CAPE TOWN - In a series shrunk dramatically by bad light, New Zealand held barely a glimmer of hope of forcing a win from what remains of the second cricket test against South Africa.
New Zealand would need to claim 15 wickets on the final day here at Newlands today
to win -- a task of near mythical proportions given only 13 batsmen have come and gone in the first four days of a contest earmarked for a draw.
The Black Caps would have had to run through South Africa at least once yesterday, but had to settle for three minor successes as the Proteas ground away to reach 427 for five at stumps -- 166 short of the tourists' 593 for eight declared.
Seeking victory to atone for last week's 128-run capitulation at Centurion, New Zealand players and management accepted a win at Johannesburg in the third test starting Friday was the more realistic proposition as another attempt to win a series against the Proteas has all but failed.
"For any chance of a result, they had to pull out after passing the follow on (394) and with them 1-0 up in the series, why would they gamble?" Black Caps coach John Bracewell asked.
"If we were them, why would we declare?"
Bracewell said the challenge now for his team was to maintain their standards rather than go through the motions on what loomed as an irrelevant fifth day.
"It's difficult on a wicket like that but it's about our own personal standards.
"It's about keeping our standards up and making sure we're in a position to take dominance into the next test.
"This is a time, over the last few years, where we've been poor and embarrassed a few times going into the third and fourth innings," he said, citing the test against Pakistan at the Basin Reserve in 2003 as a prime example.
That December the Black Caps held a 170-run first innings lead, but crumbled for 103 in their second innings and eventually lost by seven wickets.
"We've either been in a very comfortable position in terms of being able to win the match or we were trying to get to a point where we were able (to win)."
Spinner Daniel Vettori, who has toiled for an accurate yet frustrating 48 overs with just the wicket of maiden test centurion Hashim Amla as reward, admitted he had higher expectations walking on to the field yesterday.
"When you get on a wicket that offers a little bit of turn, you want more success.
"It was one of those days. You have high hopes of breaking through the order but they applied themselves pretty well and the wicket settled down a touch and became quite docile.
"If you didn't want to attack as a batsman, you could sit on the ball as much as you wanted to.
"South Africa didn't want to force the issue and that's probably the right way to go about it."
Vettori maintained a sliver of hope but accepted that anything other than an instantaneous Proteas collapse would render the match and hopes of a historic series win dead and buried. The Black Caps have never beaten South Africa in a test series, at home or away.
"To get 15 (wickets) on the last day of the game is going to be tough but we hold an outside hope, but it all depends on the first hour," he said.
Realistically the vice-captain was also looking ahead to The Wanderers.
"We've still got a chance of drawing the series and we'd take that as a pretty good result over here.
"The way the batters have done here and the way Jacob (Oram) bowled (1-20 off 15 overs), we've got some good stuff going into that third test."
- NZPA
John Bracewell says the team need to keep their heads high on the final day's play (tonight NZ time).
CAPE TOWN - In a series shrunk dramatically by bad light, New Zealand held barely a glimmer of hope of forcing a win from what remains of the second cricket test against South Africa.
New Zealand would need to claim 15 wickets on the final day here at Newlands today
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