Dane Piedt took a career-best 5-89 as South Africa bowled out New Zealand for 211 to take an unexpected first-innings lead Wednesday on the second day of the second Test.
South Africa was bowled out for 242 after resuming Day 2 at 220-6 and New Zealand conceded a 31 run lead as bowlers dominated and 14 wickets fell in the day.
New Zealand had been 183-9 and the deficit might have been greater but for a late innings of 33 by the redoubtable Neil Wagner.
Piedt reached the high point of a checkered Test career as he captured the wickets of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Will Young and Glenn Phillips to highlight an excellent bowling performance by the Proteas. Dane Paterson took the wicket of Devon Conway (0) in the first over of the New Zealand innings and finished with 3-39.
“My Test career has been ups and downs with injuries and I’m seriously proud of the way we fought today,” Piedt said. “We had a nice talk out in the middle, reflecting on the first Test (which New Zealand won by 281 runs) and I’m glad everyone stood up today and put something forward for the public.”
Four batters, two from each team, were out bowled off an inside edge and another was caught behind off an inside edge onto the pad on a day of inconsistent bounce at Seddon Park. There were signs the usually seamer-friendly pitch wasn’t performing to character when part-time spinner Rachin Ravindra bowled 21 overs for New Zealand on the first day.
Off-spinner Piedt came into his own in the middle session when the ball turned sharply and he asked questions even the best New Zealand batters couldn’t answer.
The 33-year-old made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in 2014 and played another six Tests over the next two years. He dropped out of the team but was recalled for two Tests in India in 2019 but took only two wickets in two Tests appearances.
Piedt had begun to explore changing his allegiance to the United States when he received his latest recall for the current series.
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Ruan de Swardt in his second Test and Shaun von Berg, on debut at 37, shared an unbroken partnership of 70 for South Africa’s seventh wicket before stumps on Day 1 in what is proving to be a rare display of batting fortitude.
Their defiance didn’t last long on the second morning. Von Berg was out in the third over of the day for 38 and de Swardt followed soon after for 64 after reaching his maiden Test half century on Tuesday.
Both de Swardt and von Berg chopped balls from Will O’Rourke back onto their stumps. O’Rourke also took the last two wickets of the innings with consecutive balls and finished with 4-59 on his Test debut.
The South Africa innings crumbled and its last three wickets fell for eight runs including Piedt for 4.
New Zealand got an early taste of the difficulty of batting on a pitch which was livelier on the second day than the first when Conway continued a run of poor form and was out to the fourth ball of the innings.
Paterson angled a ball into Conway from around the wicket and it straightened late, catching the edge and going on to wicketkeeper Clyde Fortuin. Conway now has gone seven innings and almost a year without a Test 50.
Latham and Williamson steadied the innings in a partnership of 74 for the second wicket but they had to be constantly watchful and scoring was difficult. Neither team has scored above three runs per over so far in the Test.
Latham fell for 40, bowled by Piedt as he pushed forward to a ball which turned past the outside edge and hit off stump.
Williamson was 43 when he received a ball from Piedt which bounced unexpectedly and came off the inside edge, onto the thigh pad and flew to Raynard van Tonder at short leg.
“I think as a bowling unit we had the discussion of bowling in pairs and just trying to strangle them,” Piedt said. Latham and Williamson “are two very good players and they do fight through those tough periods.
“We said he just have to keep grinding away and luck will go our way, and fortunately it did.”
Rachin Ravindra made 29, then dragged a ball from Tshepo Moreki back onto his stumps and Tom Blundell fell in similar fashion, deciding too late to leave a ball from Paterson which bounced more than he expected.
Will Young fell to Piedt when he was 36, holing out to de Swardt at long-on.
Wagner’s late contribution might prove vital in a match of small margins.
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