c Fortuin b Piedt 4
M. Henry run out 10
T. Southee c van Tonder b Paterson 5
N. Wagner st Fortuin b Piedt 33
W. O’Rourke not out 0
Extras (b1, lb5, w1) 7
Total (all out, 77.3 overs) 211
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Conway), 2-75 (Latham), 3-86 (Williamson), 4-145 (Ravdindra), 5-157 (Blundell), 6-162 (Phillips), 7-163 (Young), 8-170 (Southee), 9-183 (Henry), 10-211 (Wagner)
Bowling: Paterson 17-6-39-3, Moreki 13-4-32-1 (w1), Piedt 32.3-5-89-5, von Berg 13-3-40-0, de Swardt 2-0-5-0
Toss: South Africa
Umpires: Ahsan Raza (PAK), Richard Illingworth (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)
