Before their third-wicket combination went unblemished, the inexperienced Tshepo Moreki TestDane Paterson put the hosts to the Test.
- South Africa 258 for 2 (Williamson 112*, Paterson 1-59, Ravindra 118*) vs. New Zealand
South Africa paid a price for their lack of experience and pace and the chances they gave up to both batters, thanks to centuries from Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra, who were playing at quite opposite phases of their careers and had quite different approaches. By the end of the first day, the pair had amassed 219 runs for the unbroken third wicket, demoralizing a determined South Africa side that had restricted the hosts to a precarious 39 for 2 in the opening session.
In the last session, both batsmen ramped up the tempo to nearly approach the run rate of three an over. Williamson was the more patient and cautious as he overcame a rough start, while Ravindra blasted a six on his eleventh delivery to get going for his biggest Test score.
In the second over of the match, Tshepo Moreki, making his Test debut, took a wicket with his first ball when he trapped Devon Conway's leg before wicket for one. Ravindra and Williamson then had to guide New Zealand out of difficulty. Williamson was defeated three times in fifteen balls by Moreki in his precise opening spell of 5-1-10-1, scoring only five runs.
Dane Paterson also tested the hitters with his Testling seam movement, quickly drawing Tom Latham's outside edge for twenty runs. The nerves were aroused when Ravindra tapped his fifth ball towards cover-point for a quick single, but the throw went wide, almost running out Williamson. The hosts would have been 44 for 3 if Williamson had been removed.
With a much more assured opening over the long-leg boundary, Ravindra invited back Moreki for a second spell. Even so, Moreki kept up his impressive form, drawing Ravindra's edge three balls later, but it was well short of second slip. On 23, Ravindra had more good fortune against Moreki when his inside edge narrowly avoided the stumps, which caused him to become slightly more cautious.
Due to the four South African quicks' tight bowling, the pair patiently played through a wicketless second session of 27 overs for just 60 runs, with many blocks and leaves. Six players, including their captain Neil Brand, were making Mount Maunganui debuts as part of South Africa's all-pace bowling assault. Aside from Ireland and Afghanistan, it was the first time since 1995 that a Test nation's skipper made their debut while the team wasn't playing its maiden Test.
However, the ball grew older, and the initial swing abated; the batting circumstances improved. After Williamson and Moreki opened with domineering boundaries in back-to-back overs, Ravindra quickly closed the gap by unshackling Paterson with a cover drive and a powerful pull for a one-bounce four.
Williamson played the ball very late and used soft hands to ensure his edges weren't carrying, but Ravindra employed far more punch and firm hands to drive, scythe, and rip loose deliveries. Just before tea, Williamson unexpectedly slogged against Ruan de Swardt's medium pace and got a life on forty-five, only to have Edward Moore shell the leading edge as he ran back from extra cover.
Ravindra also completed his fifty that followed the interval, but Williamson reached his fifty in the following over with a boundary. In the thirty minutes following the tea break, both scored far more freely as Ravindra closed in on his partner, scoring boundaries to tick above four runs an over. Neil Brand, the captain of South Africa, entered the game to try to bowl left-arm spin, but he was unsuccessful since Duanne Oliver's pace had begun to fall below 125 kph by that point.
Not long after, Olivier raced in and dove forward, managing to get both hands on the ball but failing to hold on as Ravindra's top edge went to deep backward square leg, giving him a life on 80. Williamson reached his 30th Test century from 241 balls when South Africa began to bowl shorter before the second new ball was taken. Ravindra's historic moment came in the next over, after 189 deliveries.
Even after both batsmen hit the second new ball for a four straight away, South Africa's fortunes remained unchanged. Whether Moreki pitched it full or short, Ravindra kept getting boundaries off him, passing Williamson to end the day undefeated with 118, ten better than the previous captain.
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