South Africa’s captain Dean Elgar bravely decided to bat after winning the toss. This helped his team work its way up to 80-0 on Friday, the first day of the second Test against New Zealand.
Elgar had made 25 of 81 balls by lunch, while Sarel Erwee, his opening partner, brought up his maiden half century test just before the break. He was 53 not out.
The Proteas lost their toss and had the privilege of batting first in the first test at Hagley Oval. They were bowled out for 95, a loss of an innings and 276 runs.
Friday’s decision by Elgar was to face any remaining demons from the loss and to challenge himself and his teammates to bat again as opening batsmen.
The Hagley Oval’s first-test pitch was green. New Zealand’s bowlers used the seam movement to beat South Africa in just two sessions. It scored only 111 runs in its second innings.
The pitch in the second test had a similar greenish tint to its predecessor, but had a lighter grass covering and less moisture. Elgar bet it would not provide as much assistance to New Zealand’s four-pronged seam attack.
He was generally correct. The new ball flew and Tim Southee was particularly challenged by Proteas openers who had movement in the air. Elgar and Erwee remained focused and took care of their lunches.
Elgar and Erwee learnt from the first test and decided to try harder at missing stump balls. They were unable to get their Proteas batsmen out of the field in the first test, and lost seven wickets in that innings. Five wickets later, they fell behind the wicket.
Southee tested the batsmen again by changing his length and angle. Sometimes, he would bowl from a wider spot. He hit the ball into the openers for left-handers, forcing them to always be on guard.
Elgar struggled at first, and he played and missed many times. Both openers were beginning to settle down as lunch approached. Elwee felt confident enough to fire off the pull shot in his second test. He also took the risk of driving on the up in his first test.
He had covered almost a third his runs by using shots through cover.
New Zealand only needs a draw after its dominant win in the first test to win its first ever test series victory over South Africa. While the Proteas won 13 series, three of the 16 previous series were shared.
