South Africa’s Tour of New Zealand (1st Test)
A rather one sided encounter at the Bay Oval saw New Zealand take down South Africa by 281 runs in the opening test. The Kiwis found some outstanding form in their build up to the win, with Rachin Ravindra leading from the front with a double century and Kane Williamson backing it up with a century in each innings. Mitchell Santner too played a pivotal role with the ball in hand, claiming 6 wickets in total to help beat the fairly young Proteas side.
In the first innings, New Zealand showcased their dominance with the bat, amassing a mammoth total of 511 runs. Rachin Ravindra’s sensational knock of 240 alongside Kane Williamson’s solid 118, laid the foundation for the Black Caps. Despite a commendable effort by South Africa’s Neil Brand, who claimed six wickets, contributions from Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, and Matt Henry propelled New Zealand past the 500-run mark.
Facing a daunting task at hand, The Proteas were quick to falter against New Zealand’s potent bowling attack, managing only 162 runs in their first innings. Despite brief resistance from Keegan Petersen and David Bedingham, South Africa struggled to build substantial partnerships, succumbing to the relentless pressure exerted by the Kiwi bowlers.
New Zealand, having had the option to enforce a follow-on, decided to take up the bat instead and continued to pile on runs to an already imposing 349 lead. Kane Williamson’s stubborn century helped calm the nerves of a shaky second innings for the Kiwis’s, propelling them to a declaration at 179 for 4. This gave South Africa a challenging target of 529 runs with two days of play remaining.
South Africa fought valiantly, with David Bedingham leading the charge with a resilient 87. However, their efforts fell short as Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner spearheaded New Zealand’s bowling attack, guiding their team to a resounding victory by 281 runs.
Rachin Ravindra was awarded the man of the match for his spectacular maiden century, amassing 240 runs before being dismissed. Another note-able mention for the award would have been Kane Williamson. His back to back centuries helped New Zealand take a 1-0 lead in their two match series.
Chief Scores :
New Zealand [1st inn] – 511 for 10 (Rachin Ravindra 240, Kane Williamson 118, Neil Brand 6 for 119, Ruan de Swardt 2 for 61)
South Africa [1st Inn] – 162 for 10 (Keegan Peterson 45, David Bedingham 32, Matt Henry 3 for 31, Mitchell Santner 3 for 34)
New Zealand [2nd Inn] – 179 for 4 dec (Kane Williamson 109, Devon Conway 29, Neil Brand 2 for 52, Dane Paterson 1 for 38)
South Africa [2nd Inn] – 247 for 10 (David Bedingham 87, Zubayr Hamza 36, Kyle Jamieson 4 for 58, Mitchell Santner 3 for 59)
