Black Caps vs South Africa: Ravindra, Jamieson put hosts in box seat
Monday, 5 February 2024
First test, Bay Oval: New Zealand 511 (Rachin Ravindra 240; Neil Brand 6-119) versus South Africa 80-4 (Kyle Jamieson 2-21).
Rachin Ravindra set it up, Kyle Jamieson started knocking it down.
The Black Caps took another stride towards their target of winning the first test against South Africa by again coming out on top on day two in Mount Maunganui.
At stumps, the visitors were 80-4 in their first innings - still trailing New Zealand by 431, after Ravindra’s double century helped them reach 511 batting first.
Jamieson, who returned to the test arena late last year after more than a year sidelined by a back stress fracture, made a double breakthrough to begin the Black Caps’ quest for 20 wickets.
New Zealand could have been even better-placed had David Bedingham not been dropped by Matt Henry at fine leg off Jamieson when on 14, with South Africa 58-3.
Earlier, in just his fourth test match - and after a two-year absence from the red-ball team - Ravindra turned his maiden test ton from day one into 240, compiled from 366 balls and featuring 26 fours and three sixes.
Ravindra entered the first test of the home summer with a previous highest test score of 18.
He ended the first innings with the highest maiden test century by a NZ men’s batter, surpassing Mathew Sinclair’s 214 on debut against the West Indies in 1999.
Only 11 players in men’s tests have turned their maiden test century into a bigger tally than his 240, and it also became his highest first-class score - better than the 217 recorded in his sole game for Durham in UK county cricket when drafted in as a late call-up to replace Keegan Petersen - playing for the opposition in this test.
While the 24-year-old didn’t have Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi to deal with, he still had to stay focused against a disciplined unit.
He was able to let loose after reaching his double ton, with a remarkable ‘Pelican’ shot off one leg through extra-cover the most memorable of his 29 boundaries.
Not everything went completely as planned for the home side.
The Proteas remained determined not to let New Zealand dictate proceedings when batting and a tight line from their bowlers and smart fields from captain Neil Brand ensured the hosts were at times reined in, for all of Ravindra’s prolificacy.
Ideally, the Black Caps would have got more from Kane Williamson - who added just six to his overnight score of 112; Daryl Mitchell - a measured 34 from 75 balls before he was astounded with Brand’s sharp return catch off his own bowling; and the 39 from 42 deliveries from a frantic Glenn Phillips.
Brand ensured he’ll stump some Proteas cricket tragics in years to come when they’re asked to name bowlers who took a five-wicket bag in their debut test - the man who had never done so in first-class cricket returned figures of 6-119 from 26 overs of left-arm spin.
But 511 as a first innings score in just over five sessions soon looked plenty as wickets began to tumble late on Monday.