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Du Plessis and Bavuma resist NZ quicks
- Updated: August 19, 2016
Tea South Africa 146 for 4 (du Plessis 18*, Bavuma 22*, Boult 2-18) v New ZealandLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Faf du Plessis, returning to the South African XI as stand-in captain, and Temba Bavuma, fast becoming a resolute presence in the middle order, withstood a stern examination from the New Zealand fast bowlers to keep the first Test ever to be played in August at Kingsmead in the balance.
Slipping to 106 for 4 having chosen to bat was not the outcome du Plessis was hoping for after he had sounded his distaste for the mediocre cricket they had played since the tour of India in 2015. He had admitted to mental scarring as a result of that series, when South Africa lost their No. 1 ranking and were sent on their way to where they are now, the seventh-ranked team in the world. He had asked his men to challenge themselves on the eve of the match, and showed them the way with a firm 18 off 72 balls. Bavuma was unbeaten on 22 off 49.
Looking down the scorecard, you would notice Hashim Amla finished the first session on 42 off 41 balls. That invokes the picture of a placid surface and toothless bowling. Batsmen with quick hands and decisive footwork are often responsible for that mirage.
But Trent Boult reestablished that the pitch in Durban was anything but a featherbed. He had Amla caught behind for 53 with a peach of an inswinger soon after lunch after which New Zealand suffocated the rate of scoring. Where the batsman had gone to lunch …
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