March 17 (Reuters) – South Africa’s crushing
nine-wicket victory over New Zealand to win the second test
inside three days on Saturday was achieved by three 20-minute
periods of superb pace bowling and their tail contributing a
valuable 165 runs when they were in deep trouble.
Graeme Smith completed the victory when he drove part-time
spinner Rob Nicol through the covers to take his side to 103 for
one, two more runs than they needed, shortly before tea on the
third day at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
Skipper Smith, who finished on 55 not out, and Hashim Amla
(46) had needed less than 90 minutes to score the 101 runs that
gave their side a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The victory, however, had been set up through the exploits
of their fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, when they
captured five New Zealand wickets for no runs late on day one to
trigger a collapse from a comfortable 133 for two to 133-7.
Philander and Steyn also provided the spark needed in New
Zealand’s second innings when they reduced Ross Taylor’s side to
7-3 just after tea on the second day, while the former ran
trhough the lower middle order either side of lunch on Saturday.
Philander finished with combined figures of 10-114, his
second 10-wicket haul in just his sixth test to be named man of
the match.
“I thought Philander and Steyn bowled well in both innings
and they put pressure on the batsmen and pressure told at the
end of the day,” Taylor said in a televised interview.
“It was a pretty flat wicket but they put the ball in the
right areas and put us under pressure.”
Continued…
