Five fifties help South Africa reach 358-5 at lunch second day

CENTURION: Faf du Plessis became the fifth batsmen to score fifty in this innings as South Africa continued to build solidly against a largely luckless New Zealand attack on second day of the second Test here on Sunday.

South Africa still have some batting to come on what is likely to be an afternoon made for exactly that. Brilliant sunshine against cloudless skies greeted the enthusiastic Sunday crowd, which would have had some early nerves when Boult resumed his blistering new-ball spell.

He could have dismissed du Plessis with first delivery of the morning, which nipped back and almost took out offstump. Later that over, Boult drew an inside-edge, but there was no short leg in place. In the next over, Boult rapped du Plessis on the pads and squared JP Duminy up with a shorter length ball and in the over after that, Boult found an outside edge off Duminy's bat, but the chance fell short of slip.

Through all that, du Plessis and Duminy prodded their way to their first fifty partnership in seven stints together as Boult became increasingly frustrated with his fortunes. They could have changed when he banged in a short ball to du Plessis, who responded with rare aggression. He top-edged to deep square leg where Henry Nicholls made ground and had the ball in his grasp before it fell through his hands.

Du Plessis was on 18 at time but it was Duminy's whose numbers were more important. He moved through the 80s with successive boundaries off Boult and seemed to be switching gears but then Southee struck. Knowing Duminy was paying special attention to rolling the wrists, he tested him with a short ball, Duminy pulled and the bottom edge gave BJ Watling an easy catch while denying Duminy a fifth Test century. Duminy has now gone more than two years and 16 innings without a hundred, since July 2014.

New Zealand would have hoped that wicket would open South Africa up but du Plessis and Temba Bavuma were circumspect, especially against Wagner. They scratched out just 25 runs from 11 overs before Bavuma was hurried into a hook by a Wagner short ball and caught at long leg. Bavuma was the only batsmen not to get into double figures so far.

Stiaan van Zyl, now batting in the middle order, was at the other end when du Plessis reached fifty and saw South Africa to lunch. He has yet to score a run but will want to make a case for consideration in the long-term with a contribution in the afternoon.