Keshav Maharaj yesterday took a career-best six wickets to set up an eight-wicket win for South Africa inside three days after New Zealand crumpled in Wellington.
The win gave South Africa an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the series with one Test to play.
Faced with the guile of Maharaj’s left-arm spin and the seam and bounce of Morne Morkel, New Zealand struggled through their second innings to be all out for 171.
Photo: SNPA via AP
Maharaj finished with 6-40, the best figures and second five-wicket haul in his fledgling six-Test career, while Morkel took the top off the New Zealand innings, including the key wicket of Kane Williamson, to have 3-50.
That left South Africa with an 81-run target, which they knocked off for the loss of two wickets in 25 overs.
Five sessions earlier, New Zealand had control of the Test after a first innings 268 and having South Africa 94-6 in reply.
However, from there it was all the Proteas who rallied to be all out for 359 to take a 91-run lead into the second innings.
On a flattening track and with nearly three days remaining, there was time for New Zealand to mount a strong comeback.
Instead, their second innings was done in 63.2 overs, with a career-best 80 by Jeet Raval and a 65-run partnership between Raval and B.J. Watling (29) the only sign of resistance.
Raval’s dismissal signaled the beginning of the end, as the last five wickets fell for 16 runs.
New Zealand said before the Test they did not particularly want a green wicket given the high quality of the South African pace attack, but it was South Africa’s spinners who did serious damage, claiming six wickets in each innings, with Maharaj having match figures of 8-87.
When South Africa resumed day three at 349-9, Morkel and Vernon Philander added a further 10 runs in a 57-run last wicket partnership.
Morkel followed up by rapidly removing Tom Latham, Williamson and Neil Broom to have New Zealand at 3-64, still 27 behind and with only seven wickets left.
Once Williamson fell cheaply, New Zealand needed the remaining batsmen to step up, but instead Broom, Henry Nicholls and Jimmy Neesham could only add 31 in total before Watling joined Raval to halt the flow of wickets.
INDIA VS AUSTRALIA
AFP, RANCHI, India
Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins yesterday claimed four wickets to dent India’s response, despite Cheteshwar Pujara’s dogged century, on day three of the third Test in Ranchi.
India were 306-6 at stumps, still trailing the visitors by 91 runs in their first innings. Pujara (130) and Wriddhiman Saha (18) were batting at close of play.
Cummins, making a return after playing his only Test for Australia in 2011, got crucial breaks including the prized scalp of India skipper Virat Kohli.
Cummins, 23, was ably supported by fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood and spinner Steve O’Keefe, who took a wicket each on pitch that still looked good for batting.
Pujara, who was involved in a 102-run second-wicket stand with overnight partner Murali Vijay (82), was holding the innings together with his 11th Test century.
Pujara hit 17 boundaries, in an otherwise sedate knock, to keep India’s hopes alive of surpassing Australia’s first innings total of 451.
Puajara built crucial partnerships with Ajinkya Rahane (14) and Karun Nair (23), but Australia’s pacemen rattled India’s middle order with some inspired bowling.
Cummins, who struck twice in the afternoon session, got Rahane caught behind and Hazlewood bowled Nair with a beautiful reverse swinging delivery in the final session.
Australia skipper Steve Smith kept up the pressure by rotating his bowling options as runs trickled in for the hosts in the final two hours of play.
India, whose innings run rate was less than three an over, managed to score only 57 runs in the 31 overs bowled in the final session and lost two wickets.
Earlier, Kohli — who turned out to bat at his regular No. 4 spot, laying to rest any injury concerns — lasted only 23 balls before edging a catch to counterpart Steve Smith at second slip.
The star batsman had injured his right shoulder after an awkward fall while fielding during Australia’s innings on Thursday and stayed off the field for 400 minutes before taking crease.
Kohli, who came into the rubber with double centuries in four successive series, has only managed 46 runs in his five innnings since the opener in Pune, India.
In the morning session, Vijay hit a gutsy 82 before undoing his hard work by being stumped off O’Keefe at the stroke of lunch.
SRI LANKA VS BANGLADESH
Reuters, COLOMBO
Seamer Mustafizur Rahman and spinner Shakib Al Hasan yesterday picked up three wickets apiece to help Bangladesh reduce Sri Lanka to 268-8 in their second innings for a lead of 139 on the fourth day of the second Test.
The hosts, who conceded a first-innings lead of 129, appeared to be in big trouble in their second essay, despite opener Dimuth Karunaratne’s fine 126, his fifth Test hundred.
Sri Lanka were reduced to 190-6 at one point, but fought back with useful partnerships from the lower order to boost their hopes of a 2-0 win in the two-match series.
Dilruwan Perera was unbeaten on 26 with Suranga Lakmal 16 not out and the pair have already added 30 for the ninth wicket to dampen Bangladesh’s hopes of a maiden win against Sri Lanka in their 100th Test.
Off-spinner Mehedi Hasan struck with his first ball of the day to dismiss Upul Tharanga for 26 and break Sri Lanka’s flourishing opening partnership after they had resumed on 54-0.
Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis (36) added 86 for the second wicket as Sri Lanka stayed on course to set Bangladesh a challenging target to chase on the final day.
Mustafizur and Shakib brought Bangladesh back into the match by inducing a mini collapse, which saw the hosts reduced from 143-1 to 190-6.
Karunaratne and Perera then added 27 for the seventh wicket before the former became Shakib’s (3-61) third scalp of the innings.
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