Steyn sets up South Africa series win – Proteas rout New Zealand

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South African bowler Kagiso Rabada fields the ball off his own delivery during the fourth day of the second cricket Test match between South Africa and New Zealand at the Supersport Cricket Stadium in Centurion, South Africa on Aug 30. (AFP)
South African bowler Kagiso Rabada fields the ball off his own delivery during the fourth day of the second cricket Test match between South Africa and New Zealand at the Supersport Cricket Stadium in Centurion, South Africa on Aug 30. (AFP)

CENTURION, South Africa, Aug 30, (AFP): Fast bowler Dale Steyn set up a series-clinching 204-run win for South Africa on the fourth day of the second and final Test against New Zealand at SuperSport Park on Tuesday.

Steyn took three wickets with his first 11 balls of the innings and finished with five for 33 as New Zealand were bowled out for 195 despite a defiant innings of 76 by Henry Nicholls.

It looked as though it would be easy for the hosts when Steyn and Vernon Philander ripped through New Zealand’s top four batsmen for seven runs inside the first four overs of the innings.

But the left-handed Nicholls, playing in his sixth Test match, displayed courage and concentration in making his second Test half-century and highest score to delay South Africa’s celebrations.

He found a similarly determined partner in BJ Watling, who made 32 in a two-hour, 68-run fifth wicket partnership, while Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell and Tim Southee all provided varying degrees of resistance.

Nicholls was last man out after batting for 255 minutes. He faced 140 balls and hit 12 fours.

Steyn bowled Tom Latham with the first ball of the final innings, then had Latham’s fellow opener, Martin Guptill, caught at first slip, also for a first ball duck, off the final ball of the over.

The magnitude of New Zealand’s task was shown in the second over when captain and first innings top-scorer Kane Williamson was struck a painful blow on the left hand by a ball from Vernon Philander which reared up off a good length. He required lengthy treatment before resuming his innings.

The team physiotherapist went onto the field twice more to treat the player before Williamson was caught behind off Philander for five.

In between, Ross Taylor was trapped leg before wicket by an unplayable ball from Steyn, which skidded through barely above ankle height off a pitch with increasingly unpredictable bounce.

Latham tried to leave the ball from Steyn that bowled him but it lifted sharply and bounced off his raised bat onto the stumps.

Guptill, a heavy scorer in limited overs international cricket, again raised doubts about his technique in Test cricket when he edged a ball that seamed away from him.

In three innings in the truncated series, Latham and Guptill scored a combined 23 runs and the highest total at the fall of the second wicket was 13, putting pressure on Williamson and the remaining batsmen.

Watling was dropped by Stiaan van Zyl at third slip off Philander when he had five and two runs later seemed lucky to get the benefit of the doubt from television umpire Richard Illingworth when the South Africans appeared convinced that he had gloved Philander to De Kock.

South Africa added 27 runs in 13 overs, for the loss of Philander’s wicket, before declaring their second innings on 132 for seven. Temba Bavuma made 40 not out. Tim Southee bowled Philander and finished with three for 46.

Top-order batsman Shaun Marsh is returning home from Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka with a broken little finger.

“Shaun suffered an injury to his left little finger whilst fielding,” physiotherapist David Beakley said after Australia took a 2-1 lead in the five-match ODI series on Sunday.

“An X-ray after the match confirmed a fracture and Shaun will now return to Perth to allow time for this to heal.”

Cricket Australia selectors confirmed Usman Khawaja would replace Marsh in the squad for the two T20 internationals against Sri Lanka.

Former England middle-order batsman Ian Bell has signed for the Perth Scorchers team in Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash League (BBL), joining compatriot David Willey.

The 34-year-old, who captains Warwickshire, had previously played in the West Australian city in several Ashes tours, and also joins retired international Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson.

“I’m delighted to be coming back to play in Perth for the Scorchers in this year’s Big Bash,” Bell said in a statement.

“I love the city having played there earlier in my career and to work with (Scorchers coach) Justin Langer will be superb.”

Langer, a former Test opener who filled in for Darren Lehmann during Australia’s tour of the West Indies earlier this year, said the right-hander would bring experience and leadership to the team.

“With 22 Test centuries and a One-Day International average close to 40, he’ll bolster our batting options,” he added.

Scoreboard

CENTURION, South Africa, Aug 30, (AFP): Final scores on the fourth day of the second and final Test between South Africa and New Zealand at SuperSport Park on Tuesday:

SOUTH AFRICA, first innings, 481-8 dec

NEW ZEALAND, first innings, 214

SOUTH AFRICA, second innings

(overnight 105-6)

  1. Cook lbw b Boult ……………………… 4
  2. de Kock c Williamson

b Bracewell …………………………. 50

  1. Amla c Guptill b Southee ……………… 1
  2. Duminy lbw b Southee ………………… 0
  3. du Plessis c Taylor b Boult ……………. 6
  4. Bavuma not out ……………………… 40
  5. van Zyl c Watling b Wagner …………… 5
  6. Philander b Southee …………………. 14
  7. Piedt not out ………………………….. 0

Extras (b4, lb1, nb1, w6) ……………….. 12

Total (7 wkts dec, 47 overs) …………… 132

Fall of wickets: 1-31 (Cook), 2-32 (Amla), 3-32 (Duminy), 4-47 (Du Plessis), 5-82 (De Kock), 6-98 (Van Zyl), 7-129 (Philander)

Bowling: Southee 16-6-46-3 (1w), Boult 14-3-44-2, Bracewell 7-2-19-1, Wagner 10-1-18-1 (1nb, 1w)

NEW ZEALAND, second innings

  1. Latham b Steyn ……………………….. 0
  2. Guptill c Amla b Steyn ……………….. 0
  3. Williamson c De Kock b Philander …………………………… 5
  4. Taylor lbw b Steyn ……………………. 0
  5. Nicholls c Rabada b Steyn …………… 76
  6. Watling lbw b Piedt ………………….. 32
  7. Santner b Steyn …………………….. 16
  8. Bracewell lbw b Philander …………… 30
  9. Southee b Rabada …………………… 14
  10. Wagner lbw b Rabada ………………… 3
  11. Boult not out ………………………….. 0

Extras (b10, lb7, w2) …………………… 19

Total (58.2 overs) …………………….. 195

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Latham), 2-3 (Guptill), 3-5 (Taylor), 4-7 (Williamson), 5-75 (Watling), 6-118 (Santner), 7-164 (Bracewell), 8-187 (Southee), 9-195 (Wagner)

Bowling: Steyn 16.2-4-33-5, Philander 14-4-34-2 (1w), Rabada 13-2-54-2 (1w), Van Zyl 3-1-5-0, Piedt 12-3-52-1

Result: South Africa won by 204 runs

Series: South Africa won the two-match series 1-0

Toss: New Zealand

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Paul Reiffel (AUS)

TV umpire: Richard Illingworth (ENG)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

 

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