Quinton de Kock hit an unbeaten 66 to steer South Africa to 243-7 at lunch on day two in Hamilton.
There was no clear winner of the first session on day two. While there were moments when Temba Bavuma and De Kock took the fight to the bowlers, New Zealand did well to build the pressure and eliminate three South African threats.
Faf du Plessis and Bavuma looked untroubled during the first 30 minutes of play. But just when they started to get on top, Bavuma flashed at a wide delivery from Matt Henry and was caught at slip.
New Zealand attempted to frustrate Du Plessis and De Kock thereafter. The latter managed to release the pressure by hitting the likes of Jeetan Patel to the boundary on a regular basis.
Du Plessis was less successful in getting the New Zealand bowlers away, and perished when he tried to paddle-sweep Mitchell Santner down to fine leg. The anticipation shown by Tom Latham to take the catch at short leg was special.
Vernon Philander contributed 11 before he was caught in the slips off the bowling of Henry. Keshav Maharaj edged a Henry delivery early in his innings, but the ball dropped short of the cordon. Meanwhile at the other end, De Kock started to accelerate.
If De Kock continues in this fashion after lunch, the Proteas will post a total in excess of 300. This is assuming that Maharaj and the other lower order players offer the necessary support.
New Zealand will look to wrap this innings up sooner, rather than later. 49 overs were lost on day one due to rain, and more inclement weather is expected in the days to come. The Kiwis need to get a move on if they’re going to win this game and level the three-Test series.
SA 243-7 (1st innings) – Quinton de Kock 66 not out, Faf du Plessis 53, Matt Henry 4-57, Colin de Grandhomme 2-51
