Maharaj headlines South Africa’s eight-wicket win

Keshav Maharaj became the first South African spinner since Paul Harris in March 2009 to pick up six wickets in an innings to script the team’s eight-wicket win over New Zealand on the third day of the second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Saturday (March 18).

Maharaj returned career-best figures of 6 for 40 to dismiss New Zealand for 171 in its second innings, leaving South Africa a target of 81. South Africa was 48 for 2 in 19 overs when Hashim Amla and JP Duminy requested for an extra half an hour to finish the game. The pair hit six fours and wrapped up the game in 24.3 overs to give South Africa 1-0 lead in the three-Test series, after the weather-affected first encounter had ended in a draw.

Stephen Cook (11) and Dean Elgar (17) were the two wickets to fall before Amla (38 not out) and Duminy (15 not out) had an unbroken stand of 35 runs in 6.4 overs. Duminy, who had taken 4 for 47 in New Zealand’s first innings, pulled Jimmy Neesham to the square-leg fence for the match-winning shot.

The day started with South Africa on 349 for 9 in its first innings. Vernon Philander (37 not out) added ten more runs with Morne Morkel before Jeetan Patel ended the innings.

South Africa had a lead of 91 when New Zealand started its second innings. Morkel dismissed Tom Latham and Kane Williamson to reduce New Zealand to 26 for 2. He then had Neil Broom, the debutant, caught behind for 20, as New Zealand became 64 for 3 soon after lunch.

Henry Nicholls and Neesham fell in the first and last ball of the 32nd over to give Maharaj his first success in the innings. At 90 for 5, New Zealand needed some resistance. Jeet Raval, who made a career-best 80 after being dropped once on 53, and BJ Watling (29) added 65 runs, but once Maharaj had Raval stumped the innings continued to fumble.

Poor shot selection and good bowling resulted in New Zealand lasting for only 63.2 overs. After Kagiso Rabada had Patel caught behind, Maharaj ended the innings with Watling’s wicket to finish with match figures of 8 for 87. It was Maharaj’s second five-wicket haul in his sixth Test.

It was a remarkable comeback for South Africa, who was 94 for 6 at one stage in its first innings. Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock had rescued the team with a seventh-wicket stand of 160 runs. The duo fell 11 and 9 runs short of their respective centuries, but got the job done.

New Zealand, who lost its last five wickets for 16 runs, need to win the third Test, starting in Hamilton from March 25, to avoid its second consecutive series loss against South Africa at home. South Africa had last come to New Zealand in March 2012 when it had prevailed 1-0 in the three-Test series.