CENTURION, South Africa: 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.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa (first innings): 481-8 decl.
New Zealand (first innings): 214
South Africa (second innings):
S. Cook lbw Boult 4
Q. de Kock c Williamson b Bracewell 50
H. Amla c Guptill b Southee 1
J. Duminy lbw Southee 0
F. du Plessis c Taylor b Boult 6
T. Bavuma not out 40
S. van Zyl c Watling b Wagner 5
V. Philander b Southee 14
D. Piedt not out 0
Extras: 12
Total (7 wkts decl, 47 overs) 132
Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-32, 3-32, 4-47, 5-82, 6-98, 7-129.
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):
T. Latham b Steyn 0
M. Guptill c Amla b Steyn 0
K. Williamson c De Kock b Philander 5
R. Taylor lbw b Steyn 0
H. Nicholls c Rabada b Steyn 76
B. Watling lbw Piedt 32
M. Santner b Steyn 16
D. Bracewell lbw Philander 30
T. Southee b Rabada 14
N. Wagner lbw Rabada 3
T. Boult not out 0
Extras: 19
Total: 195
Fall of wkts: 1-0, 2-3, 3-5, 4-7, 5-75, 6-118, 7-164, 8-187, 9-195.
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.
Steyn sets up South African series win
Steyn sets up South African series win
Al-Ittihad drop points in Abha as Al-Fateh cruise to fifth consecutive win
- Al-Ittihad’s perfect run of form since the Arab Cup break comes to an end after 1-1 draw against Damac
- Al-Fateh defeat Al-Riyadh 3-1 to extend winning streak to five games
RIYADH: Matchday 15 of the Saudi Pro League continued on Tuesday with three fixtures across three cities. Al-Ittihad shared the spoils with Damac in Abha, Al-Okhdood edged Al-Kholood 1-0 in Najran, while Al-Fateh defeated Al-Riyadh 3-1 in Al-Ahsa.
The result in Abha was a disappointing one for the defending champions. Since their defeat to city rivals Al-Ahli on November 8 of last year, Al-Ittihad had won every match in the league. Damac proved stubborn opposition at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Stadium, which welcomed a vibrant crowd, split — albeit unevenly — between Damac’s red and Al-Ittihad’s black and yellow.
Early signs suggested the visitors were in control. From the outset, the threat of Moussa Diaby stretching the pitch down the right, combined with Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti’s underlapping runs, led Al-Ittihad to what appeared to be an early opener in the 3rd minute.
Al-Shanqeeti, providing the connection between Diaby and Karim Benzema, took advantage of a failed clearance to fire past Damac goalkeeper Kewin. Unfortunately for the visitors, the goal was ruled out, as Diaby failed to keep the ball in play before delivering the cross.
Damac gradually grew into the contest, with their compact 5-4-1 shape limiting the opposition from establishing control. Al-Ittihad resorted to direct balls from deep to exploit space in behind, but the well-drilled Damac defence consistently denied them from the final touch.
The hosts then struck against the run of play. After an accidental intervention by the referee, play resumed with Riyadh Sharahili threading a pass behind the Ittihad centre-backs for Abdullah Al-Qahtani, who finished confidently to open the scoring in the 37th minute.
Sharahili would be involved in a goal at the other end just eight minutes later. The underlapping Al-Shanqeeti runs would come back to bite Damac, as he was spotted by Diaby inside the box, only for Sharahili’s misfired clearance to fall back to him to finish for the equaliser.
Sergio Conceição’s side knew that an early goal in the second half was crucial against a side like Damac. However, Benzema was surprisingly brought off at half-time in favour of Saleh Al-Shehri. Social media footage later suggested the Frenchman had been substituted due to injury.
Al-Shehri provided a different attacking profile, as Al-Ittihad now relied on crosses from Ahmad Al-Julaydan, but Damac defenders Abdulrahman Al-Khaibary and Hassan Rubayyi of Damac’s dealt well with the threat.
Their plan to draw Al-Ittihad forward and strike on the counter nearly paid off late on. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, they found themselves in a three-on-two situation that quickly turned into a one-on-one, only for Abdulrahman Al-Obaid’s effort to crash against the post.
Al-Ittihad’s night ended on a sour note when Fabinho was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Yahya Naji. Despite avoiding defeat, this draw was Al-Ittihad’s seventh game away at Damac without a win.
Elsewhere, Al-Fateh continued their stellar run of form to grab their fifth win on the trot with a 3-1 victory over Al-Riyadh. After spending the first part of the season lingering outside the relegation zone, they now sit 12 points clear in 10th place. In Najran, Al-Kholood fell to a 1-0 defeat against Al-Okhdood, marking their eighth loss in nine matches.
Matchday 15 concludes on Wednesday, with Al-Qadsiah vs. Al-Fayha at 5:45pm, followed by Al-Ahli vs. Al-Taawoun in the battle for second place at 8.30pm alongside Al-Shabab vs. NEOM.
