South Africa v New Zealand, 2nd Test: Five Talking Points

The second South Africa v New Zealand Test match saw the Proteas pick up an important win and also went on to claim a 1-0 series win. With most of the first match washed out at Durban, there was little or no rain intervention in the second Test match as the match went almost the full duration. Dale Steyn was well and truly back to his devastating best while Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls were perhaps the only shining lights for the Kiwis in what has been a horrible series. While there were many talking points, here are perhaps five of the most prominent talking points from the recently concluded encounter.

1. Faf du Plessis plays a captain’s knock

Stand-in skipper Francois du Plessis finally has got his name up in lights as far as a winning record is concerned. However, there was something more to his record than just being the winning captain. du Plessis smashed a wonderful 112 and managed to remain unbeaten right through the South African innings as the Proteas managed to stitch a healthy 481 in the first innings, something that helped them lay a great foundation to capitalize on further.

2. Kane Williamson plays lone warrior

As has been for the most part in the ongoing series, Kane Williamson has been batting like a man possessed. Of course, in his defense, he always bats like that. In both innings of the match, the 26-year old New Zealand skipper exhibited a variation of grit as well as confidence when he successfully negotiated the onslaught of Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada. However, the fact that he also impressed with a magnificent 77 showcased why exactly he was the best in the world.

3. Steyn and Rabada restrict unassuming Kiwis

Prior to the start of the series, many had questioned the selection of Dale Steyn. Moreover, the 33-year old himself stated that he was not at his peak and a lost of work had to be done if he was going to reach his best again. Needless to say, Steyn bowled like a man possessed. He picked 8 wickets in the match with a wonderful 5-wicket haul in the second innings. Kagiso Rabada played the perfect foil for Steyn as he concluded with 5 wickets in the match.

Also read: South Africa rise to 5th, New Zealand fall to 7th in Test team rankings

4. Henry Nicholls survives a tough baptism

The fourth innings of the match was all about one man – Dale Steyn. While the pacer ensured that the Kiwis were hammered into the ground, it was clear that one Kiwi once again stood out of the pack. Henry Nicholls has not had much luck in his Test career so far. However, that changed when he began to exhibit courage whilst batting against the wrath of Dale Steyn. Needless to say, he smashed 76 and survived multiple blows to the body as he did.

5. Faf wins his first Test as skipper

Faf du Plessis was not a South African skipper until the conclusion of the second Test match. Although he would not have expected it to happen as smoothly as it did, Faf du Plessis now has a 100% record as the skipper in terms of losses in Test matches. The sidenote for du Plessis would most certainly be the fact that Quinton de Kock improved his glove work as well as his batting performance.