• Home
• /
• Sports
• /
• Cricket

South Africa in all sorts of trouble ?after Williamson's epic knock

Hamilton - New Zealand started the day seven runs ahead and added 168 before they were all out for 489

South Africa paid homage to a "fabulous" Kane Williamson on Tuesday after the New Zealand captain's 176 left the Proteas on the ropes with a day to play in the deciding final Test in Hamilton.
"We've got a mountain to climb," assistant coach Adrian Birrell said after South Africa were reduced to 80 for five at stumps on day four, 95 runs short of making New Zealand bat again.
"Kane Williamson's innings was a fabulous innings and you've got to sometimes doff your cap to a good player."
With Colin de Grandhomme also firing with the bat with a quickfire 57, New Zealand started the day seven runs ahead and added 168 before they were all out for 489.
De Grandhomme then ignited the assault on the South African top order in the sixth over when he removed Dean Elgar for five and later took a smart catch to dismiss Hashim Amla for 19.
Theinus de Bruyn was run out for 12 in a bizarre mid-pitch collision when he was ball-watching and veered into Amla, leaving the batsmen sprawled on the ground.
Birrell said the Proteas' batting mayhem was part of the flow-on effect from Williamson's marathon innings.
"One hundred and sixty two overs is a long time to be in the field and it was a hard day. Players are fatigued and to bat on the back of that is always going to be difficult." he said.
"Once they got ahead of us by 100 runs it was always going to be a survival match."
Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were both 15 not out at stumps. Birrell said they were looking for de Kock, who set up their eight wicket win in the second Test to go 1-0 up in the series, to go on the attack when play resumes.
"If he goes into a defensive mode it's probably the worst thing for him, so we look for him to score. Ninety-five runs, we start getting the positive, and every run in the positive is one they have to get and is time wasted."
The Zimbabwe-born de Grandhomme was not required for the first Test when Elgar scored 140 and 89 but in four innings since then he has removed the opener for scores of nine, 17, five and five.