NZ v South Africa, 2nd Test, Hamilton, Day3,Cricinfo,Philander stars in resounding SA win

Innings South Africa 0 for 0 need 101 to beat New Zealand 185 and 168 (Williamson 77, Philander 6-44) 

Vernon Philander bagged his finest bowling figures in a sublime six-Test career, as South Africa set themselves 101 to win on day three in Hamilton. South Africa's seamers have been outstanding with the new ball so far on tour, but it was their command of reverse-swing bowling that demolished the hosts' lower order, and set New Zealand on course for a second successive three-day loss at Seddon Park. Philander finished with 6 for 44 from the innings, and 10 for 114 for the match, his Test average shrinking ever more impressively to 13.6.

Kane Williamson resisted South Africa for 193 deliveries, going past 50 for the first time in five Tests to finish on 77. Having resolutely seen out the first session, Philander needed only three balls to remove him in the second. The off-stump line had Williamson playing at the ball, and a hint of movement was enough to catch his outside edge. With New Zealand's last recognised batsman went their hopes of setting a challenging fourth innings target.

Morne Morkel found dramatic, late movement on his return to the crease and New Zealand's tail was clueless on how to counter it. Doug Bracewell was lucky to get an inside edge on one that struck him in front, but the rapid, tailing inswinger that sent his off stump cartwheeling might have got the better of most top-order batsmen. His dismissal was the second instance in the day where a New Zealand batsman had left a ball that moved in viciously to clip the stumps - Kruger van Wyk being the other.

Mark Gillespie swung wildly, hitting three boundaries off Philander's next over - but he was caught at slip on the last ball. Chris Martin didn't last long.

Williamson had begun the day watchfully, as Dale Steyn found the reverse swing that had undone Ross Taylor late on day two. Balls outside off stump were left alone, even those short and wide or overpitched, while the deliveries angled at the stumps were defended resolutely or worked towards the leg side. Williamson had ended the previous evening on 41, but took a further 43 balls to score the nine runs required for his half-century.

Daniel Vettori was almost as reticent, scoring significantly slower than his characteristic busy pace, despite a disposition to be more punishing on bad deliveries. A clipped boundary through the leg side had his innings under way, and though his vanquisher in the first innings, Vernon Philander, troubled him with the ball that darted back in, Vettori's hand-eye coordination was good enough to get bat on ball, even if his footwork was often muddled.

Graeme Smith moved methodically through his arsenal as he searched for a breakthrough, as the New Zealand pair saw out spells from the frontline seamers. But the hosts were reminded of the relentless threat in the opposition attack, when Jacques Kallis produced a terrific effort ball that reared sharply, and took Vettori's glove as he attempted to evade it.

Kruger van Wyk partnered Williamson astutely for his 20, negotiating Kallis and Imran Tahir with confidence, before surviving a short-ball barrage from Dale Steyn. But he could not see out the session against Philander, who reverse swung the ball significantly on his return to the crease, beating van Wyk's outside edge, before bringing one back in to take his off stump.

New Zealand v South Africa, 2nd Test, Hamilton, Day 2

New Zealand 185 & 65 for 4 (Williamson 41*, Steyn 2-10, Philander 2-21) trail South Africa 253 (de Villiers 83, Gillespie 5-59) by three runs 

New Zealand closed out day two in a state similar to their position the previous evening, struggling to compete with an opponent they had dominated in passages of play, but allowed to charge back emphatically in others. That the hosts are not yet doomed is thanks to Mark Gillespie, who at 32 and after three years in the wilderness was a vexing selection for Hamilton, but produced a staggering burst of pace, movement and luck to decimate South Africa's middle order and finish with 5 for 59. But AB de Villiers' 83, a cameo from Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander's now vicious routine to New Zealand's top order undid all Gillespie's work, and left the hosts with four second-innings wickets down, still trailing by three, and a daunting climb to prevent their second successive loss inside three days at Seddon Park.

New Zealand had had South Africa reeling at 88 for 6 in reply to their own 185, but could not maintain the intensity, as de Villiers shepherded the lower order with an effortless innings that made the chaos that came before seem outlandish. The ease of his progress betrayed the flatness of the surface that had browned considerably - the tawny pitch appeared unrecognisable from the green tinged surface that had been unveiled on day one. de Villiers made 63 with Mark Boucher for the seventh wicket, before continuing the recovery alongside Philander and Morkel - the latter took charge following de Villers' ill-fortuned demise to add a further 34 with last man Imran Tahir, giving the visitors a 68-run head start in the second dig. The last four wickets had cost New Zealand 165.

The hosts then dug themselves further into the mire, when Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill fell in the first five overs of their second innings. Nicol, perhaps, was unlucky - a bunted short ball dribbled off the bat, down his leg and onto the stumps - but McCullum and Guptill were out to the same stroke, falling away to the off side as they attempted a clip off the pads. McCullum missed entirely and was caught in front, while Guptill couldn't control the shot and found short midwicket.

Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson attempted a recovery, blunting the new-ball movement and negotiating Tahir's first spell on a wearing pitch to add a sedate 57. But they were tested again, when the ball began to reverse late in the day, and Taylor could not dig out a hooping yorker from Dale Steyn that struck him in front.

Although New Zealand had dismissed Graeme Smith and nightwatchman Steyn the previous evening, South Africa's beginning to day two augured a day of toil, with Hashim Amla and Alviro Petersen settling gradually into their innings. Chris Martin and Doug Bracewell found a hint of movement in the air, but little off the pitch, and though their opening partnership was tight, it posed few penetrative threats to the overnight pair.

But just as Amla began to add attractive scoring strokes to solid defence, Gillespie stung South Africa in a four-over salvo and transformed the outlook of the visitors' innings, and for a while, the match.

Amla was removed first, a thick edge from an attempted square drive flying low to backward point. Jacques Kallis then experienced the extremes of fortune in Gillespie's next over. He top edged a short ball past fine leg for six, before glancing one down the leg side, only to turn around to see Kruger van Wyk celebrating his wicket. In the next over, Gillespie's movement off the seam trapped Petersen lbw. Jacques Rudolph completed the quartet with a regulation edge, ending a seven-over period that yielded four big scalps for 25 runs.

de Villiers meanwhile, had few issues timing the ball and working the field as New Zealand's supporting cast failed to match Gillespie's penetration. South Africa's recovery was slow at times, but assured, under de Villiers and Boucher, who helped the side through to lunch.

Boucher's dismissal completed Gillespie's five-wicket haul, but de Villiers was unfussed, as he called on one-day nous (shuffles across the crease to work the ball to the leg side, downward dabs to third man ...) to keep the larger share of the strike, and minimise his fast-bowling team-mates' exposure to tight New Zealand bowling. Ten boundaries, mostly through the off side, punctuated a steady stream of singles and twos, as de Villiers oversaw the eclipsing of the hosts' total, and edged his side ahead.

Morkel had hit three confident boundaries before de Villiers departed lucklessly - when a forward defence to Vettori spun back onto his stumps - and ratcheted up the tempo in the company of Imran Tahir, dispatching Gillespie for three successive fours upon the bowler's return to the crease. Tahir wasted little time in matching Morkel's ambition, though most of his 16 came from edges over or past the slips. The pair added an adventurous, and often fortuitous, 34 for the final wicket, before Williamson ended the innings with his third ball of the match.

At stumps Williamson was unbeaten on 41 - his first substantial batting contribution of the series - alongside Vettori, unbeaten on nought.

New Zealand v South Africa, 2nd Test, Hamilton, Day 1,Cricinfo

South Africa 27 for 2 (Smith 13, Martin 18-2) trail New Zealand 185 (McCullum 61, Philander 4-70, Steyn 3-49) by 158 runs 

A catastrophic collapse - that surrendered five wickets with score stuck on 133 - swung the match emphatically in favour of South Africa, as they dismissed New Zealand for 185 on a rain-shortened day one in Hamilton. But the hosts also struck with ball, dismissing Graeme Smith and nightwatchman Dale Steyn before stumps, to leave South Africa at 27 for 2. The rain delay, which came early in the second session, allowed only 72.2 overs to be bowled in the day.

New Zealand's capitulation came after an 89-run stand between Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, during which the hosts progressed steadily on a pitch that offered little to seam bowlers. Dale Steyn led the mid-innings assault, ambushing McCullum with a short ball and a deep square leg, before taking the shoulder of Kane Williamson's bat with another sharp bouncer in the next over. Vernon Philander then charged through to flatten the middle order, felling Taylor, Daniel Vettori and Doug Bracewell in seven balls.

McCullum had brought up his half-century with a six over vacant square leg, but did not shelve the stroke when Graeme Smith appointed a fielder in the deep, with South Africa having persisted with the short length for much of the innings. Having chided himself for attempting to pull a short Steyn delivery in the previous over, McCullum attempted the stroke again - this time to one that had risen well over his head, taking the top edge. If he was disappointed at once again having squandered a start, his mood can't have been improved by the clatter of wickets that followed.

Taylor drove at one that was too short for the stroke, giving Graeme Smith a simple catch at second slip. In the first innings of the first Test, too, he'd departed soon after McCullum, after the pair had got themselves in. Williamson, Vettori and Bracewell then strolled in and were all on their way out again, without having scored a run - Williamson was caught at slip, Vettori was bowled by one that nipped back and Bracewell edged behind. After having been a healthy 133 for 2 in the 49th over, New Zealand had plunged to an appalling 133 for 7 in the 52nd.

Smart stats
From a position of 133 for 2, New Zealand lost five wickets on the same score. The aggregate of zero runs for wickets three through to seven is the joint-lowest in Tests. New Zealand, surprisingly, have the four lowest partnership aggregates in an innings for wickets three to seven.
Vernon Philander picked up his sixth haul of four wickets or more in just 11th innings. In the same period (since November 9, 2011), four players, including Dale Steyn, are joint-second on the list of bowlers with the most four-wicket hauls (4).
This is the 11th occasion that three or more New Zealand batsmen have scored ducks in an innings against South Africa.
Graeme Smith's poor run against Chris Martin continued when he fell to the New Zealand fast bowler for the eighth time. No other bowler has dismissed Smith as many times.
There have been only two previous occasions (batting first) when New Zealand have won scoring lower than the 185 they made in their first innings. Their most recent such victory came in the Hobart Test against Australia.
Steyn, who has 41 wickets in seven Tests against New Zealand, is third on the list of South Africa bowlers with the most wickets against New Zealand behind Makhaya Ntini (46) and Shaun Pollock (43). However, Steyn's average of 18.36 is the best among the top three bowlers.
Mark Gillespie and Kruger van Wyk played their shots following the slide, pushing their side quickly towards 200, but the pair could not maintain the resistance for long. Morne Morkel trapped van Wyk in front of the stumps, before Imran Tahir had Gillespie caught brilliantly by Alviro Petersen at midwicket. When Brent Arnel perished in Tahir's following over, New Zealand had gifted South Africa a mountain of momentum and the chance to bat on a quickly flattening pitch.

The pull stroke had been productive for McCullum before his demise, as South Africa seemed intent to attack via the short ball once the movement they'd anticipated at the toss failed to materialise past the first hour. He had been floored by Steyn earlier in the day, but held firm against the bounce thereafter - he blunted the bounce off the back foot when it rose to his chest, and picked up singles through a sparse on-side field when the ball was pitched slightly fuller.

Taylor favoured the cut meanwhile, climbing over the ball to hit it square, while also scoring straight when the change-up was delivered. Two commanding drives off Philander in the first over of a rain-curtailed second session betrayed the friendliness of the surface, as well as Taylor's own good form, as he and McCullum rebuilt steadily following the loss of the openers. The pair resumed in a similar vein following the weather interruption, and were rarely flustered by South Africa in the hour after the break, but both then fell in quick succession to leave the hosts tottering. South Africa then pounced to expose a long New Zealand tail.

Kruger van Wyk had to wait until his second match to bag his first dismissal, but when the chance came, his reactions were spectacular. Wrong footed by Smith who went for a booming cover drive to a wide Chris Martin delivery, van Wyk changed direction and dived low to his right to snaffle the inside edge, centimetres from the turf. van Wyk and Martin combined again to dismiss Steyn, and though South Africa's middle order will relish the prospect of batting on the flat surface on day two, the double-strike will keep New Zealand in the match - if only just.

Rain has final say in compelling Test

South Africa 238 (Amla 62, Smith 53, Martin 4-56) and 435 for 5 dec (Smith 115, Kallis 113, Rudolph 105*) drew with New Zealand 273 (McCullum 48, Philander 4-72) and 137 for 2 (McCullum 58*, Taylor 48*) 

The final day of the first Test promised to be an intriguing one, with South Africa needing eight wickets to win and New Zealand 264 runs, but 14 hours of incessant rain in Dunedin made play impossible and the match was called a draw just after 2pm.

Brendon McCullum was unbeaten on 58, having had an 84-run partnership with Ross Taylor, that put New Zealand in the hunt for a series lead. Graeme Smith was named Man of the match for his 115 in the second innings.

The teams now head to Hamilton for the second Test of the three-match series, which begins on Thursday.

New Zealand v South Africa, 1st Test, Dunedin, Day 4,cricinfo

New Zealand 273 and 137 for 2 (Taylor 48*, McCullum 58*) need a further 264 to beat South Africa 435 for 5 (Rudolph 105*, Boucher 34*) and 238

An unbeaten 82-run partnership between Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor set up a tantalising final day in Dunedin, in which all four results remain possible. South Africa need eight wickets to take the series lead, while New Zealand require another 264 runs to complete their highest successful fourth-innings chase. Rain forecast for tomorrow however, may prevent a result.

McCullum and Taylor were positive through their association, especially harsh on width outside the off stump from South Africa's fast bowlers. A mid-session flurry in the evening even produced 40 runs from 31 deliveries, as the pair smacked five fours and a six, making it clear New Zealand were not simply chasing a draw. Although the pitch had become considerably slower and lower over the past two days, a lack of marked increase in turn for Imran Tahir will bolster hopes of an unlikely upset. The possibility was not lost on Graeme Smith, who stationed men on the offside fence towards the end of the day.

The two batsmen had put on a promising partnership in the first innings, only to throw their wickets away when New Zealand seemed headed for a significant first innings lead. But on the fourth evening, false shots were rare. Jacques Kallis had Ross Taylor slashing at one too close to his body, late in the day, but apart from that solitary misjudgment, only the truly loose deliveries were attacked. A languid cover drive by Taylor relied more on timing than his characteristic power to reach the fence, while McCullum's innings displayed a keen awareness of the field, which he sought to manipulate. It has not always been the case for him, even at times during this tour. He was unbeaten on 58, when the umpires called it a day, due to bad light, with Taylor two short of his fifty.

The chase was set up by Jacques Rudolph, who became South Africa's third centurion in their second innings, with an unbeaten 105, embellishing an impressive record in New Zealand, where he now boasts an average of 98.6. South Africa had moved slowly in the first session of the day, largely unwilling to take risks to spur an ambling run rate, but alongside Mark Boucher, Rudolph quickened the tempo after lunch, and South Africa declared with a lead of 400 midway through the afternoon session. He had taken 140 deliveries for his 59 at the end of the first session, but needed only 35 more to move to triple figures, shortly before Smith motioned the innings closed.

Eighty-nine overs in the field on day three had seemingly sapped the New Zealand attack, as their opening forays on day four lacked pace and penetration, while South Africa progressed slowly to a hefty lead. Chris Martin was negotiated without fuss by South Africa's overnight pair - much as he had been throughout several toothless spells the previous afternoon - and though Doug Bracewell coaxed modest nip from a placid surface, his first spell found chiefly the middle of Kallis' blade, when the batsman resumed an unhurried innings on 107.

Smart stats For the 15th time overall in Tests and the first time against New Zealand, three South African batsmen scored centuries in an innings. The last time this happened was in the third Test win against Sri Lanka in CapeTown. Jacques Rudolph scored his sixth Test century and his second against New Zealand. On the previous occasion he scored a century against New Zealand, South Africa lost the match by wickets. It is his first Test century since the 102 against Australia in Perth in 2005. South Africa's total of 435 is their highest second-innings score in Tests against New Zealand. On the previous occasion when they made over 400 in the third innings (Johannesburg in 2007), they went on to win by 358 runs. If New Zealand are to win the Test, they will become only the fifth team to chase over 400 in the fourth innings. West Indies hold the record for chasing the highest target (418) in Tests. The highest target chased by New Zealand is 324 against Pakistan in 1994. The 82-run stand between Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum is the fourth-highest third-wicket stand for New Zealand against South Africa and is presently their third-highest stand for the third wicket in the fourth innings.

Trent Boult drew the unenviable task of bowling into a strong, chilling wind, but it turned out a blessing when Kallis misjudged the pace of the third ball in Boult's first over. Expecting the ball to arrive much quicker, Kallis was through a clip off the pads, and ended up scooping it in the air to Rob Nicol at midwicket.

Despite that early breakthrough, New Zealand were unable to build pressure as South Africa ambled on comfortably via risk-averse accumulation. The run-rate rarely stirred above three an over, and when AB de Villiers sought to raise it, he found McCullum at deep midwicket with his first truly expansive stroke.

The declaration prior to tea gave South Africa enough time to prise the first New Zealand wicket before the break, when Martin Guptill fell prey to Vernon Philander, who induced bounce and slight movement off the seam to take Guptill's edge on 6.

Dale Steyn was down on pace throughout his spells in the second innings, perhaps hampered by a swollen big toe on his landing foot. Morne Morkel threatened with the new ball, hitting Nicol on the shoulder and the wrist in his first spell, but had his natural bounce hamstrung by an aging pitch playing lower as the match wore on.

Tahir could not generate the turn he might have hoped for, but was handed a wicket nonetheless - off the worst ball he bowled in the innings. Nicol's surrender was perhaps the most mindless dismissal of the summer, when he slapped a knee-high full toss to Smith at mid-on. The batsman cringed regretfully almost as soon as he played the stroke, but South Africa were gleeful at the bonus - Tahir barely able to believe his luck, or the folly of a batsman who had scraped through another testing new-ball period from the seamers.

McCullum's fluency was immediate though, as he hit boundaries from each of the first two overs he faced. New Zealand will rest their hopes with him and Taylor, when the pair resume tomorrow, if the weather allows it.

New Zealand v South Africa, 1st Test, Dunedin, Day 3

South Africa 268 for 3 (Smith 115, Kallis 107*, Rudolph 13*) and 238 lead New Zealand 273 (McCullum 48, Vettori 46, Philander 4-72) by 233 runs

A 200-run stand and hundreds to South Africa's two most experienced hands put the visitors in command in Dunedin, after New Zealand had begun the day strongly with bat and ball. South Africa held a 233-run lead at stumps, with seven wickets in hand and Jacques Kallis at the crease on 107.

Kallis completed his 42nd Test hundred late in the day, moving clear of Ricky Ponting to become the second most prolific century-maker of all time, after having defused early pressure from New Zealand, who had taken two wickets in an over when he came to the crease. His partnership with Graeme Smith was the first century-stand in the match, and the afternoon session the first in which no wickets fell, as New Zealand rifled through several bowling plans in their attempts to scuttle the association.

The slow scoring-rate, borne out of a tiring pitch and defensive tactics from the hosts meant South Africa could not yet make the game safe. But in a match in which neither side scored 300 in the first innings, Smith and Kallis sapped the spirit from the New Zealand attack as the day wore, and set their side on course for a massive second-innings total.

Kallis collected most of his runs square to begin with, betraying the slowness of the pitch, but added the straighter strokes from his repertoire towards the evening. Smith, meanwhile, was comfortable working the ball to his favoured leg side, but was forced to be more reticent than usual, as the hosts' seamers bowled wide outside off stump to him, with several catchers behind the stumps awaiting a loose stroke. Both men were happy to wait for the poor deliveries, and in contrast to Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum on the previous day, were satisfied to accumulate steadily, instead of searching for bursts of quick runs.

Doug Bracewell took all three wickets, and was the most threatening bowler throughout the day. He extracted movement through the air and off the pitch in his first spell, nailing Hashim Amla for nought with a super outswinger, albeit one that pitched well wide of off stump. His spell with the second new ball was no less impressive towards the close of play, creating two strong lbw appeals as well as bowling Smith with one that nipped off the seam to take a deflection off the inside edge.

Smart stats Graeme Smith's century is his second against New Zealand and his 22nd as captain. It is his second century in six Tests after the second-innings hundred in the win against Australia in Cape Town. Jacques Kallis scored his 42nd Test century and moved past Ricky Ponting's tally of 41 hundreds. Only Sachin Tendulkar with 51 Test centuries is above Kallis on the list of batsmen with most centuries. With his sixth century against New Zealand, Kallis moves to joint-second with Rahul Dravid on the list of batsmen with the most centuries against New Zealand. Only Javed Miandad, with seven centuries, is above Kallis. The 200-run stand between Smith and Kallis is the third-highest third-wicket stand for South Africa in Tests against New Zealand. Kallis and Hashim Amla have been involved in the two higher stands. The 200-run stand between Kallis and Smith is South Africa's 18th double-century stand since the beginning of 2007. In the same period, no other team has been involved in more double-century partnerships. New Zealand have chased more than 234 (the present target) on only three previous occasions and only once against major Test opponents (excluding Bangladesh) since 1990. On the other hand, South Africa have lost eight times (five to Australia) since their readmission when they have set a target of 234 or more.

In between the two new-ball spells though, New Zealand looked alarmingly toothless. Chris Martin, the prime destroyer in South Africa's first innings, could barely beat an edge in his 17 overs that were notable for their lack of movement. Tim Southee tried several plans of attack, to various fields, first trying to take the ball away from Kallis with a stacked slip cordon, before coming back with an aging ball to rattle him with reverse-swing. Neither ploy flustered the batsmen, who were glad for straight, full deliveries from Southee, having had plenty to watch through to the keeper from others who bowled wide.

Daniel Vettori looked New Zealand's best chance of prising a scalp through the third-wicket stand, but despite turn, flight and three close catchers to Smith, he could force neither an edge nor a false shot. One hopeful shout for lbw was shown to be missing off stump, and though he proved more difficult to score off than the seamers - he did not pose a trial either.

New Zealand created chances in the overs following tea, but twice Martin Guptill was too deep to snaffle thick edges - one each from Kallis and Smith - and two more times run-out opportunities requiring direct hits were missed. New Zealand stuck to the wide line outside off stump to Smith, hoping to draw a rash stroke, and he almost succumbed in the 90s, when the scoring rate roused his frustration. Occasionally he flashed and missed, reminding himself to rein in the cover drive. But as a tight offside in-field constricted him further, he couldn't help but reach, even moving across the stumps to toe-end a ball from Tim Southee that barely landed on the strip.

He batted out six tense dot balls from Vettori on 99, but Smith eventually reached triple-figures - a good omen for the visitors who have never lost on the previous 23 occasions Smith made hundred. But just as his scoring trended north, Kallis slowed dramatically at the other end, having parked himself on 90. After 24 dot balls there, he began to move again, taking five more overs to reach triple-figures.

Jacques Rudolph was sent in ahead of AB de Villiers and survived an lbw appeal off Bracewell that was overturned in his favour upon review. South Africa will press for a definitive advantage tomorrow, with plenty of batting still to come.

New Zealand v South Africa, 1st Test, Dunedin

Kirsten focussed on thorough preparation

"We will not be scared of conditions and we will not be scared of what's dished up at us. We feel we've got enough skill in our team to be able to handle all conditions." If you close your eyes when you hear those Gary Kirsten sentences you can almost picture him saying them to a national team.

Not the one he now coaches, but the one he led to, among other achievements, a rare series win in New Zealand three years ago, India. He must have stood at the centre of the huddle, his schoolteacher frown firmly in place and the forefinger on his right hand pointing vigorously, issuing something similar to that instruction.

On Monday afternoon in Dunedin those words were said in relation to South Africa. New Zealand is hardly as different to them as it would have been to India but Kirsten's meticulous attention to adjustment will ensure that South Africa are prepared for anything. Their goal, although Kirsten won't explicitly say it, is to whitewash New Zealand to become the world's top ranked Test team and the only way to do that is to go in prepared.

"The concern, as it always is when you are coming to foreign conditions, is how quickly you can be ready and how quickly you can prepare," Kirsten said. "We know that in the first game if you have one bad session you can get yourselves into trouble very quickly. From a mental perspective we want to make sure we are ready for the start of the game and that we are not caught napping."

Superficial as it may sound, one of the most important things to get ready for, according to Kirsten, is the weather. Cricketers, especially South African cricketers, are used to playing in summer. Dunedin in March is closer to a Johannesburg winter. "I remember playing my last Test match here [in New Zealand] and it was 9 degrees on the last day. Getting used to that is not easy," he said, almost shivering at the thought. "We can talk about it but you've actually got to go out there and feel it to understand. And then, to know that you can make performances in those conditions."

South Africa will spend two days training in the chill to get used to the weather and keenly observing preparations for the pitch, which Kirsten saw for the first time in the middle of his press engagement. He grinned when asked if it looked different to what he had expected. A one-word answer, "Ja," confirmed that it did.

Although New Zealand seemed headed in the direction of greener pitches, the surface at the University Oval is a smooth brown and talk of slowing it down as much as possible is rife. It's a tactic that would leave New Zealand's batsmen less vulnerable to South Africa's fiery fast-bowlers but would also somewhat negate their own four-pronged pace attack.

Whatever the colour of the strip, Kirsten said South Africa will concentrate on the "processes," a new favourite buzzword in the team. It's a short way of saying that the No. 1 ranking is what they are after and all the Test cricket they play will be focussed on achieving that, just like every other team. The difference for South Africa is that they are closer than the majority of other teams and could be named the top-ranked Test side by the end of the month.

Instead of focus on the three wins they will need to get there, something which Kirsten and his team will be acutely aware of, he said they will ignore the short-term results. Instead, they will target victory, but in an indirect fashion, according to Kirsten. "We want to win games of cricket, obviously, anyone does because that's how you get measured," he said. "We know that if we do certain things right through a Test match, we will win more games than we lose."

Concentrating on those things, rather than anything the opposition does, is what Kirsten believes will allow South Africa to do that. He is drumming into his charges the introspective approach and advising them to work within their means, because that will be good enough.

"We know what our strengths are and we feel that if we can really play to our strengths against any team that we come up against, we are going to be a tough team to beat," he said. "It's been a great tour for us so far. We've played better as the games have gone along. It's a new format and we need to make sure that we are mentally ready and up for this new format."

South Africa Sweep Series 3-0 By Newzealand

South Africa 208 for 5 (Amla 76, Morkel 41) beat New Zealand 206 (McCullum 47, de Lange 4-46) by five wickets

South Africa rested their bowler of the series and three injured batsmen, promoted a tailender to the top of the order, and had their big-hitting allrounder at No.3, but New Zealand still could not prevent a heavy five-wicket loss and a whitewash in a series that rarely had the visitors extended. Marchant de Lange had broken loose over a brittle New Zealand middle order to set up the emphatic victory - his 4 for 46 helping to dismiss the hosts for a paltry 206 after Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe had built an impressive dam of pressure with the new ball. Hashim Amla made another pleasing half-century to lead South Africa's reply, which achieved the target in the 44th over.

New Zealand's innings clunked and whirred in frustrating spurts until the hosts were put out of their misery in 47th over. Though they did well at times to negotiate terrific one-day bowling, particularly from South Africa's fast men, wickets fell with startling regularity and batsmen succumbed just as New Zealand seemed to be recovering from the last blow. The first five partnerships read 13, 32, 29, 31, 55. Each pair had a start, but none could complete the recovery they had begun, as batsmen lost their heads and their wickets to surrender any momentum they had wrested - usually at a significant cost to the scoring-rate.

South Africa were almost casual in reply. Wayne Parnell, who has an ODI average below 20 and a List A average below 25, opened the innings with Hashim Amla, after Jacques Kallis and Justin Ontong joined Graeme Smith on the injury list. The pair made a swift 80-run dent in the target, before Parnell was dismissed in the 16th over. Even with South Africa's significantly depleted batting order, with Amla contributing once more, 207 turned out to be a cakewalk.

Amla's innings didn't match the pace of his Napier knock at Eden Park, but it was no less classy. Favouring the leg side for boundary hits this time, he negotiated the new ball with characteristic ease. A knee-high full toss from Kyle Mills was succinctly dispatched, before a serene glide down the ground brought four more in the next over. The ease with which Parnell also managed the early period perhaps betrayed the gulf between South Africa' new-ball pair - who at times were unplayable - and New Zealand's opening bowlers, but it was also a statement on an Eden Park pitch that suited batting.

Amla survived a reprieve on 30, when he was dropped by Nathan McCullum, but when he was eventually dismissed for 76, the middle order only needed to saunter home. Albie Morkel hit three sixes in a brisk 41, and though both Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy were dismissed late in the game by Rob Nicol, with less than 20 runs to get, AB de Villiers had little to do.

de Villiers had hoped to exploit the weather and a pitch that had had some rain when he opted to bowl, and his new-ball bowlers could have hardly made better use of the friendly conditions. The skid in the surface added another layer of venom to Steyn's outswing, while Tsotsobe's steady seamers also benefitted from movement not normally seen at Eden Park. The pair's unerring lines and impeccable length offered precious little to New Zealand's typically explosive top order, but even when they did stray, as Tsotsobe did in the fifth over, South Africa's fielders shone - Faf du Plessis dived well to his left to snatch a full blooded aerial cut from Martin Guptill.

While Steyn and Tsotsobe thrived on the movement created by their skill, de Lange's raw pace and aggressive length added the brutal edge to the attack. Rob Nicol was laid flat on his back by a 144kph bouncer at his throat, while McCullum, too, was hopping around deep in the crease to stay on top of the bounce.

Nicol succumbed to a slider from Johan Botha after he had done well to survive the pace barrage, but de Lange returned to fell McCullum in the 22nd over, in a dismissal that betrayed McCullum's scars from their previous battle. Having made 13 from Dale Steyn's previous over, McCullum seemed to be reviving a scoring-rate after having accumulated steadily alongside Kane Williamson. But he played back to de Lange, in anticipation of the quick, short ball, and ended up only scooping the full delivery to point.

Williamson and James Franklin then began yet another phase of rebuilding, but almost as soon as their association began to gain traction, Williamson was run out superbly by du Plessis, who was horizontal in mid-flight when he let his pinpoint throw fly. In a cruel snapshot of New Zealand's innings, the wicket had fallen the very delivery after the first four of the partnership was struck. 


Colin de Grandhomme lofted a free-hit ball over deep midwicket to relax early nerves on debut, and the risk-averse accumulation resumed anew, this time with perhaps a tad more vigour. Franklin was intent on dropping anchor, but de Grandhomme showed glimmers of his aggressive potential when he threw in the odd calculated slog amid the singles. But although a 40-minute rain delay just before the batting Powerplay didn't assuage de Grandhomme's desire to boost the scoring-rate, a hostile maiden from Steyn quieted his progress, and then a direct hit from Albie Morkel at mid-off silenced him altogether. Another start, another poor option and another dismissal just as a platform was being put together - New Zealand's innings read like a study in badly learnt lessons. de Grandhomme's departure left New Zealand 160 for 5 in the 39th over.

The wickets of Franklin - again to an awful shot - and Andrew Ellis, three overs later, plunged them further, and only a tailender's 13 from Michael Bates helped them limp beyond 200.

South Africa in New Zealand 2011-12,1st ODI Cricinfo

de Villiers shows New Zealand the way

For much of South Africa's chase in the first one-dayer in Wellington, their innings mirrored New Zealand's almost exactly. Forced to rebuild following the loss of early wickets, expansive flourishes were shelved, singles were scampered and a stream of seaming deliveries left alone outside off stump. So similar were the innings, that both sides had made the same amount of runs halfway through their overs - 101 - though New Zealand had lost one less wicket.

But what was to follow after the 25-over mark was to prove the winning of the game for South Africa, and a missed opportunity for New Zealand. Unwilling to simply follow recovery with consolidation, Brendon McCullum - the hosts' most experienced batsman - lashed out in counterattack. Launching Lonwabo Tsotsobe over midwicket in the 27th over, he advanced to smack Jacques Kallis over point in the 28th. Morne Morkel got the same treatment in the following over, though this time with less control, before McCullum fell attempting the same stroke three overs in a row. South Africa had become wise to McCullum's ploys and placed the fielder squarer. In a seemingly myopic quest to spur the scoring-rate, McCullum was oblivious to the change.

Three hours later, he couldn't have been given a more fitting nor comprehensive lesson by his counterpart.

Having steadied the early wobble, AB de Villierscontinued to collect, even as the asking-rate grew. Keenly aware of the field and employing low-risk strokes - like the downward dab to third man -he'd developed for just such occasions, de Villiers nudged South Africa forward, one quiet over at a time.

JP Duminy followed his captain's lead, his first 34 runs all coming in singles and twos. His fall made way for Faf du Plessis, who lightened his captain's burden with a rapid innings. All through the middle overs, de Villiers was precise and calculating - picking out only the genuinely bad balls to dispatch, and hitting out only when the required-rate threatened to become unmanageable. Where McCullum's eagerness to attack cost his side the luxury of an ideal launching pad, de Villiers' controlled composition of his innings took his side from 35 for 3 in 10 overs, to 254 for 4 after 45.2. If South Africa's innings had come first, a total of over 300 might have been likely.

The blame for New Zealand's sub-par score cannot fall solely on McCullum's shoulders, but having become accustomed to the conditions, he should not have left so much to a middle order missing the experience of Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram. And while brazen aggression might have intimidated Zimbabwe in the previous series, smarts and mettle are required to topple a side of South Africa's pedigree.

Speaking the day after the loss, Kane Williamson, who himself had the opportunity to see the New Zealand innings to the close, spoke of how much the hosts' batsmen could learn from de Villiers' knock.

"It was just so clinical," Williamson said. "He never gave [us] a chance, finished it off and looked at ease doing it, which is what class players do.

"We spoke about it afterwards and realised that players like that, you need to dismiss. But when they put an innings like that together, you need to learn from it as well, personally and as a batting unit."

Even with Taylor in the batting order, New Zealand seemingly lack a batsman who regularly takes responsibility for the innings and completes the overs unbeaten. It is an area New Zealand have struggled in since Stephen Fleming's retirement.

Guptill, Ryder, Taylor and McCullum have the bat speed and bludgeoning power to match any batsman in the world. But unless they develop the ability to maximise that potential by building steadily for extended periods, New Zealand will continue to be, like them, occasionally brilliant, but too inconsistent to be truly formidable.