Martin Guptill and Daniel Flynn battled hostile pace bowling to guide New Zealand to 0 for 65 loss at the close of the third day's play in the third Test against South Africa at the Basin Reserve on Sunday.
The pair's opening stand was the highest of the series against South Africa and only the second time New Zealand's openers have passed 50 in the southern hemisphere summer.
Guptill and Brendon McCullum posted 124 against Zimbabwe in Napier in January.
Guptill was on 28, while Flynn, who was struck at least twice on the body as he tried to duck, weave and bob his way past the short-pitched bowling, was on 35 after the first full day's play in the weather-hit match.
The first two days of the Test had been badly affected by rain with more than seven hours of play lost, while both days also ended early due to bad light.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith had declared the visitors' first innings closed at 9 for 474 shortly after tea, with Mark Gillespie taking 6 for 113.
Vernon Philander (29) was the final wicket to fall when he was caught on the boundary by Flynn to give Gillespie his sixth victim, following up his 5 for 59 in the second Test in Hamilton.
Alviro Petersen top scored with 156, while JP Duminy scored 103 for the visitors, who look to have batted New Zealand out of the Test and series.
South Africa resumed the day on 2 for 246 with Petersen on 96 and Duminy on 76 with the pair wasting little time to bring up their centuries.
The 31-year-old Petersen, who had accumulated just 66 runs at an average of 16.5 in four Test innings in New Zealand, punched a Chris Martin delivery through the covers for two then cut him square for his 13th boundary.
Duminy followed him to the milestone shortly afterwards when he flicked a Gillespie delivery behind square for his second Test century.
His celebrations were short lived, however, as he went hard at a good length delivery in Gillespie's next over and was caught by Ross Taylor at first slip, just after he and Petersen had brought up their 200-run partnership.
Duminy was the only wicket to fall in the first session, before New Zealand had some success after lunch.
At one stage the hosts took four wickets for 42 runs, before Mark Boucher and Philander steadied the innings.
South Africa upped its tempo after tea with Boucher caught by Kane Williamson in the gully for 46 before Philander holed out on the boundary to force Smith to end the innings.
Reuters
Tags: cricket, sport, new-zealand First posted March 25, 2012 18:30:42
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