So the match is evenly poised but you cannot help but feel the home side squandered an opportunity to turn the heat on the visiting side having earlier wrapped up South Africa's first innings for 238. Brendon McCullum and captain Ross Taylor batted quite brilliantly in patches but surrendered their innings in such a disappointing fashion. McCullum (48) perished to a swipe.
He tried to sweep legspinner Imran Tahir but got a top edge. Taylor (44) played two glorious drives moments before he tried to cut a wide delivery when he was in no position to do so and got an edge.
New Zealand was well-placed at 106 for two but the picture looked a lot different at 116 for four. McCullum conceded as much shortly after the match. "Our bowlers did a fantastic job to dismiss South Africa for the 230-odd that they got, and I thought we put ourselves in positions where we had opportunities to capitalise and build a big lead but unfortunately weren't able to do so," he said. " We are reasonably happy. There is still a long way to go ...
but at this point in time we'd like to be further in front." I expect the pitch will get lower as the game goes on and probably slow up a little bit as well. So we have to make sure we bowl well in the next innings so we are not chasing too many." Vernon Philander played a big part in halting the Blacks Caps' momentum. While the right-arm seamer did not pick up the key wickets of McCullum or Taylor, he took four for 50 and was a constant threat. South Africa resumed clinging to the hope Jacques Rudolph, who was undefeated on 46, and Philander (4) could carry the tourists through to a stronger position. But Chris Martin quickly had Philander in all kinds of trouble. The all-rounder was struck on the gloves, nicked one through the slips and then whacked a boundary through square leg before slashing a catch to Kane Williamson in the gully.
Jacques Rudolph added six to his overnight score but was out in disappointing fashion when he guided a drive to Trent Boult. New Zealand's reply got off to a poor start with Rob Nicol's maiden test innings an unconvincing 12-ball affair. He survived a confident appeal for lbw only to nick out to a beautiful ball from Philander which nipped away from the right-hander. McCullum had a life when play resumed after lunch. Hashim Amla dropped a sharp chance at a short leg position. Morkel's disappointment did not last long. He removed Martin Guptill with his next delivery.
The batsman was late on a defensive shot and tickled the ball on to his stumps. That brought the Taylor to the wicket on his 28th birthday. Morkel welcomed him to the crease with a couple of snarlers. One collided with the batsman's chest, the other collected his shoulder. Nothing a wee rub would not fix, though. McCullum also got in the way of a bouncer but gradually the pair took control. Taylor swivelled into a cracking pull shot, dispatching Philander to the square leg boundary, then welcomed Dale Steyn back to the bowling crease with a sublime drive through the covers.
McCullum stood tall and watched a drive of his own rocket back past a forlorn Morkel and swatted the legspinner Tahir in the same direction. Everything was going quite nicely for the home team until McCullum's rush of blood and Taylor's poor judgement. Daniel Vettori swatted and swiped his way to 46 and Kruger van Wyk showed some fight with 36 in his maiden test innings.
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