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."
-- South Africa first innings 314 (Q. de Kock 90. F. du Plessis 53, H. Amla 50;
Henry 4-93, Wagner 3-104)
=========================================
New Zealand 1st innings (overnight 321-4)
=========================================
T. Latham c de Kock b Morkel 50
J. Raval c de Kock b Morkel 88
K. Williamson c Philander b Morkel 176
N. Broom lbw Rabada 12
H. Nicholls c de Kock b Rabada 0
M. Santner c Duminy b Rabada 41
B. Watling b Maharaj 24
C. de Grandhomme c de Kock b Morkel 57
M. Henry c Elgar b Maharaj 12
J. Patel c de Kock b Rabada 5
N. Wagner not out 0
-----------------------------------------
Extras: (lb12, w5, nb7) 24
Total: (all out; 162.1) 489
=========================================
Fall of wickets: 1-83 (Latham), 2-273 (Raval), 3-293 (Broom), 4-293 (Nicholls), 5-381 (Williamson), 6-397 (Santner), 7-443 (Watling), 8-477 (Henry), 9-489 (Patel), 10-489 (de Grandhomme)
Bowling: Philander 33-7-79-0 (2nb), Morkel 36.1-7-100-4, Rabada 34-3-122-4 (1w,1nb), Maharaj 50-8-118-2, Duminy 6-0-38-0, Elgar 1-0-13-0, Bavuma 2-0-7-0
==============================================
South Africa 2nd innings
==============================================
D. Elgar c Watling b de Grandhomme 5
T. de Bruyn run out (Williamson/Watling) 12
H. Amla c de Grandhomme b Patel 19
J. Duminy b Patel 13
F. du Plessis not out 15
T. Bavuma c Watling b Henry 1
Q. de Kock not out 15
----------------------------------------------
Total: (5 wkts; 39 overs) 80
==============================================