New Zealand’s task: pull off highest successful chase in Tests or bat 133 overs to draw
Tea South Africa 364 & 354/9d (Verreynne 136*, Sipamla 10*) lead New Zealand 293 by 425 runs
New Zealand will need to pull off the highest successful chase in Test cricket or bat out four sessions and draw the second Test if they are to record a first series win over South Africa. With a minimum of 133 overs left, New Zealand will be required to score at 3.2 runs an over on a surface that has shown signs of deterioration.
New Zealand’s highest successful chase at present is the 324 for 5 against Pakistan in Christchurch (Jade Stadium), but it came nearly 30 years ago. The biggest total chased down at the Harley Oval is Australia’s 201 for 3.
He shared in 78-run sixth and eighth wicket stands with Wiaan Mulder and Kagiso Rabada respectively and a 32-run last-wicket partnership with Lutho Sipamla to extend South Africa’s lead beyond 400.
Verreynne started the day slowly, scoring two runs off 10 balls he faced in the first seven overs before a neat clip off his pads got him going. He went on to score 24 runs off the next 25 balls he faced, bringing out the pull against Tim Southee and Henry, to get close to a half-century.
That’s when he lost Mulder as Kyle Jamieson nicked him off with Tom Blundell taking a one-handed blinder to his right after changing direction at the last second. The catch of the day, though, was still to come two overs before the second new ball was due.
Marco Jansen whipped Colin de Grandhomme to deep midwicket. Will Young ran to his left, stuck out his left arm and the ball stuck as he rolled over to avoid crashing into the boundary. There was no crowd in that section of the ground but Young saluted a superb catch anyway. Jansen faced 41 deliveries in all.
New Zealand took the second new ball as soon as it became available, and had a loud shout immediately against Verreynne as he was hit above the knee roll. Ball-tracking showed it was going over the stumps, a reasonable conclusion given the extra bounce in the surface. He had survived at the stroke of lunch.
Rabada joined Verreynne in the afternoon sessions and showed intent early on when he drove Southee through mid-on for four. He went on to hit him through mid-off for four more and then over long-on for the first of four sixes. His second was a flat-batted smear over long-on off Henry. Then he plundered back-to-back sixes off Southee, over deep midwicket and long-on. He had a first Test half-century in sight but did not get hold of a Henry short ball properly and was caught by de Grandhomme at long-on for a 34-ball 47.
Verreynne had been mostly a spectator during this stand, but worked his way into the 90s and brought up his century with a four through fine leg off Henry. South Africa’s lead was over 370 at that point and there was some licence to lash out. Verreynne soon took a hat-trick of boundaries off Jamieson, but Keshav Maharaj top-edged a pull in the same over. Verreynne ended it with six over deep point.
South Africa’s lead grew to over 400 and New Zealand’s agitation to end the innings grew. They peppered No.11, Lutho Sipamla with short balls and Southee struck him on the helmet to hasten Dean Elgar’s decision to declare. South Africa closed their innings after 100 overs, leaving themselves four sessions to try and win the game.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent