The new-look South African side was handed a tough initiation into Test cricket as New Zealand wrapped up a comprehensive 281-run win at the end of the fourth day in Mount Maunganui. South Africa will perhaps believe they got better as the game went on but even that was grossly insufficient in the end. Kyle Jamieson picked four wickets and Mitchell Santner bagged three as South Africa were bowled out for 247 in the chase.

New Zealand, who had opted against enforcing follow-on and piled on their lead, declared overnight to ask South Africa to chase a daunting 529 in the remaining six sessions. An all-round bowling effort – led by Jamieson – ensured the home side needed a little less than half of that to take a 1-0 lead.

The day began with Tim Southee cleaning up his opposite number Neil Brand with a lovely inswinger that went through the left-hander’s defence and crashed the stumps. Matt Henry then got Edward Moore to drive away from his body and nick one to Devon Conway. Raynard van Tonder and Zubayr Hamza arrested the early slide and remained unscathed until Lunch. But they couldn’t keep their defiance up in the post-Lunch session as Jamieson broke through early. Jamieson tempted Van Tonder with a full ball outside the off-stump and the batter took the bait – attempting to drive away from his body and nicking to Tom Latham at first slip. In his next over, he sent Hamza packing with a short ball that the batter miscued to Southee at mid-on.

David Bedingham and Keegan Petersen then forged an alliance to drag their side out of trouble. Bedingham even took on Southee towards the end of the second session, hitting him for three sixes and two fours across a couple of overs from the New Zealand captain. The fifth-wicket pair added exactly 100 runs before going off for Tea, but once again failed to consolidate on the other side of the break.

Bendingham’s caution-to-the-winds approach was also his downfall when he went for a big pull against Jamieson in the first over of the final session, even as New Zealand stationed four fielders in the deep on the leg side. He top-edged it and Santner came in from deep square leg to complete the catch. Petersen too got sucked into going after a short ball, on the leg side this time, and holed out to the long leg fielder to give Jamieson his fourth wicket.

From 181 for 6, South Africa were set for a downward slide even as Ruan de Swardt attempted a mini-fightback. He however, didn’t have enough support at the other end as Santner stepped in to wrap the game up. He had Duanne Olivier caught at first slip with a flighted delivery, set up Tshepo Moreki by getting one ball to turn and the next to go with the trajectory and trap him leg before and then completed the win when Dane Paterson slogged one to Williamson at long-on.

Brief Scores:
South Africa 162 (Keegan Petersen 45, David Bedingham 32; Matt Henry 3-31, Mitchell Santner 3-34, Rachin Ravindra 2-16, Kyle Jamieson 2-35) and  247 (David Bedingham 87, Zubayr Hamza 36; Kyle Jamieson 4-58, Mitchell Santner 3-59) lost to  New Zealand 511 (Rachin Ravindra 240, Kane Williamson 118; Neil Brand 6-119) and  179/4 decl. (Kane Williamson 109; Neil Brand 2-52) by 281 runs