Du Plessis ton puts Proteas on top in second Test

By our correspondents

August 29, 2016

CENTURION, South Africa: Stand-in captain Faf du Plessis scored a fifth Test century before his bowlers ripped through the New Zealand top order to leave South Africa firmly in charge after day two of the second Test at Centurion on Sunday.

Du Plessis was one of a quintet of batsmen to cross the fifty mark — only the second time all of South Africa’s top five had done so. Incidentally, the last time they achieved the feat was at the same ground, against India, in 2010.

New Zealand’s only consolation was that Neil Wagner claimed his fourth five-wicket haul on his first appearance at his former home ground. Wagner, who was born and schooled in Pretoria, has played against South Africa before but never at SuperSport Park. With family and friends in attendance, Wagner’s relentless short-ball strategy accounted for half the South African line-up but not his former schoolmate du Plessis.

While Wagner reaped the most reward, he was not the only member of the attack to ask questions of the opposition. New Zealand’s pace pack applied collective and sustained pressure but went largely luckless.

Trent Boult’s blistering new-ball spell should have brought some reward but he had yet to take a wicket in the match. He could have had one off the first ball of the morning, which nipped back into du Plessis and almost took out off stump. Later that over, Boult drew an inside-edge, but there was no short leg in place. In the next over, he rapped du Plessis on the pads and squared JP Duminy up and, in the over after that, found an outside edge off Duminy’s bat, but the chance fell short of slip.

In that time, du Plessis had only added five runs to his overnight score of 13 before Boult could have had him again. In a rare moment of aggression, du Plessis pulled a short a ball and top-edged to deep square leg where Henry Nicholls made ground. He had the ball in his grasp but it fell through his hands and went for six.

Duminy moved through the 80s with successive boundaries off Boult and seemed to be switching gears in search of his first century since August 2014, but then Southee struck. Duminy got a bottom edge off a rash pull to give BJ Watling an easy catch.

The short ball worked again, when Wagner used it to remove Temba Bavuma, the only batsman not to get into double figures. Bavuma had seen off 11.1 overs with du Plessis when he was hurried into a hook and caught at long leg.

Stiaan van Zyl — now batting in the middle order after an unsuccessful stint at the top — saw South Africa to lunch in circumspect fashion and continued in that mould after the break. Instead, it was du Plessis who wanted to get a move on. Having seen off so many short balls earlier, he knew which ones he wanted to pull and moved from 60 to 80 in 15 deliveries.

With du Plessis taking control and the seamers wearing, New Zealand’s disciplines waned. Mitchell Santner, who went unused all morning, was eventually brought on in the 128th over and provided some reprieve for the quicks. But the spinner offered no threat and as van Zyl also settled, Kane Williamson had to turn back to Wagner, who answered his call. He had van Zyl pushing at a delivery that held its line and had him caught at wide slip to give him his fourth wicket.

In pursuit of a fifth, Wagner asked for the next ball — an lbw shout against Vernon Philander — to be reviewed but replays showed it was too high. Wagner had the last laugh when he bowled Philander through the gate after tea to reach the milestone.

The emotion poured out of him with several air punches but it was shortly matched by du Plessis. In the next over, du Plessis pulled Boult for two to bring up his century and celebrated like a man vindicated. He was dropped in the last Test series and brought back as stand-in captain for this one and was the only member of his team to score a hundred.

Score Board

New Zealand won toss

South Africa 1st innings

S C Cook c Williamson b Bracewell 56

†Q de Kock c Boult b Wagner 82

H M Amla c Watling b Wagner 58

J P Duminy c Watling b Southee 88

*F du Plessis not out 112

T Bavuma c Bracewell b Wagner 8

S van Zyl c Taylor b Wagner 35

V D Philander b Wagner 8

K Rabada c Nicholls b Santner 7