Cricket: Test history hangs in balance for NZ

By RICHARD BOOCK

New Zealand will face the defining moment of their international summer this morning when they attempt to snuff out South Africa's run chase on the last day of the final test at the Basin Reserve.

Needing to win or draw to post a historic first test series win over the South Africans, New Zealand's prospects were in the balance last night after the tourists went to stumps at 82-3, requiring a further 152 runs for victory.

South Africa were at one stage reeling at 36-3 following another penetrative spell from Chris Martin, but were able to consolidate courtesy of a studious fourth-wicket stand of 46 between skipper Graeme Smith and Gary Kirsten.

When bad light stopped play with 16 overs remaining, Smith was leading the resistance with 46 not out and Kirsten was unbeaten on 19 and proving an admirable foil.

On a day in which the fortunes of both sides continued to fluctuate, New Zealand made a bold start before South Africa roared back into contention, bowling out their opponents for 252 to leave themselves a winning target of 234.

Aware that saving the series would allow their tour to end on a rare bright note, the Proteas attacked at the start of the chase, but were forced to change tack after the quick loss of Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Rudolph, and Jacques Kallis.

Martin, who will become the first New Zealander to take five-wicket bags in four consecutive innings should he continue with his good work today, again provided the cutting edge for the New Zealand attack when he sent back Gibbs and Rudolph.

Generating useful pace and swinging the ball late, he tempted Gibbs to play a leaden-footed waft in the fifth over, and then produced the delivery of the match in his next, clean bowling Rudolph with a ball that pitched on leg and hit off.

Suddenly in trouble at 31-2, South Africa's fortunes plummeted further when Jacob Oram trapped Kallis in front, leaving the New Zealanders jubilant and the scent of history in the air.

However, the fairytale start to the innings was gradually negated by the industry of Smith and Kirsten, who partly defused the threat of Martin, successfully combated the spin of Daniel Vettori and saw off the pace of Chris Cairns.

Smith was secure on the pull and hook, and prolific off his pads; his only moment of genuine concern arriving late in the day when he was given the benefit of the doubt after a vociferous appeal for leg-before from Vettori.

Kirsten, whose 100th test in Auckland produced two runs, will retire from international cricket at the end of the match, and would dearly like to leave on a high note following the disappointment at Eden Park.

The test now appears to hang on the fate of this morning's first session, when New Zealand need to make further inroads into a South African batting line-up that still has Martin van Jaarsveld, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock and Nicky Boje up its sleeve.

The situation at stumps was in stark contrast with New Zealand's position at lunch, at which stage Cairns and Scott Styris had smashed 50 runs during a rain-shortened first session to raise hopes of a substantial lead.

However, in keeping with the trend of this test, both fell to unnecessarily risky shots, Cairns top-edging an attempted slog-sweep, and Styris lifting a cross-batted drive off Andre Nel, who accepted a smart return catch.

It was only a last-wicket stand of 28 between Oram (who marshalled the tail intelligently while scoring 40) and Martin that ensured South Africa would be forced to chase a challenging total.

Scoreboard:

NEW ZEALAND

First innings 297

Second innings (128-5 overnight)

M Papps lbw b Pollock 0

M Richardson c Smith b Boje 37

S Fleming c Boucher b Nel 9

M Sinclair lbw b Pollock 21

S Styris c and b Nel 73

B McCullum b Boje 3

C Cairns c van Jaarsveld b Boje 41

J Oram lbw b Boje 40

D Vettori c van Jaarsveld b Ntini 9

M Mason run out 0

C Martin not out 1

Extras (1b, 9lb, 5nb, 3w) 18

Total (96.2 overs) 252

Fall: 1 (Papps), 42 (Fleming), 73 (Sinclair), 107 (Richardson), 111 (McCullum), 198 (Cairns), 201 (Styris), 220 (Vettori), 224 (Mason), 252 (Oram)

Bowling: S Pollock 22-10-65-2 (5nb, 1w), M Ntini 20-5-50-1 (1w), A Nel 21-5-58-2 (1w), N Boje 33.2-7-69-4

SOUTH AFRICA

First innings 316

Second innings (target 234)

G Smith not out 46

H Gibbs c Fleming b Martin 16

J Rudolph b Martin 0

J Kallis lbw b Oram 1

G Kirsten not out 19

Extras 0

Total (for 3 wkts, 30 overs) 82

Fall: 29 (Gibbs), 31 (Rudolph), 36 (Kallis)

Bowling: C Martin 8-1-30-2, M Mason 4-1-21-0, J Oram 5-2-6-1, C Cairns 5-1-8-0, D Vettori 8-1-17-0