SA batsmen look to trump NZ bowlers at patience game

With 12 overs of high-quality swing and seam-bowling, South Africa feel they gained more than New Zealand, who took 87.4 overs to bowl them out, in the Durban washout.

“I’d like to believe we have the momentum on our side. Dale and Vernon would have sent some shivers down that batting line-up,” Temba Bavuma said, although he remains wary of New Zealand’s pace pack.

Steyn and Philander reduced New Zealand to 15 for 2, which seems like too little to base an advantage on but against the backdrop of South Africa’s 263, it was the start of something and a re-start for the bowling pair. Both Steyn and Philander were making comebacks to the Test team and even Trent Boult admitted he was impressed with what he saw.

“Dale Steyn is one of my favourite bowlers,” Boult said. “He was one of my idols growing up. Any chance I get to play against him is always exciting. I could almost sit there and watch every ball he bowls.”

For all their bowling success, South Africa know they did not bat well enough on the first day to make a strong enough statement about the kind of Test cricket they want to play going forward. South Africa want to start more aggressively, they want to pre-empt pressure situations so they can avoid them and they want to dominate, but in their innings in Durban they did not do any of that for a long enough period …

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