Cricket: Black Caps' hopes hinging on late ambush

Black Cap James Franklin celebrates his century against South Africa on the day three of their second cricket test match in Cape Town. Picture / Reuters

CAPE TOWN - New Zealand's hopes of keeping alive the series against South Africa are hinging on a late ambush from spinners Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel.

Already one-down in the series, New Zealand need to win the second test at Newlands to salvage something for the final showdown at the Wanderers, but on present form will need a near miracle to do enough over the last two days.

When bad light stopped play this morning, South Africa were 155 for two in their first innings, still 438 behind New Zealand's total of 593 for eight declared, and 239 shy of their first priority - the follow-on mark.

No.3 Hashim Amla was unbeaten on 50, his first test half-century, and Jacques Kallis had moved through to 25 not out.

Vettori and Patel had their moments through the last two sessions of the third day, but a combination of some variable bowling, good batting and Cape Town's autumnal light ensured South Africa left the ground with high hopes of maintain their series lead.

Playing in his first test, Patel made a memorable start to his career when he first combined with James Franklin in an unbeaten 58-run stand for the ninth wicket, and then had South African skipper Graeme Smith caught and bowled with his third delivery.

Patel was also responsible for the only other wicket that fell in the day, prompting Boeta Dippenaar to play on before tea for 47, at which stage the hosts had edged through to 108 for two in 40 overs, and were solely intent on survival.

Both spinners were able to extract more bounce and turn than South African left-armer Nicky Boje, but were unable to gain a true dominance at the bowling crease, giving up a loose ball too often and allow the batsmen to relieve the pressure.

While their figures at the end of the day were economical, they'd probably be the first to admit that they were not consistent enough to gain a big enough advantage on a pitch that was providing its share of assistance.

Possibly the biggest indictment of their performance was the fact that, of the 41.5 overs they bowled in combination, only seven maidens were managed - three to Vettori and four to Patel.

For all that, New Zealand's concerns at the end of the day were in stark contrast to the start, as overnight batsmen James Franklin scored the seven runs needed to bring up his maiden test century, the milestone arriving after a checked drive for four off Dale Steyn.

Nursing a nasty lump on the base of his skull and a bandaged left forearm, Franklin raised his arms to the skies, accepted a bear-hug from partner Patel, and dispatched several joyous bat flourishes to the New Zealand dressing room, where his team-mates offered a standing ovation.

Franklin then launched a calculated assault on the bowling in tandem with Patel, smearing Dale Steyn for a couple more boundaries before tucking into a second helping of Makhaya Ntini, which must have felt like an overdue payback.

When the declaration came midway through the first session, the tourists' total was just two runs shy of the New Zealand record against South Africa, set at Auckland two summers ago.

It was a compelling statement from the New Zealanders, who carried two spinners into the match and received a further boost when South African skipper Graeme Smith chose to bowl first - the first captain to do so at Newlands since 1928.

The increasing problem now for New Zealand is the Cape Town twilight, which begins to take hold at 5pm on a sunny day, and much earlier if there is any cloud cover in the vicinity.