Ken Borland

Kyle Verreynne is not going to resemble Quinton de Kock nor necessarily fit the perception of what some people believe a Test batsman should look like, but the 24-year-old proved in no uncertain fashion that he belongs at the highest level as his magnificent maiden Proteas century put South Africa in command of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch on Monday.

Verreynne has had a tough time at Test level, scoring just 112 runs in his first eight innings, but he more than doubled that with his brilliant 136 not out in the second innings at Hagley Oval. Going back to the batsman he was before his elevation to Test level provided the breakthrough for the Western Province wicketkeeper/batsman.

“It’s been challenging mentally and Test cricket is the toughest format,” Verreynne said. “My first three series have been on challenging pitches, the wickets for the India series were the toughest I’ve ever batted on and the first Test here was difficult too.

“So you have a lot of doubts and you read what people write about your technique and it’s a challenge. It’s important to keep your self-belief and back your preparation and what you have done in the past.

“In the build-up to this game I did quite a lot of work on my technique and I felt in a really good space, it was just about getting mentally right. I’ve gone back to what I was doing for the last couple of years.

“Footwork has never been a strong point of mine, for me it’s more about my contact points and playing the ball late. Fortunately it worked out and hopefully I’m through that tough phase in my career now,” Verreynne said.

Verreynne praised Kagiso Rabada for his ferocious innings of 47 off 34 balls after lunch on the fourth day that saw the rampant duo hammer 69 runs in eight overs. Not only did their efforts allow South Africa to declare at tea with a lead of 425, but the momentum was carried through into the field, Rabada roaring in with the ball and dismissing both New Zealand openers in his first two overs.

“The third evening was a tricky period for myself and Wiaan Mulder, the stage of the game was such that we just had to get through, and the first 30 minutes this morning were the same, and then we could show more intent.

“KG said he felt pretty good and he would stick around for me to get my hundred. But then it looked like he just couldn’t miss the ball and his innings was a big factor in the energy we took into our bowling,” Verreynne said.

Kyle Verreynne went to a superb maiden Test century and Kagiso Rabada was explosive with both bat and ball to put South Africa in firm control of the second Test against New Zealand on the fourth day at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Monday.

Verreynne’s 136 not out, a magnificent innings combining bravery, tenacity, composure and skill, carried the Proteas to 354/9 declared in their second innings.

It allowed them to set New Zealand the daunting target of 426, which has never been successfully chased in Test cricket before, and the home side had struggled to 94/4 at stumps on the penultimate day.

Rabada removed both openers, Will Young (0) and Tom Latham (1) in his first two overs and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj then began to weave his magic as he bowled both Henry Nicholls (7) and Daryl Mitchell (24) with brilliant deliveries.

Rabada ended the day with 2/17 in eight overs, while Maharaj bowled 16 overs and claimed 2/32.

Devon Conway was the one batsman to frustrate the Proteas as he showed plenty of determination, sticking around for 127 deliveries and reaching 60 not out.

South Africa began the fourth day on 140/5, just 211 ahead, and Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder had to show great composure and skill to get through the crucial first hour.

They took their sixth-wicket stand to 78 before Mulder fell for a valuable 35 on the first drinks break, wicketkeeper Tom Blundell taking a fine diving catch off Kyle Jamieson.

South Africa took lunch on 232/7 and a remarkable second session followed as Verreynne and a ferocious Rabada were in rampant form with the bat.

Rabada blasted a career-best 47 off just 34 balls with four sixes, while Verreynne also cut loose as 69 runs were thrashed in the first eight overs after the break.

New Zealand’s frustration did not end either with Rabada’s dismissal, as Verreynne added another 57 runs with Maharaj and Lutho Sipamla before the declaration came at the tea break.

Thirty-two year old opener Sarel Erwee has worked very hard to get to the top of the cricket pile and the left-hander made sure he enjoyed the view on Friday as he notched his maiden Test century to give South Africa the advantage after the first day of the second Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Erwee, playing in just his second Test, showed great maturity and shot-selection as he scored 108 to lead the Proteas to a rock-solid 238/3 at stumps.

South Africa were batting first having made a surprise decision at the toss, but captain Dean Elgar’s hunch that the pitch did not look as green as the one for the first Test, proved spot-on.

Elgar and Erwee were impressively watchful but positive in their intent whether defending or attacking as they backed up the brave decision at the toss with a wonderful opening stand that took the Proteas to 80/0 at lunch.

New Zealand eventually made their first breakthrough half-an-hour after lunch when Elgar, having scored a tenacious 41, was beaten and bowled all-ends-up by a superb Tim Southee delivery that was angled into the left-hander before nipping away to hit the top of off-stump.

Erwee batted on, however, going to his century in the over before tea, having stroked 13 fours in 188 balls. His driving through the covers and straight, and his clips off his pads, were particularly pleasing on the eye.

Aiden Markram, his Test career in flux, dug himself in carefully, building a vital second-wicket stand of 88 with Erwee. The Test rookie showed great composure through the ebbs and flows of his innings, as did Markram as they rode out a particularly testing period before tea when the Black Caps bowled five consecutive maiden overs.

Markram was just starting to shift gears and had played a number of fine attacking strokes to boost his score to 42 when he suffered a lapse in concentration, driving at a full, wide delivery from left-armer Neil Wagner and edging into the slips.

It ended a highly promising innings, plus New Zealand managed to add the wicket of Erwee in the next over, being caught behind off Matt Henry.

The two quick strikes led to a lift in intensity from the bowlers and Temba Bavuma survived a couple of edges through the slips and Rassie van der Dussen was dropped on 7 at midwicket by Will Young off Henry.

But they were both there at the end, ready to resume on the second day with Van der Dussen on 13 and Bavuma having added 22.

Given what transpired in the first Test, the opening day of the second Test was a massive positive for South Africa.

There was probably no more deserving winner of the South African Open at Glendower Golf Club yesterday than Englishman Andy Sullivan, who claimed his maiden European Tour title in a thrilling playoff with Charl Schwartzel.

Sullivan was a cheerful, chirpy presence throughout the tournament, even on a bad third day when he tumbled down the leaderboard, but he also played the most consistent golf over the four days, finishing on 11-under–par after rounds of 66, 70, 74 and 67.

Schwartzel’s implosion in the closing holes, wasting a four-shot lead with a bogey on the par-three 14^th after finding the greenside bunker; a double-bogey on 16 after driving into a bunker, flying the green and then three-putting; and then a bogey on the par-three 17^th after an awful tee-shot, meant the SA Open had its first playoff since Scotsman Richie Ramsay won at Pearl Valley in 2009.

Schwartzel had been ropey all day off the tee and with his irons, but had scrambled well as he putted superbly from distance. He produced another poor drive in the playoff, going way right of the fairway. Sullivan was left of the fairway, but not as far away, although the Englishman said afterwards that he felt he had a tougher approach shot than the South African.

Sullivan was in cloying grass, with the low branches of a tree obstructing his way to the green, but the jovial 28-year-old was able to make something of a bad situation with a tremendous shot worthy of an SA Open winner.

“I only had 131 metres to the pin, but I had low branches in front of me so I had to hit a nine-iron to keep under those. I was aiming at the grandstand and trying to cut it back, and I hit it perfectly. I thought I’d still be 20 feet from the flag, but instead I was 12 feet and pin-high, it’s without a doubt one of the best shots I’ve ever hit,” Sullivan said.

He still had to make an awkward, curling putt as Schwartzel played a superb third shot to within a couple of feet of the hole, but Sullivan showed his mettle by ramming the winning putt home.

“I’ve never been that nervous over a putt before, I was literally shaking. You never know in golf, but the unbelievable happened and I’m going to really enjoy it and milk it for everything,” the likeable lad from the English midlands town of Nuneaton said.

Sullivan started the day eight shots behind Schwartzel and knew he had to go low. But he only had two birdies and a bogey in his cart by the turn, before chipping in for eagle on the short par-four 12^th. Another birdie on the 16^th lifted him into second and he admitted that he was about to leave the course to head off to the airport for his flight to Dubai when the world number 31 began unravelling.

Schwartzel was brought to his knees by the double-bogey on 16 and was fortunate to only drop one shot at the next hole as his first putt from 60 feet finished less than a metre from the hole, and he was able to regroup enough to par the last hole, despite having to two-putt from 80 feet.

His first putt was another gem, leaving him with just a tiddler for par and a place in the playoff.

Young Matthew Fitzpatrick, who was in the final group with Schwartzel, was out of contention after finding the bog on the 13^th. A triple-bogey eight was the result, but England’s St George’s Cross was still flying high over Glendower thanks to Sullivan.