Twitter Reactions: South Africa beat New Zealand by 8 wickets to win the 2nd Test

New Zealand and South Africa teams are very similar when it comes to the playing style. The second of the three-Test series concluded today as the South Africans cruised to an eight-wicket victory. After being asked to bat first, New Zealand were in deep trouble as they were reduced to 21/3. Their ever so reliable captain Kane Williamson failed and the whole batting order collapsed.

Thanks to the newcomer Henry Nicholls who chose this game to score his maiden Test century they recovered. Other batsmen batted around him but no one could convert the start. Jeet Raval got off to a steady start only to be undone by the left armer Keshav Maharaj. The Kiwis were bowled out for a mere 268. Nicholls scored an 118 hitting fifteen boundaries.

New Zealand came out all guns blazing after a dismal batting display. They sent back six South Africans back to the pavilion for a score of just 94. It looked like the Africans would be done and dusted before even getting to 150, but Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma had other ideas. The wicketkeeper and the classy Bavuma stuck in there and played some excellent strokes. The 160-run partnership helped South Africa overhaul the NZ total. The Proteas took a 91-run lead.

In reply, New Zealand were even more disappointing. They were outdone by some superb left-arm spin from Keshav Maharaja. He was right on the money from ball one. He bagged six wickets and in his 20 overs conceded only 40 runs. That was some performance from a player who is just six Test matches old is phenomenal.

Moreover, the track was made for seam bowling but a spinner owned it. New Zealand only managed a 171 in the second innings and South Africa were left with just 80 to chase. South Africans chased it down with just two blows. Both the openers lost their wicket as this Ab de Villiers less South African team took an unassailable lead in a three-match Test series.

Twitterati were at it again. There were congratulatory tweets flowing from all the cricket fans around the world as Twitter hailed South Africa for their wonderful victory over the Blackcaps.

Here are some of the selected tweets after South Africa comprehensively defeated New Zealand.