HAMILTON: Faf du Plessis was leading from the front as South Africa worked their way out of trouble on day one of the third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton on Saturday.
The Proteas’ captain punished New Zealand for wasting their decision reviews and was unbeaten on 33 at tea after receiving a life on 16.
Hashim Amla, who mounted an early rescue mission when South Africa were two down for five runs, was dismissed after lunch for 50, his 32nd half-century.
It left the 33-year-old opener needing 67 more runs to become the fourth South African and only the 30th player ever to total 8,000 career runs.
New Zealand, meanwhile, were ruing their misuse of the decision review system which has cost them two wickets.
They did not review a rejected Neil Wagner lbw appeal against JP Duminy on seven when the ball tracker technology signalled a direct hit.
They then over-compensated by wasting their two reviews on correctly-called not out decisions which left them helpless to contest another decision for 51 overs when the second new ball is available.
The magnitude of the error became apparent two overs after the second lost review when umpire Bruce Oxenford missed a faint edge from du Plessis off the luckless Wagner which was taken by BJ Watling behind the stumps.
It continued a charmed run for du Plessis who has seven fours in his 33, including from edges over the wicketkeeper, through the slips and just wide of gully.
But there were mixed fortunes for du Plessis at the start of the day.
He won the toss for the eighth consecutive time in New Zealand but then saw both openers fall in the first four overs.
Debutant Theunis de Bruyn’s introduction to Test cricket ended with a third-ball duck when he edged Matt Henry to Tom Latham at second slip.
Dean Elgar was bowled when he shouldered arms to a Colin de Grandhomme ball that came back from outside the off stump.
Henry accounted for Duminy, caught on the boundary for 20 just before lunch, and de Grandhomme bowled Amla seven overs after the resumption.
South Africa lead the series 1-0 and want a win in Hamilton to move up to second in the world rankings.
However, the weather could have the final say on the outcome with a slim prospect of play resuming after tea and showers forecast throughout the remaining four days.
