• South Africa defeated New Zealand in the second Test to level the series.

  • Kagiso Rabada was named 'Player of the Match' for his splendid bowling.

Twitter reactions: Bowlers shine as South Africa beat New Zealand in 2nd Test to level series
South Africa defeated New Zealand in the 2nd Test (Image Source: Twitter)

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South Africa defeated New Zealand in the second and final Test at Hagley Oval in Christchurch to level the two-match series 1-1.

Riding on the bowling masterclass of Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada, the Proteas completed an extraordinary turnaround and hammered New Zealand by 198 runs. Notably, the hosts had won the opening Test at the same venue by an innings and 276 runs.

When it comes to the second match, after setting New Zealand a target of 426, South Africa bowled out the hosts for 227 runs. In their massive chase of 426, the Black Caps resumed on 94/4 in the morning and reached 166/5 before Lutho Sipamla dismissed well-set Devon Conway for 92 runs.

Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell (44) and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme (18) did show some resistance, but it quickly went downhill after Jansen got rid of both Blundell and De Grandhomme. Jansen and senior lad Rabada ripped through the tail before a rain break brought an early tea, with South Africa needing one wicket for victory.

Spinner Keshav Maharaj then trapped Matt Henry in front to seal the memorable win for South Africa. The trio of Rabada (3/46), Jansen (3/63) and Maharaj (3/75) bagged three wickets apiece in the second innings.

Brief Scores: South Africa 364 (Sarel Erwee 108, Aiden Markram 42; Neil Wagner 4/104, Matt Henry 3/90) & 354/9 decl. (Kyle Verreynne 136) beat New Zealand 293 (Colin de Grandhomme 120, Daryl Mitchell 60; Kagiso Rabada 5/60, Marco Jansen 4/98) and 227 (Devon Conway 92, Tom Blundell 44; Kagiso Rabada 3/46, Marco Jansen 3/63) by 198 runs.

“It’s never easy playing against NZ, so we knew we had to get the job done. We have been in such situations before. NZ were just too good in the first Test, so we had to win this one, to make it 1-1. I would prefer to bowl on the wicket used for the first Test as a fast bowler. The lower order needed to put their hand up, and that’s what we did. It was a last-second decision to go for it (that catch) – and I’m glad I went for it and pulled it off,” said Rabada after the match.

Here is how Twitter reacted:

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