Cricket: Black Caps on the ropes

New Zealand's Brendon McCullum evades a bouncer on the fourth day of the first test this morning. Picture / Reuters

CENTURION - New Zealand are staring down the barrel of an ignominious drubbing from South Africa following another frightful batting effort at SuperSport Park.

The side who started the third day in a position of authority were virtually doomed at stumps last night, by which time they'd staggered to 98 for seven in their second innings, still 151 runs short of the winning target with just three wickets intact.

Eventually rescued from their misery by poor light, New Zealand will resume tonight with embattled opener Hamish Marshall unbeaten on 24, Daniel Vettori on 18, and with only James Franklin and Chris Martin to come.

The carnage began shortly after New Zealand had finished off South Africa's second innings at 299, a total that left them the unenviable task of scoring 249 to win, on a pitch that might have been prepared by the local village witch doctor.

Peter Fulton, experimental No.3 Kyle Mills, Stephen Fleming, Scott Styris and Nathan Astle all fell in quick succession to catches behind the wicket, and when first innings hero Jacob Oram lost his poles in the 13th over, New Zealand were reeling at 28 for six.

The tourists then received a further setback after the weather-extended lunch break when Brendon McCullum was caught behind off Steyn for another anti-climactic cameo (33 off 38 balls), to leave them almost gone at 73 for seven.

Under heavily overcast skies, the only slightly bright aspect of the New Zealand effort was the grittiness of Marshall, who absorbed a terrible hammering from Ntini and Dale Steyn, including being struck a fearful blow in the kidneys.

The little right-handed opener was under intense scrutiny after being shifted into the opening position last month, but battled courageously against the hostile attack and must have gone some way towards retaining his position.

There's even a chance, if can survive the onslaught later this evening, that he could become the second New Zealander to carry his bat through a test innings, following Glenn Turner's efforts in 1969 and 1972.

Marshall could even claim the world record for the lowest score in the category (at present South Africa's AB Tancred with an unbeaten 26), but to do that he'd have to lose his remaining partners quickly tonight; a not altogether improbable scenario.

Whatever happens there, the SuperSport pitch has remained in a spiteful mood during this match, although New Zealand would have returned to their Sandton hotel last knowing that they were mostly the authors of their own downfall.

Fulton, Mills and Fleming edged quality deliveries behind the wicket; Scott Styris and Nathan Astle fell to limp-wristed wafts outside the off-stump, and McCullum played loosely at Steyn at a time when he was starting to make some progress.

The only New Zealander who could be forgiven for having a second glance at the surface as he trudged off was Oram, who was bowled neck and crop by a Ntini delivery that kept low.

For all that, the pitch was a constant source of concern for both side's batsmen, and the psychological effect of its inconsistency clearly played a major part in New Zealand's decline last night, directly or indirectly.

The only remaining hope for them now involves staging of the one of the game's greatest escapes, or, and this must be the more likely development, a perfectly-timed intervention from the Gauteng weather.