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‘Ye toh dhaga khol rahe hain’ – Fans react as second-string South Africa team take narrow lead against New Zealand during 2nd Test

New Zealand won the first Test against South Africa by a convincing margin.

Published on

February 14, 2024

South Africa won the toss on day 1 against New Zealand and chose to bat first surprisingly. Clyde Fortuin was dismissed for a duck, setting the tone for a timid innings. David Bedingham and Zubayr Hamza were overly cautious during their innings. This allowed New Zealand to bowl an astounding 29 maidens during the first day.

At one point, the visitors were teetering at 150/6, but they were able to get SA to a safe position before the end of play. This was due to a strong pairing between von Berg, who was making his debut, and de Swardt.

But things ended quite swiftly this morning as South Africa squandered their last four wickets for only 22 runs. After a strong start, William ORourke closed with a four-fer, while Rachin Ravindra took three wickets yesterday to keep things tight.

Devon Conway, foxed with a beauty by Dane Paterson, responded by leaving for a duck. Tom Latham along with Kane Williamson pulled together a stand of 74 runs with a commendable rearguard effort. Unfortunately, Dane Piedt quickly defeated them both, undoing all of their hard work.

Will Young and Rachin Ravindra also put up a 50-run partnership, but the Kiwis came apart when the former went down. In the last session, they were defeated 66/7 as the visitors stormed back into the match.

Most of the batters were beaten by the surface’s sluggishness. Young’s weak shot selection ultimately proved to be his undoing. After making a light appearance to cut the deficit, Neil Wagner ultimately lost his life

South African bowlers provide a narrow lead!

Piedt was the Proteas’ best bowler, finishing with a 5-fer, while Paterson was as impressive with a 3-fer. Perhaps the first occasion in this series, the Proteas possess the tide in their favour, but the game is still close.

The South African batters would be hoping to produce another splendid performance with the bat. If a batter manages to reach a score in the three-digit mark, it would be a big problem for the hosts.

Fans react as second-string South Africa team take narrow lead against New Zealand during 2nd Test:

– No Rabada.
– No Nortje.
– No Burger.
– No Jansen.
– No Coetzee.
– No Lungi.
– No Maharaj.

Playing with one of the most inexperienced teams ever & South Africa has taken 1st innings lead vs New Zealand in New Zealand ? pic.twitter.com/NeGBK0FvdV

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 14, 2024