Internet Desk: Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma stitched together a 160-run seventh-wicket partnership at Basin Reserve in Wellington on Friday to help South Africa build a lead of 81 runs over New Zealand on the second day of the second Test.
At stumps, South Africa was 349 for 9 in reply to New Zealand’s first-innings total of 268. De Kock made 91 and Bavuma 89 before Vernon Philander (36 not out) and Morne Morkel (31 not out) continued the good work with an unbroken 47-run stand for the final wicket.
Things looked quite different at the end of the first session of the day. South Africa was in serious trouble at 94 for 6, still 174 runs behind, three overs before the lunch interval.
New Zealand, which had taken four wickets in the morning session, was very much on top at that stage. But the next wicket came 39 overs later when Jimmy Neesham sent back de Kock. His dismissal, after tea, ended the counter-attack as the New Zealand seamers struggled to get their act together.
De Kock fell with South Africa 14 runs behind, but Bavuma soldiered on till a 22-run lead had been taken.
Early on in the day, Colin de Grandhomme removed Hashim Amla for 21 then Faf du Plessis for 22. Tim Southee pitched in with the wicket of Kagiso Rabada, the nightwatchman, for nine and Neil Wagner dismissed JP Duminy for 16.
After that, it was the de Kock and Bavuma show.
De Kock started shakily, but as his confidence grew, he stepped up his scoring rate, targeting Southee and Wagner for special treatment. And by the time Neesham got him to edge to BJ Watling behind the stumps, de Kock had brought South Africa back in the match.
Bavuma was dropped by de Grandhomme early, and looked completely untroubled till he fell when he hooked a Wagner bouncer to Neesham at square leg.
De Grandhomme and Wagner had three wickets each when play ended for the day, while Southee had two and Neesham one.