South Africa v New Zealand - Series Summary

SOUTH AFRICA WON THE SERIES 2-0
As expected, South Africa ran out comfortable victors over New Zealand, and their 2-0 series victory lifts them to second place in the world rankings. When Hansie Cronje took over as skipper for the series against Pakistan last season, South Africa were languishing in fifth, but a run of eight victories and only one defeat in twelve Tests under his leadership has transformed the side into serious challengers for West Indies' number one spot. Cronje's personal form during this time has fallen away quite alarmingly, but in this series he was more than covered by the performances of the rest of the Proteas' batting line-up. Eddie Barlow excelled on recall after time was finally called on Trevor Goddard's run in the side, but the real batting star was Graeme Pollock, who played an innings for the ages in the first Test and whose average of 168 is the highest ever recorded in an ATG series.

Of the South African attack, only Allan Donald disappointed as Neil Adcock and Mike Procter both enjoyed a particularly good series, with Glenn Turner being just about the only New Zealand batsman able to stand up to the pace barrage on a consistent basis. Skipper John Reid bookended the series with a couple of fighting fifties, and although Martin Donnelly ran up a century in the first Test he contributed little else thereafter. New Zealand's bowling was their real weakness however; Richard Hadlee was in poor form, despite his series-leading 14 wickets, and no-one was able to average under 35 as South Africa were allowed to run up substantial first innings totals in each of the three Tests.

Even allowing for the loss of Chris Cairns through injury before the series had begun, the manner of New Zealand's defeat was a huge disappointment after the spirit they had shown in the Caribbean, and they will be desperate to have Cairns fit and ready to face West Indies when they make the trip to New Zealand later this season. Before then, the West Indies travel to South Africa for a series that will put Hansie Cronje's captaincy to the ultimate test, but next up in the ATG world we head down under for Australia's defence of the Ashes against an England side who have never held the urn in ATG competition. Let battle commence!

Series averages
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Players of the Series: RG Pollock & GM Turner

South Africa v New Zealand - Third Test

Newlands, Cape Town

South Africa: BA Richards, EJ Barlow, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, DJ Cullinan, JN Rhodes, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.
New Zealand: GM Turner, B Sutcliffe, GP Howarth, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, +AC Parore, RJ Hadlee, DN Patel, BR Taylor, SL Boock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: BC Cooray (SL) & LH Barker (WI)
Toss: South Africa

With the series already lost, New Zealand would be fighting for pride alone in Cape Town, and when skipper John Reid uprooted Graeme Pollock's middle stump with a beautiful outswinger shortly after tea on the first day, South Africa had been reduced to 210-6 and Reid's team had established a firm foothold in the game. The pitch at Newlands was favouring the batsmen at this stage now that a little early moisture had dried up, and one more wicket would have exposed South Africa's tail and given the tourists every chance of pressing home their advantage. However, by the afternoon session on day two, the Proteas' last four wickets had added 180 further runs to take the hosts close to 400 to snatch away all New Zealand's momentum and place the visitors firmly behind the eight ball once again.

Denis Lindsay led the late order onslaught, smashing nine fours and four sixes in his 84, then Donald and Adcock thoroughly enjoyed themselves in adding 44 for the last wicket, with Donald racking up a career high 41* in the process. Howarth and Crowe looked confident in reply for New Zealand after the early loss of both openers, but just as in the last Test a clatter of middle order wickets pulled the rug from under the Kiwis' feet, and at 120-5 the tourists' ship looked set to plunge beneath the surface once again.

If there was ever a time for a captain's innings it was now, and John Reid was not about to disappoint the smattering of New Zealanders in the crowd who had made the trip to Cape Town. Reid had bowled superbly in South Africa's innings, and with Richard Hadlee as a capable ally he oversaw the addition of a national record 134 runs for the seventh wicket as New Zealand defiantly clawed their way back into the game. Reid was dropped twice down the leg side by Lindsay early on the third day, firstly on 29 and then again on 45, and by the time Hadlee was bowled for 71 with the new ball by Donald, the scoreboard read 284-7 and the tourists were still hanging on to their hosts' coat tails.

Reid eventually perished for a fine 93 in the first over after tea on day three, and New Zealand's final total of 344 had got them to within fifty runs of the South Africans. Richards and Barlow re-established South Africa's momentum with a chanceless century opening stand though, and despite having already secured the series, Cronje would have undoubtedly been looking to declare at some stage on day four so that he could press for what would be a fifth consecutive Test victory. However, rain severely curtailed play on the fourth day, and although South Africa's batsmen continued to dominate proceedings, the lead was not extended enough to allow the declaration. Richards departed for 75 before Barlow completed his second hundred in two Tests since his recall, and Pollock rounded off his wonderful series with an undefeated 64 before Cronje - who had earlier registered his fourth consecutive single digit score - declared on South Africa's overnight total of 269-3.

New Zealand thus required 316 on the final day for a consolation victory, but more rain on the final morning and then again in the evening session put paid to any notions of a successful run chase. With mere survival the only option, the Kiwis had little trouble in staving off the South African bowlers in what was a disappointing finish to the series, Crowe's 83 the highlight as the tourists plodded their way to 194-4 by the time stumps, and the match, were drawn. South Africa's 2-0 series win moves them up to second place in the world rankings nonetheless, and the second half of the South African summer plays host to the West Indies in what should be a titanic battle for the number one spot in the ATG world.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
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Scores
SAF 1st Inns 390 (Lindsay 84, Cullinan 55, Richards 43, Pollock 42, Donald 41*; Hadlee 4-108)
NZL 1st Inns 344 (Reid 93, Hadlee 71, Howarth 51, Crowe 44)
SAF 2nd Inns 269-3 dec. (Barlow 117, Richards 75, Pollock 64*)
NZL 2nd Inns 194-4 (Crowe 83, Turner 43)

MATCH DRAWN


Man of the Match: JR Reid

South Africa v New Zealand - Second Test

The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

South Africa: BA Richards, EJ Barlow, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, DJ Cullinan, JN Rhodes, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.
New Zealand: GM Turner, B Sutcliffe, GP Howarth, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, +AC Parore, RJ Hadlee, BR Taylor, J Cowie, SL Boock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: DM Archer (WI) & BC Cooray (SL)
Toss: South Africa

South Africa sealed the series with a crushing 299 run victory in Johannesburg, and although the tourists managed to force the match into a fifth day, the nature of the cricket played led one to the conclusion that there have been few more one-sided affairs in ATG history.

Having taken his 200th wicket in Bloemfontein, a lack of productivity with the bat meant that Trevor Goddard was dropped for this Test, thus ending his proud record of 62 consecutive appearances for South Africa, but his replacement, Eddie Barlow, found no difficulty in getting amongst the runs as New Zealand's bowlers were put to the sword in South Africa's first innings.

An opening partnership of 88 between Barlow and Richards (56) was followed by a second ball dismissal for the worryingly out of form Cronje, but then Barlow and Pollock proceeded to take the tourists' bowling apart with a 248 run stand that was simply all too easy for both batsmen. The less said about New Zealand's bowling the better; Hadlee and Cowie both looked tired after having been asked to do a lot of work in the first Test, and the standard of the Kiwis' fielding deteriorated markedly as the innings progressed.

That said, it was a run out that finally brought the partnership to an end; Sutcliffe's throw from the deep allowed Geoff Howarth - recalled for this match in place of Andrew Jones - to break the wicket with Pollock a foot short of his ground, but Pollock had made 135 by that stage and South Africa already had 336 on the board. Barlow, whose only previous appearance had come against Australia way back in Season I, went on to record a magnificent 160, and to rub salt into the wounds, Jonty Rhodes scampered his way to 103 before Cronje declared at tea on day two with the scoreboard reading an imposing 565-9.

New Zealand's reply began encouragingly, with a fine 80 from Turner helping to take the score to 132-1, but exactly one hundred runs later it was all over as the remainder of the innings subsided against the unremitting pace of Donald, Procter and Adcock, with only Parore's three hour 38 providing any resistance down the order. With a lead of 333, Cronje decided not to enforce the follow-on, and led by a sparkling, undefeated 82 from Cullinan, the South Africans raced to 152-4 in their second innings before Cronje declared for the second time in the match, this time with a lead of 485 runs.

New Zealand began their final innings after lunch on day four, and again they began brightly, a partnership of 77 between Turner and Crowe taking the score to 103-2 half an hour into the evening session. But, in an unedifying repeat of the first innings, New Zealand's batting fell away dramatically thereafter, and it was only a boisterous 32 from Taylor at number nine that managed to take the game, albeit briefly, into a fifth day. New Zealand were finally bowled out for 186, having lost their last eight wickets for 83 runs, and the expressions of resignation on the visitors' balcony were there for all to see. South Africa's dominance in every department of the game had been total, and after their string of fighting performances against the West Indies, New Zealand's capitulation both here and in Bloemfontein has been most disappointing. South Africa need only to avoid defeat in the final Test to secure second place in the world rankings, and it would take a brave, or foolish, man to bet against that happening now.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
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Scores
SAF 1st Inns 565-9 dec. (Barlow 160, Pollock 135, Rhodes 103, Richards 56)
NZL 1st Inns 232 (Turner 80)
SAF 2nd Inns 152-4 dec. (Cullinan 82*)
NZL 2nd Inns 186 (Turner 49; Procter 4-47)

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 299 RUNS


Man of the Match: EJ Barlow

South Africa v New Zealand - First Test

Springbok Park, Bloemfontein

South Africa: BA Richards, TL Goddard, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, DJ Cullinan, JN Rhodes, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, NAT Adcock.
New Zealand: GM Turner, B Sutcliffe, AH Jones, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, +AC Parore, RJ Hadlee, DK Morrison, J Cowie, SL Boock.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: Khizer Hayat (PAK) & DM Archer (WI)
Toss: South Africa

The big news ahead of the first Test was that Chris Cairns would not be making his debut for New Zealand in Bloemfontein or, indeed, in any match in this series due to a torn hamstring suffered in training. Cairns' arrival on the ATG circuit had been highly anticipated, but the first Test still managed to serve up all kinds of excitement in his absence, with South Africa dominating the early exchanges.

Hansie Cronje won a vital toss on a damp and overcast first day, and shortly after tea New Zealand had been bowled out for just 202, only managing to get that many thanks to skipper John Reid's skilful marshaling of the tail. Reid's attacking 73 was his fourth consecutive score of fifty or more, and it just about kept Kiwi heads above water in the face of some probing pace bowling from Donald, Procter and Adcock. The biggest partnership of the innings was the 35 Reid added for the eighth wicket with a defiant Danny Morrison, but a career high score of 16 was to prove Morrison's most positive contribution to the match as he became embroiled in controversy on the second day.

With Hadlee bowling superbly to remove both openers, South Africa's batsmen were finding the conditions every bit as difficult as their New Zealand counterparts, and with the score on 94-2 Morrison had a confident appeal for caught behind against Cronje turned down by umpire Archer. An incandescent Morrison responded by bowling a beamer at the South African captain with the very next ball, and it was at this point that Graeme Pollock, the non-striker at the time, took it upon himself to stamp his authority on the game.

In conditions that were still testing, Pollock stroked his way to a marvellous century before stumps, becoming just the second player after Bradman to pass 6000 career runs in the process, and having added exactly 100 for the fourth wicket with a resilient Cullinan (36), he proceeded to dominate a series of fruitful partnerships as South Africa took control on day three. From an overnight score of 257-5, Pollock powered his side first past 300 and then on past the 400 mark, and in conditions that were now far more batsman friendly, even last man Neil Adcock got in on the act, contributing a career best 19 to a South African record last wicket stand of 66, during which time Pollock managed to raise what was a truly magnificent double hundred.

Pollock finally finished undefeated on 237 out of South Africa's eventual total of 485, and the tourists now had more than two days batting ahead of them if they were going to save the game. Wickets fell regularly though, and only Turner stood firm, grinding out a valuable fifty before finally falling for 78 to the spin of Mann, leaving New Zealand on a rocky 160-5 shortly before tea on the fourth afternoon. Martin Donnelly was the last specialist batsman remaining for the tourists, and just as Reid had done in the first innings, Donnelly set about organising the lower order into some sort of meaningful resistance.

Hadlee (21) helped add 50 runs for the eighth wicket, but when last man Cowie came to the crease, New Zealand were still 37 runs behind and South Africa looked like they would wrap up victory inside four days. However, just as Neil Adcock had done for the hosts, Cowie batted like never before, attacking the bowling and pushing the game into its final day, allowing Donnelly to complete a most deserved century before Cowie was finally stumped off Mann for 33, by far his highest ever score. New Zealand's total of 315 set the Proteas a nominal target of 33, and although the cheap dismissals of both Richards and Goddard tarnished the celebrations just a little, South Africa wrapped up a comfortable eight wicket victory before lunch. The damage had been done on the first day, but had it not been for Graeme Pollock, the outcome of this series opener could have been very different indeed.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
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Scores
NZL 1st Inns 202 (Reid 73; Procter 4-46)
SAF 1st Inns 485 (Pollock 237*, Lindsay 41; Hadlee 4-113)
NZL 2nd Inns 315 (Donnelly 100*, Turner 78)
SAF 2nd Inns 35-2

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 8 WICKETS


Man of the Match: RG Pollock

South Africa v New Zealand - Tour Match

South African Board President's XI v New Zealanders
Willowmore Park, Benoni
3 Day Game
Umpires: RGA Ashman & DV Collins
Toss: SAB XI

SAB XI: G Kirsten, *A Melville, WR Endean, AW Nourse, PN Kirsten, RA McLean, +HB Cameron, JH Sinclair, PL Symcox, CR Matthews, AJ Bell.
NZL: GM Turner, B Sutcliffe, AH Jones, GP Howarth, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, CL Cairns, +AC Parore, RJ Hadlee, DN Patel, DK Morrison.

Rain on days two and three ruined New Zealand's tour match as a competitive fixture, but the play that was possible did manage to provide one or two pointers for the Test series nonetheless. Alan Melville inserted the tourists upon winning the toss, and Sutcliffe's first ball dismissal to one that kept low from Sinclair provided his decision with almost immediate justification. Turner dug in for 44, but by mid afternoon the tourists had managed to amass just 111 runs for the loss of four wickets, and despite batting all the way down to Patel at number ten, the Kiwis looked in distinct trouble.

Former captain Geoff Howarth managed to accumulate a solid fifty though, and with current skipper John Reid looking in good touch, the rest of the day belonged to the New Zealanders as the pitch settled down and the runs flowed. Reid powered his way to an excellent hundred, and although he did flash through the slips on more than one occasion, he always flashed hard and deserved his ultimate reward. Howarth on the other hand continued to bat in more sedate fashion, and it was quite out of character when he pulled the first two deliveries from Sinclair on day two for four to bring up his own century. When Howarth was finally caught behind off Bell for 112, his partnership with Reid was worth 226 runs and had taken the New Zealanders well past the 300 mark, allowing Reid to declare shortly before lunch with the scoreboard reading 383-9.

Reid himself eventually amassed an imposing 143, and Chris Cairns marked his first appearance for the New Zealanders with an attacking cameo of 27. The pick of the South African bowlers was the unheralded 'Sandy' Bell, whose right arm seamers returned the excellent figures of 6-72, but Bell apart the bowling was poor, and it was a similar story as the SAB XI got their innings underway in earnest. New Zealand's bowlers were not helped by the fact that the remainder of day two turned into a real 'on and off' affair due to persistent showers, and Gary Kirsten took full advantage of the lack of rhythm shown by the tourists' bowlers.

Kirsten had reached 60 by the time stumps were drawn on day two, and on the third and final day he added a further 100 runs in between the showers, adding 107 with 'Dave' Nourse (49) and 98 with half-brother Peter (63*) before finally driving Reid into the covers, a tired stroke ending what had been a fine innings. Danny Morrison, although finishing wicketless, was probably the only New Zealand bowler to enhance his reputation, whilst Chris Cairns turned in a decidedly underwhelming performance with the ball, picking up just one wicket for 89 off 21 largely unimpressive overs. Cairns is still expected to make his Test debut in Bloemfontein though, and with Martin Crowe expected to be fit after missing this game with a side strain, it will be interesting to see if Howarth's century will find him a place in the XI for the first Test.

1st innings scorecards
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Scores
NZL 1st Inns 383-9 dec. (Reid 143, Howarth 112, Turner 44; Bell 6-72)
SAB XI 1st Inns 349-5 (G Kirsten 160, PN Kirsten 63*, Nourse 49)

MATCH DRAWN

South Africa v New Zealand - Series Preview

South Africa have been playing good, hard cricket since Hansie Cronje took over as captain, and series victories at home against Pakistan and, very impressively, away to England have given them the chance to leap into second place in the rankings if they can achieve a 2-0 or better result over New Zealand. The Proteas are expected to field a similar side to the one that performed so well in England, although Cronje himself will be hoping to fare better with the bat than he did on that tour, and the pressure will be on former skipper Trevor Goddard to score runs at the top of the order. Goddard is the only ever-present in the ATG world having played in all South Africa's 61 Tests to date, and he remains South Africa's leading wicket taker with 199 victims to his name, but his poor performance with the bat in recent times sees his place in the side now come under real threat.

New Zealand lost 4-1 in the Caribbean on their last outing, but with two of the Tests they lost going right down to the wire, they actually emerged from that series with a fair amount of credit, and they will be looking to build on their progress in South Africa. John Reid retains the captaincy after some improving personal performances, and the squad that he leads is strengthened by the addition of Chris Cairns, who is finally eligible for selection in the ATG arena. The inclusion of Cairns adds to the number of top-class all rounders that are likely to be on display in this series, but South Africa must still be viewed as hot favourites, not only to take the series but also to claim the number two spot in the rankings behind West Indies.

Current form (most recent result first)
South Africa WWLWD
New Zealand WLLLL

Previous series result
South Africa 2 New Zealand 0 (Season III, 3 Tests)

New Zealand Squad
JR Reid (c), MD Crowe (v/c), SL Boock, CL Cairns, J Cowie, MP Donnelly, RJ Hadlee, GP Howarth, AH Jones, DK Morrison, AC Parore, DN Patel, B Sutcliffe, BR Taylor, GM Turner.