KEY POINTS:
POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa - New Zealand wickets fell cheaply to South Africa A bowlers overnight as the tourists' four-day match in Potchefstroom reached its half-way stage.
South Africa A ended a day in which 18 wickets fell with a lead of 271 runs and eight second innings wickets
in hand, making it to stumps on the second day on 20 for two in their second innings.
New Zealand had earlier replied to the hosts' first innings total of 443 with just 192 all out.
The day had actually started well for the tourists with SA A, resuming on 350 for four, making just 83 additional runs while they lost their last six wickets.
Captain Daniel Vettori, who was scored off with ease on the first day, met his team's needs with two wickets in the morning, trapping Morne van Wyk (34) and Rory Kleinveldt (28) leg-before and Jacob Oram then removed former test batsman Neil McKenzie for a career-best 182.
The 31-year-old McKenzie has played 41 Tests but is something of a forgotten man in South African cricket and his superb innings was a timely reminder of his class. He batted for seven-and-a-quarter hours and faced 301 balls.
Vettori (three for 80) and Oram (three for 39 in 20 overs) each claimed another wicket and New Zealand were in to bat after lunch.
And they were soon in trouble as Michael Papps (1) was out in the fourth over, bowled by a Charl Langeveldt inswinger.
Lou Vincent briefly threatened with 21 off 30 balls with four boundaries, but fast bowler Friedel de Wet and left-armer Lonwa bo Tsotsobe were causing waves and wickets tumbled, the top-order being swept away as New Zealand crashed to 63 for six.
Vettori then shone with the bat as he and Ross Taylor (36) added 69 for the seventh wicket, the biggest stand of the innings, but the return of De Wet spelled the end of the fightback.
Vettori hit out to score 83 off just 74 balls, but the batting performance as a whole signalled an alarming lack of preparation ahead of the first Test against South Africa starting next Thursday, two hours' drive away in Johannesburg.
"We didn't bat particularly well, we're still scratching around after our winter break," Vincent told NZPA after play.
The Aucklander denied the pitch was acting up at all.
"There's no excuse though, we let ourselves down. It's a true Test wicket, pretty flat but not overly easy."
De Wet dished out the most potent poison in the New Zealand innings, finishing with six for 50 and he was well backed by Tsotsobe, who took three for 67.
Vincent said another tough day for the tourists will hopefully toughen them for the two Tests against South Africa.
"From our point of view, the bowlers did well in the morning. We wanted to bowl a bit harder and straighter today to take advantage of a bit of variable bounce, they did that and six wickets in the morning was their reward.
"Now us batsmen look forward to tomorrow and chasing down what will be a decent score," Vincent said.
The wicket-taking abilities of paceman Chris Martin were to the fore in the SA A second innings as he removed openers Gulam Bodi and Alviro Petersen, both caught behind the wicket, in the space of 19 deliveries in which he did not concede a run.
It at least gave the tourists the pleasure of ending a hard day on a positive note.
- NZPA
