Black Caps must match Proteas' approach

By Kris Shannon

The Black Caps have been taught a painful lesson about how to play in their home conditions. Winning the second test now rests on how quickly they can adapt.

That was how senior batter Tom Latham assessed a humbling afternoon on day two at Seddon Park, the hosts outwitted and outplayed by an unheralded opposition.

South Africa, short on test experience but lacking no nous, have been a step ahead since arriving in Hamilton, from the toss and team selection to the way they bowled after tea.

Tactical supremacy has earned the tourists only parity, ahead by 31 runs on the scoreboard yet still facing a talent deficit on the pitch. Considering the ease with which they were dispatched in the first test, however, it must have been heartening to hear Latham tip his cap when the carnage was complete.

Rolled for 211, six wickets falling for 38 runs, the opener had little alternative. But it was telling how readily Latham acknowledged the reality of the Black Caps’ path to victory: replicating their opponents’ approach.

“It was not the ideal finish to the day,” said the 78-test veteran. “The game’s in the balance at the moment. South Africa have shown how to bowl on that surface and hopefully when we get our opportunity we can do something similar.

“As batting and bowling units, it’s about trying to adapt to the surface now as quick as possibly, and we’ve got a good opportunity to do that in the morning.”

New Zealand have seemed flummoxed by the Seddon Park pitch, selecting four seamers only for spinning allrounder Rachin Ravindra to prove most effective in the opening exchanges. Day two brought little clarity for the batters, who were left baffled as offspinner Dane Piedt claimed 5-89 in his first test since 2019.

“We didn’t think it would potentially turn the way that it has,” Latham said. “We’ve seen a bit more turn than probably what we’ve been used to here in New Zealand.

“Dane Piedt showed how the bowl on that surface. He bowled really well, bowled tightly, economically, and managed to get some reward. We’ve got a couple of spinners in our lineup who turn the ball both ways so I’m sure they’ll get plenty of opportunities.”

With Mitchell Santner watching from the sidelines, Ravindra and part-timer Glenn Phillips indeed loom as pivotal in restricting the Proteas’ lead, knowing Piedt will be problematic in any chase.

“It looks like a wicket that’s hard to start on, especially when the ball is turning and bouncing,” Latham said. “So we’ve got to take that from a bowling perspective and hopefully we can put South Africa under pressure.”

That will need to be true also of New Zealand’s four-pronged pace attack, largely luckless until debutant Will O’Rourke cleaned up the tourists’ tail. Dane Paterson (3-39) posed more questions to the opposing top order than the Black Caps quartet combined, the 34-year-old now boasting nine test wickets but 557 in first-class cricket.

“He was like a bowling machine; he just kept coming back and putting the ball on the spot time after time,” Latham said. “We’ve seen that scoring can be tough if you are ruthless on the areas you bowl. That’s something that we’ll be looking to do — challenge the off stump as much as we can and make them make good decisions.

“We’ve got to come out with the belief that if we can put the ball in the right areas for a long period of time then hopefully we can get some rewards, too.

“We know we’re up for a good fight.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission