New Zealand skipper Tom Latham expressed disappointment after his side got thrashed by South Africa in the second and final Test here at the Hagley Oval on Tuesday. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen were the standout performers with the ball in the final innings as South Africa defeated New Zealand by 198 runs in the second Test. With this win, South Africa levelled the two-match series at 1-1.
“Not the outcome we were looking for. We were not able to build enough partnerships, weren’t able to put up a good first innings score, so disappointed to be in this position. I guess the game was in the balance for a long time, but the key moments didn’t go our way. We knew South Africa were going to be at their best, we were not able to break those partnerships yesterday. You don’t want to leave up to the rain,” said Latham after the final day.
“Like I said we were not able to build the partnerships. Regardless of the conditions, we try to do better. The players are trying to get better, it’s about finding a way with the tail as well. Huge thanks to the South African team for coming here, it’s never easy with the quarantine protocols to be followed,” he added.
Resuming Day 5 at 94/4, Devon Conway and Tom Blundell kept New Zealand in the game and the duo mixed caution with aggression to help the hosts. In the first session, South Africa was able to take just one wicket as Lutho Sipamla got the better of Conway (92).
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However, in the second session, the complexion of the entire game changed as South Africa took wickets in a hurry and once Blundell (44) lost his wicket, New Zealand’s innings went completely downhill.
In the end, the hosts were bundled out for 227, handing South Africa a 198-run win. For the Proteas, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj returned with three wickets each.
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