Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis shared an unbroken stand of 158 to put South Africa in control of the first Test against New Zealand in Johannesburg.
After bowling out the Kiwis for 118, the home side reached 179-2 at the close to lead by 287 runs, with Amla 85 not out and Kallis on 76.
Dale Steyn was South Africa's star earlier in the day, taking 5-34 as New Zealand were bowled out in 41.3 overs.
Stephen Fleming top scored with 40 in an otherwise poor batting effort.
New Zealand began the day in a promising position on 41-2, replying to South Africa's first innings total of 226, but once again there was an embarrassingly sparse sprinkling of spectators in the ground to watch the action.
Former Black Caps skipper Fleming stroked one lovely drive down the ground off Steyn but was worked over with a series of short balls before finally nibbling at one from Makhaya Ntini to give AB de Villiers a catch at third slip.
With nightwatchman Shane Bond already disposed of, 64-4 became 88-7 as the middle order fell to pieces.
Even the much gentler pace of Kallis proved a major thorn in New Zealand's side, as the all-rounder picked up the middle-order wickets of Scott Styris and Ross Taylor.
In between the two wickets for Kallis - who was rewarded for a nagging line and length with a hint of away movement - Jacob Oram nicked Steyn into a hungry slip cordon.
Lunch was taken at 97-7, but there was no let-up from South Africa after the interval.
Skipper Dan Vettori ballooned a leading edge off Ntini (3-47) to mid-on before Iain O'Brien briefly counter-punched by hitting 14 off Ntini's following over.
The innings came to an abrupt end, however, when Steyn trapped Brendon McCullum lbw, and in the same over forced last man Chris Martin to scoop a catch to mid-wicket.
New Zealand needed something special from their bowlers and achieved an early double breakthrough when Herschelle Gibbs edged Bond to slip and Chris Martin yorked home captain Graeme Smith.
But they could not afford to give Amla a life, which they did when wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum failed to take an outside edge off Bond as he m,oved to his right.
It was about time two batsmen took advantage of the superb batting track and Amla and Kallis remorselessly put away the bad balls to collect boundaries either side of tea.
Amla played some particularly eye-catching drives off both front and back foot as he collected 13 fours and Kallis was also rarely troubled and he rounded off his scoring for the the day with two successive pulls for four off O'Brien.
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn on the pitch: "It will get more difficult [for batsmen] as the game goes on.
"The guys don't know whether to duck or not, or whether to go forward or back."
No comments:
Post a Comment