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Partnership between Paige Scholfield and Alice Capsey underpins convincing win over Phoenix

ECB Media23-Jul-2024A sparkling 71 from Paige Scholfield took Oval Invincibles to a domineering 45-run victory against Birmingham Phoenix in the first game of the fourth year of the Hundred.In front of 10,249 fans, the two-time champions Oval Invincibles batted first and the 28-year-old Scholfield – enjoying a new role at the top of the order in the absence of Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu – found admirable company in England’s young superstar Alice Capsey, who herself made 52.Perhaps in tribute to the opening game’s firework display, the pair put on 90 for the second wicket – sharing 17 boundaries – and looked at times to be threatening a record score in the Hundred women’s competition before a flurry of late wickets pegged back their progress.Nevertheless, defending 150, the odds were in the home team’s favour at the interval and when Birmingham Phoenix lost three wickets with the score on 32, their fate was effectively secured.New Zealand captain Sophie Devine and Birmingham local Amy Jones put up an element of resistance for the visitors, but Oval Invincibles’ bowling attack – and in particular Australian legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington – proved too strong and got the home team off to the perfect start with a 45-run win.Meerkat Match Hero Scholfield said: “I’m absolutely buzzing. It’s the first time I’ve opened so I was a bit nervous but I had Lozzy [Lauren Winfield-Hill] there helping me through those first 10 balls and I got a nice feel for the pitch. I haven’t done a lot of opening, I usually come in at the end and try and hit as many boundaries as I can in as few balls as possible! But I enjoyed it.”I feel like there was a bit of tennis ball bounce in the pitch so you had to either move well back or forward, so I trusted my shots and I played them. We bat down to No.11 so I trusted myself and I went for it – and I’ve always got them in the dug-out if it doesn’t go quite as well. Chamari can have it [the opening role when she returns from the Asia Cup], I’m going to do what head coach Jon Batty tells me to do!”

David Warner has maintained that he feels in good touch in the Ashes, and Stuart Broad’s record over him is not a concern

AAP19-Jul-2023David Warner insists Stuart Broad has not got inside his head, despite admitting he has Barmy Army taunts over the English seamer’s record against him stuck on the mind.Warner has retained his spot at the top of Australia’s order for the fourth Test at Old Trafford, as the tourists push for their first Ashes series win in England since 2001 .The decision came after speculation over whether Warner could be squeezed out, after a double failure at Headingley last week took his series average to 23.5.Related

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Also of rising concern to a number of ex-players is Warner’s record against Broad. The left-hander has now been dismissed by Broad 17 times in his career, including twice in seven balls against him at Headingley last week.Devoid of any real sledging aimed in his direction in this series, Warner quipped on a podcast this week he had been playing Barmy Army chants over and over while facing up to bat.Included in those is the chant of “Broady is gonna get you” after the opener heard it on repeat throughout the opening Test at Edgbaston and in the matches that followed.But regardless, the 36-year-old insisted Broad’s record against him was not genuinely on his mind when facing up the quick.”I don’t really think about the match-up,” Warner said on the podcast.”You think about the ball that’s coming at you, how you are going to score. He bowls in a great area all the time.”I always love facing Broady. We have two left-handed opening batters and he is one of, if not the best bowler to left-handers in today’s game. He is so good at it.”Jimmy (Anderson) is there as well. These are guys we have watched and played against for a long time.”Stuart Broad celebrates dismissing David Warner again•Getty Images

Warner was also adamant he still feels in fine form ahead of the fourth Ashes Test, arguing Broad simply beat him with two good balls at Headingley.The left-hander began the tour with a fighting 43 against India in the World Test Championship final and made 66 in the second Ashes Test at Lords. Australia have also regularly pointed to the fact he and Usman Khawaja have made three half-century opening stands to help set up their 2-1 series lead.”I feel like I am in great touch,” Warner said. “I have felt good in the nets, leading in I had good sessions against our quicks at Beckenham (before the series).”Lord’s was probably the best I’ve batted in the last two years. Just holding my line.”We have batted in probably the toughest conditions so far. In Leeds, I got two good balls.”You can’t do too much about that … You just have to take it on the chin, can’t do anything about it.”

It means for at least four years there will no free-to-air coverage of global events

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2023Australia’s World Test Championship and ODI World Cup defences will be shown exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.The streaming platform has secured the broadcast rights in Australia for all men’s and women’s International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.Foxtel/Kayo broadcast the entire recent ODI World Cup, while the Nine Network screened Australia’s games and a handful of others. But under this new deal there will be no free-to-air element.In Australia men’s home Tests and all women’s internationals remain on free-to-air with Seven, but men’s white-ball internationals are with Foxtel. Men’s away Ashes series in 2027 and 2031 will be shown on the Nine Network.The move comes just days after the federal government reaffirmed its commitment to sport anti-siphoning measures.Communications minister Michelle Rowland last week introduced laws to parliament updating anti-siphoning measures that would require free-to-air services to be offered first refusal for important sporting events.”All Australians regardless of where they live, or what they earn, should have the opportunity to enjoy free TV coverage of iconic sporting events,” Rowland said.ICC boss Geoff Allardice welcomed the partnership with Amazon.”We are very excited to be entering a new four-year partnership with Prime Video for ICC cricket rights in Australia,” he said in a statement. “The recently concluded men’s World Cup has highlighted the interest and passion for ICC events across the globe, and especially in Australia where cricket fans have enjoyed the recent success of their men’s and women’s teams.”We look forward to working with Prime Video Australia to provide an innovative coverage of world class cricket to more fans in Australia.”The new partnership between the ICC and Amazon, who also broadcast New Zealand’s home internationals into India, will begin in January with the men’s Under-19 World Cup with the first senior tournament being the men’s T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA. Later in the year, Australia’s women will be involved in their T20 World Cup in Bangladesh during September and October.Meanwhile, Amazon also confirmed a third season of the documentary would be released in 2024 which will cover this year’s Ashes series in England which finished 2-2.”As a cricket fan, I couldn’t wait to see what happened when the unstoppable force of ‘BazBall’ batting came up against the best test bowling lineup in the world. The 2023 Ashes were the most closely contested and memorable of recent times, and I am delighted to be able to relive them along with our customers in Australia and around the world,” said Hushidar Kharas, head of Prime Video Australia and New Zealand.The first season of the followed the fallout of the 2019 ball-tampering scandal, while the second released last year followed the 2021-22 men’s Ashes and tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Both teams will face each other on the back of comprehensive wins in their opening games

Vishal Dikshit07-Oct-2024

Australia vs New Zealand

Sharjah, 6pm local timeAustralia squad: Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia WarehamNew Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Isabella Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea TahuhuTournament form guide: Both teams started their campaigns with emphatic wins. Defending champions Australia handed Sri Lanka a six-wicket loss and New Zealand stunned India by 58 runs.News brief: These two teams had just met for a three-match T20I series in Australia, who won 3-0. New Zealand also came into the tournament with a winless streak of 10 straight games but the manner in which they took on India, from ball one, belied their recent form and was the best kind of start they could have had before running into their trans-Tasman rivals. The toss many not be as crucial in Sharjah for the evening game because not as much dew is expected there, proven by the wins registered by the teams batting first there in the evening games. The pitches there have kept low, turned, and not offered much for the batters, with not even one team crossing 120, before the England vs South Africa clash.Player to watch: Amelia Kerr is a top allrounder, but it’s her T20I record against Australia that doesn’t do justice to her reputation. Her batting strike rate against them is under 96 with an average of under 18, and her economy rate is over seven an over even though she has picked 16 wickets – the joint-most for her against any opponent – against them. She would want to leak fewer runs on Tuesday in spin-friendly conditions while continuing to take wickets, and also show her technique against spin while batting whether her team requires quick runs or a more watchful approach, depending on conditions and match situation.

Business leader set to succeed Lord Kamlesh Patel once his nomination has been ratified

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2023Yorkshire’s long search for a successor to their former chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, could be at an end, following the nomination of Harry Chathli as a non-executive director of the club, with a view to him succeeding the current interim chair, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.Chathli, whose daughter, Kira, plays for South East Stars and was part of the Oval Invincibles team that won the 2022 Hundred, is described in a Yorkshire press release as a “highly regarded business leader, and an experienced international capital markets expert, with a 25-year track record of advising global companies, organisations and government agencies”.His nomination is subject to ratification from club members at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), on a date to be confirmed.”I am delighted and truly privileged to have the Board’s support as their nominee to become the Chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club,” Chathli said. “This is one of the most iconic clubs in the cricketing world and, as with all English cricket fans, Headingley has always held a special place in my heart.”I have seen the positive steps taken over the past year by YCCC and I believe Yorkshire has turned the corner – I’ve heard this from the business people I have spoken to over the past few months and from well-known international cricketers. It’s because of this that I jumped at the chance to get fully involved with this prestigious club.”The Club has been through a difficult period,” he added. “I would like to bring the focus back to cricket and excellence on the pitch, as the club continues to learn from the many issues it has faced. I believe cricket excellence is built on two things: inclusivity and financial stability. YCCC needs to represent the Yorkshire of today and tap into all the extraordinary talent at its disposal and we need to have the proper funding to do this.”We have a lot of work to do, but I have been impressed by the determination and resilience the club has shown and am ready to work with the Board and management to do everything I can to get the club back to where it should be.”Stephen Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, added: “Harry was the outstanding candidate in a very strong field and his passion for the game and vision for an inclusive future stood out to the whole board.”His corporate and commercial experience will be vitally important as we look to secure the future health of the club, at the same time as reaffirming our commitment to deliver positive changes in line with the values and standards we have established as a board. We are determined to deliver long-term success and to build on the work we have done collectively to address the many challenges we have faced together to make Yorkshire County Cricket Club a thriving and welcoming place for all. We look forward to Harry having the opportunity to meet with Members ahead of the EGM and can’t wait to welcome him to the Yorkshire family.”Baroness Grey-Thompson described Chathli as “the ideal person to continue to drive the club’s recovery,” and will continue in her role as a Non-Executive Director following the transition to the new chair.

NSW veteran Kurtis Patterson has scored an unbeaten 167 to lift his side to 463 for 9, leading by 252 against WA

AAP08-Dec-2024Sam Konstas has missed out on another century but teammate Kurtis Patterson managed to break a long drought to give New South Wales a chance of pulling off victory in their Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at the SCG.The Blues went to stumps on day three at 463 for 9 in their first innings, with a lead of 252 after WA were rolled for 211. Heavy rain washed out most of day two, but NSW made up for that lost time by piling on the runs on Sunday.Konstas (88) resumed on his overnight score of 80, but his hopes of scoring his fourth century of the summer were dashed when he edged Lance Morris to second slip.Patterson picked up where Konstas left off, scoring an unbeaten 167 off 255 balls to lift the home side to a big first-innings lead. It marked a big turnaround for Patterson, who was dropped last season amidst a form slump.He now has 527 runs this season at an astounding average of 105.40, thrusting his name back into the national selection puzzle to add to his two Tests.Patterson yelled out in joy upon reaching his century – his first ton in 769 days. The previous highest first-class total by Patterson was 157 on debut as an 18-year-old, but he surged past that late on day three.The 31-year-old struck 15 fours and three sixes during his glittering knock, while Chris Green (35) and Jack Edwards (30) added some handy runs lower down the order.WA paceman Brody Couch finished with 3 for 66, while Morris (2 for 69) and Cameron Gannon (2 for 99) also chipped in.Spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, who is trying to earn a spot on Australia’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, returned figures of 1 for 87 off 27 overs.For WA, the final day will be all about survival given there’s no hope the defending champions can win the match. NSW sit second last on the table, and desperately need to win in order to revive their finals hopes.WA, winners of the past three titles, entered the match second on the ladder.

Hampshire crash and burn in reply as visitors secure points by convincing margin

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Jun-2025Dom Sibley continued Surrey’s dominance at Utilita Bowl in the Men’s Vitality Blast with a crushing 70 against Hampshire Hawks.Former England Test opener Sibley’s breezy 46-ball knock provided the backbone for his side’s commanding victory on the south coast – Surrey’s sixth straight T20 win on the ground.Opening partner Will Jacks and Sam Curran whacked quick-fire runs to back Sibley up as Surrey reached 193. Despite short explosive cameos from South African duo Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, two wickets apiece for the returning Reece Topley, Chris Jordan and Mitchell Santner, and 3 for 18 for Nathan Smith, gave the visitors a one-sided win.Having been put into bat, Jacks and Sibley seemed to amass runs without massive swings of the bat, with Sibley’s two sixes over midwicket anomalies in a 59-run powerplay.Jacks’ sweet timing had brought him 41 in a blink-of-an-eye 24 balls but Benny Howell’s introduction began a squeeze. Howell and Liam Dawson stopped the flow of runs with their off-pace deliveries, with Howell getting Jacks slapping to point and Jason Roy run out via a one-motion dive by James Vince.Sibley continued to turn over the strike, along with the odd boundary, as he found a tempo and stuck to it, reaching his ninth T20 fifty in 32 balls.He eventually fell for an impressive 70, but that only began the Surrey fireworks – with 51 runs coming from the last four overs. Sam Curran baseball-swatted Chris Wood and then swivelled James Fuller for sixes, and when he was out his brother Tom fired an outrageous six over extra cover.In the second half of the innings, Surrey only allowed 10 dot balls, with power-hitting interspersing smart running.In Hampshire’s reply, Pretorius almost monopolised the strike in the first three-and-a-half overs, but when he hit the ball, it stayed hit. His third-ball wristy flick off his pads cleared the ropes with ease, before one of three fours cannoned off the non-striker’s stumps and into the padding in next to no time.But Jacks stopped him in his tracks, when a reverse sweep went wrong, before Vince – who had only faced eight balls in 4.5 overs – spliced to mid-on.Toby Albert was caught behind by a tumbling Laurie Evans, but Brevis blew some life back into the innings with a six straight into a cameraman and then an audacious back-foot hammer for another maximum. But scoreboard pressure saw more and more desperate rash shots, and each seemed to be paired with a catch.Brevis, Joe Weatherley, Fuller, Dawson, Howell, and John Turner all took to the sky, while Wood was castled.

Controversial dismissal of Timm van der Gugten leaves Glamorgan short in thrilling chase

ECB Reporters Network10-Aug-2023Warwickshire openers Rob Yates and Ed Barnard set the platform for their team to maintain their 100% record, though Glamorgan gave them a mighty scare before succumbing to defeat.Teenager Ben Kellaway struck 67 off 41 balls to take the Welsh County within site of victory, when a moment of huge controversy turned the game the way of the visitors in this Metro Bank Cup One Day game. Timm van der Gugten struck the ball towards the midwicket boundary where the catch was well taken by Ethan Brookes, the Glamorgan batter sent on his way despite TV evidence that Brookes just touched the boundary rope before releasing and regathering the ball.When Kellaway was the last man out, caught on the boundary off Barnard, they fell 24 runs short with 17 balls remaining. Half-centuries by Kiran Carlson, Sam Northeast and Billy Root were also in vain.Warwickshire’s imposing score was built on the foundations laid by the opening partnership of Yates and Barnard, which fell just one run short of a record opening partnership for Warwickshire in all List A cricket. Needless to say it was a record opening partnership against Glamorgan, with Barnard the more aggressive of the two early on though Yates caught him up and went past his partner.Their steady progress went up a gear when Glamorgan captain Carlson brought himself on as his first two overs were expensive. Carlson continued to ring the changes in his bowling attack as he searched for a breakthrough, but Barnard and Yates continued their serene progress taking advantage of the short Neath boundaries.Zain-ul-Hassan was the bowler who eventually made the breakthrough when Barnard was caught by van der Gugten for 79 off 88 balls. That sparked a bit of a mini collapse as Michael Burgess went for just 7 and then there was the big wicket of Yates for 102 off 114 balls, all in a three-over period for just seven runs.Will Rhodes was the common denominator as Warwickshire bounced back from that minor setback, but more of the aggression was coming from the other end. Brookes got 38 off 25, Hamza Shaikh 21 off 10, as Warwickshire plundered 129 from the final 14 overs. Rhodes was out just before the close for 44 off 45 balls.Teenager Kellaway continued his promising introduction to List A cricket with 3 for 56 off his seven overs, while Zain and Andy Gorvin both took two wickets.Glamorgan’s innings could not have got off to a much worse start with openers Thomas Bevan and Eddie Byrom both falling early to Oliver Hannon-Dalby as the opening bowler used his height to cause problems.That brought Carlson and Sam Northeast to the crease and their partnership was always likely to be central to Glamorgan’s hopes. Carlson showed his intent from the start, racing to his half-century off just 33 balls. Glamorgan’s hundred came up in the 15th over. When Carlson fell for 61 it came a little out of the blue as Craig Miles got some movement away and keeper Burgess dived to take the low catch.Northeast and Root made steady progress to 181 off 31 overs, but the return of 6ft 8in Hannon-Dalby saw the end of the former aiming over square leg as the extra bounce meant a top edge to fine leg. Root struck an assured 56, but the impetus was provided by Kellaway who launched a series of fours and sixes to put his team ahead of the run rate. He brought up an excellent half-century off 26 balls, with four sixes.Wicketkeeper Alex Horton looked good for a quickfire 14, and it took a world-class catch diving on the boundary by Brookes to dismiss him. Van der Gugten came and went to that controversial dismissal, but there was no doubt about Gorvin being clean bowled to give Hannan-Dalby his fourth wicket.

Opener’s 89 holds her side together before Katie Levick, Phoebe Turner defend modest total vs Thunder

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2023Northern Diamonds gave their chances of qualifying for the final stages of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy a massive boost with a comprehensive 48-run victory over cross-Pennines rivals Thunder at Sale Sports Club.Lauren Winfield-Hill continued her brilliant white-ball form for Diamonds with a barnstorming 89, before Katie Levick with four wickets and Phoebe Turner with three, sealed the win in a game which the hosts looked to be in control of at the interval after bowling out the visitors for a below-par 196.Diamonds got off to a quick start with Winfield-Hill beginning where she left off against Western Storm by hitting a trio of boundaries in the first few overs as the score raced along in the early morning sunshine.But Thunder hit back when Phoebe Graham produced a cracking delivery which nipped back and removed Sterre Kalis’s bails for eight.Winfield-Hill continued to dominate the bowling, hitting fours at will as Graham and fellow opening bowler Tara Norris proved expensive with the visitors reaching the end of the powerplay on 63 for 2.With Hollie Armitage departing just before that in the ninth over for nine, attempting to reverse sweep Hannah Jones, Diamonds gave a hint of the trouble that was to come as Thunder successfully introduced the spin of Jones, Fi Morris and Olivia Bell to brilliant effect.Jones had Emma Marlow trapped in front for nine before Bell ripped out Diamonds’ middle order with a succession of wickets which dragged the home side back into a game Winfield-Hill had threatened to take away from them.Rebecca Duckworth played well for her 27 off 54 balls as she and Winfield-Hill put on 46 runs for the fourth wicket before she was bowled by Bell leaving the former England opener struggling to find another partner of note.The pressure of carrying the innings eventually became too much for Winfield-Hill. who was bowled by the returning Norris for 89 off 90 balls including 14 fours. It was a superb knock but her departure hastened the end for Diamonds who quickly lost Leah Dobson and Turner to the rampant Bell before Levick became the Thunder off-spinner’s fourth wicket.By then the score was 169 for 8 and Naomi Dattani mopped up the tail’s dogged resistance with the wickets of Grace Hall and Jessica Woolston to leave Diamonds posting an underwhelming 196 all out off 46.4 overs.With both sides desperate for the win, nerves were jangling as Thunder began their innings with one delivery from Lizzie Scott’s first over going for five wides.Runs flowed for the first five overs until Liberty Heap was bowled by a fine delivery from Woolston for 14 to leave Thunder 27 for 1.Dattani looked to rebuild and the hosts passed 50 before she was brilliantly caught down the leg side by Winfield-Hill off Levick’s third ball with the spinner’s fourth ball trapping Morris in front without scoring to leave Thunder suddenly up against it at 54 for 3.A captain’s innings was required and Ellie Threlkeld looked up for the challenge as she and Seren Smale began to build a fourth-wicket partnership which slowly pulled Thunder back into the contest.A wicket looked vital for Diamonds and Turner obliged as she began a spell that would turn the match the visitor’s way with Smale top edging a delivery to depart for 33 before Threlkeld’s vigil ended slightly unluckily when she found Marlow on the leg side boundary for 31.With that the stuffing was knocked out of the Thunder reply and Turner took another one to claim Daisy Mullan without scoring with Levick accounting for Norris lbw for one.Graham quickly followed the same way to the same bowler for a third-ball duck and despite some resistance from Laura Delaney and Bell the game was up when the latter was run out for eight and Jones fell the same way as Thunder were dismissed for 148.

South Africa were on a downward slide until de Swardt and von Berg stood tall in a defiant partnership

Ekanth13-Feb-2024Ruan de Swardt and Shaun von Berg dug deep to pull South Africa out of a hole on a typically attritional day of Test cricket. New Zealand’s seamers prised out the top-order batters and were economical. Rachin Ravindra found purchase and dismantled the middle order but the numbers 7 and 8 were resilient saw off 27 overs in the extended final session.The day started with captain Neil Brand springing a surprise at the toss by batting first on a grassy pitch and going with two spinners. “All the wickets have been green and it tends to burn off after a couple of days,” he said. South Africa, repeating their feat from 2017, are the only side to have done it in the last ten years at Hamilton.In contrast, New Zealand went with four seamers, including captain Tim Southee, who said he’d have bowled first if they’d won the toss. The hosts brought in Will Young in place of the injured Daryl Mitchell. Neil Wagner came in for Mitchell Santner, and William O’Rourke was handed a debut as Kyle Jamieson pulled up sore after the first Test.Related

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Clyde Fortuin’s promotion to the top didn’t pay off as he bagged a golden duck. He flashed on the up against Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips took a one-handed stunner at gully. Henry troubled the batters with seam movement and Southee found swing but Brand and Raynard van Tonder left the ball confidently and weren’t bogged down by the ball occasionally beating them.Brand capitalised on overpitched balls with aesthetically pleasing punches through the offside. O’Rourke, the debutant brought on in the ninth over, was at the receiving end a couple of times, but he got a length ball to nip back past the inside edge and pin the skipper in front of middle.Zubayr Hamza started cautiously and was given lbw when he shouldered arms to a length ball angling in Neil Wagner’s first over. Hamza reviewed successfully with ball tracking suggesting that it would go over the stumps.Hamza was resolute in defence but couldn’t rotate strike. Southee and Wagner held onto their discipline and gave away just five runs between the 21st and the 25th over. Wagner then telegraphed the short-ball plan by pushing the fielders to the deep on the leg side. He hit the deck, angled it outside off and got spongy bounce off the pitch but van Tonder couldn’t ride the bounce and ended up fending it to Tom Latham at gully. The third wicket tilted the session in the hosts’ favour.The second session played out like an exercise in psychology as David Bedingham and Hamza were ready to blunt out the bowling despite the runs coming to a standstill. Henry and O’Rourke held their lines and lengths, Ravindra, brought on in the 36th over, started his spell with four maidens.The ball was beating bat every now and again and the shots, when middled, went straight to the fielders. From overs 31 to 44, South Africa scored 12 runs and the duo collectively had 33 runs in 154 balls.However, two overs later, Hamza’s patience was swiped across the line, as was the loopy wide ball from Ravindra, and – out of nowhere – Hamza holed out to backward point for a 99-ball 20. Ravindra then extended Keegan Petersen’s poor run of form by having him push out at a length ball and caught at slip.It was a case of dots or boundaries from then till tea but de Swardt’s proactivity followed by solidity in defence was a rare positive that South Africa could take from a frustrating session.At the other end, Bedingham looked assured and even capitalised on a couple of rare instances where Ravindra dropped it short. The action-packed 62nd over took South Africa to 150, brought Bedingham two fours, but also ended with his freak dismissal. He flicked a full ball seemingly onto the ground and straight into the hands of Young at short leg. Young tossed the ball to the keeper, who dislodged the bails. An appeal for run out was sent upstairs by the umpire only for the spin-vision replay to reveal that the ball never hit the ground, and went to Young off Bedingham’s boot. So, Bedingham had to walk back after another start.Von Berg, the fifth-oldest player to make a Test debut for South Africa, was particularly tentative at the start of his innings. He looked for a couple of sharp singles to get off the mark but was sent back. He survived a close lbw call in the 68th over off Wagner, where the third umpire felt the ball hit bat and pad simultaneously.His confidence grew gradually, dispatching a couple of short balls from O’Rourke to the boundary and settled in as the soft, old ball lost its spite. De Swardt, at the other end, was steady.New Zealand took the new ball right after the 80th over. Southee induced an edge from von Berg but the ball went over the slip cordon for four and brought up South Africa’s 200. Southee and Henry were taken for boundaries on the odd occasion they went too full but they hit a good length more often than not.Southee hit von Berg’spad with no shot offered in the 85th over. It was given not out and the skipper ended up burning a review as Hawk-Eye showed that the ball would comfortably go over the stumps. In his next over, Southee hit de Swardt in the box. The batter was down but that was all the blows South Africa would face for the rest of the day.The green on the pitch had gotten significantly lighter by the end of the day. The visitors will be happy that their inexperienced line-up clawed back despite having their resistance shaken. But the hosts ensured the scoring was always in check and will be pleased with spinners being among the wickets at home in successive Tests.