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[Saba Sports News] During a stretching session before Day 3 of the first Test against South Africa, former New Zealand Test captain Kane Williamson was hit by a ball from a teammate. The playful incident, which quickly spread on social media, didn’t escalate, and Williamson continued his warm-up routine without issue.
On the field, Williamson’s performance was noteworthy as he hit a century in the second innings, scoring 109 runs off 132 balls. This effort contributed to New Zealand’s commanding 528-run lead at the close of Day 3. Williamson, alongside notable innings by Rachin Ravindra who scored 240 runs, helped New Zealand amass 511 runs in their first innings.
The South African team, however, faced difficulties, managing only 162 runs in response due to a lack of form among most batters, with the exception of David Bedingham and Keegan Petersen.
New Zealand’s bowlers excelled, particularly Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson with the pace attack, and Mitchell Santner and Ravindra in the spin department, each taking multiple wickets.
Despite South Africa’s head coach Shukri Conrad’s confidence and the team’s historical success against New Zealand, the visitors have struggled in this match. Conrad had emphasized their intention to challenge New Zealand robustly, maintaining their unbeaten Test series record against them in the century.
Nonetheless, the Proteas are in a tough spot, needing a significant turnaround in the remaining days of the first Test.