The Proteas bounced back from one of their worst ever Test defeats to seal a 198-run against New Zealand and level the two-match series at 1-1.
After losing the first Test against the Black Caps inside seven sessions by more than an innings, not many would have given South Africa any chance of finding a way back in the two-match series, with New Zealand looking odds-on to secure their first-ever Test series victory over the Proteas.
But Dean Elgar and his men totally turned the tables on the hosts in the second Test, with the likes of Sarel Erwee and Kyle Verreynne both scoring centuries to ensure the Proteas set competitive targets, while Kagiso Rabada led the way with the ball, taking 8/106 in the match to make sure the Black Caps were never comfortable at the crease for too long.
The foundation for the victory was laid over the first four days, with the Proteas needing just six more wickets on the fifth and final day to bring the contest to an end, while the Black Caps still needed a massive 333 runs to secure an unlikely win of their own.
New Zealand resumed on 93/4 on Tuesday morning after the Proteas had declared on 354/9 and set them a record 426 runs for victory.
Record intact❗
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) March 1, 2022
Sipamla, Maharaj, Rabada and Jansen bowl South Africa to a series-levelling 198 run victory. It ends 1-1 as the Black Caps remain without a Test series win against the Proteas.#NZvSA day 5 highlights 👇
And while the victory did not come immediately, with only one wicket falling in the first session and a couple of dropped catches doing their bit to prolong the contest, patience proved to be key as the Black Caps were ultimately dismissed for 227.
Devon Conway (60*) and Tom Blundell (24*) resumed in the morning, having steadied the ship in Monday’s final session after a flurry of early wickets.
The South Africans definitely needed to bide their time with these two men at the crease, with the partnership only getting broken five overs before lunch by Lutho Sipamla, who trapped Conway in front with a fiery yorker to dismiss the innings’ lynchpin for 92.
That left New Zealand at 170/5 at lunch, though the second session would be where the visitors made major inroads.
Blundell eventually joined Conway in the pavilion for a well-played 44, caught by Temba Bavuma at mid-wicket off the bowling of Marco Jansen, before Colin de Grandhomme (18) followed shortly after, dismissed by the same bowler when he was caught by Wiaan Mulder at leg-gully.
Jansen then also nabbed the wicket of Kyle Jamieson just a couple of deliveries after the new ball was taken when the seamer tried a shot that simply wasn’t on and paid the price.
Rabada took the catch to dismiss Jamieson and then returned to remove Tim Southee for 17 to leave the Proteas one wicket short of victory.
Neil Wagner and Matt Henry provided some late resistance to delay the inevitable before rain started falling to bring about an early tea break.
Proteas fans would have been fearing the worst at this stage, but thankfully the rain did not stick around long and shortly after the start of the third and final session, Keshav Maharaj trapped Henry plumb in front LBW to bring the contest to an end and wrap up one of the gutsiest Proteas Test wins in recent memory.
