Cricket: McCullum and Oram dig Kiwis out of trouble

6.30pm

New Zealand avoided the follow-on thanks to a half century on debut from Brendon McCullum but South Africa still held the upper hand after day three of the first cricket test in Hamilton today.

At stumps New Zealand were 361-7 in their first innings in reply to South Africa's 459, with Jacob Oram unbeaten on 49 and Daniel Vettori on 21.

New Zealand began the final session on 234-6, needing 26 to avoid the follow-on mark, and they got there without incident thanks to wicketkeeper McCullum's aggressive and slightly fortuitous 57 off 86 balls including 11 fours.

He and Oram added 84 in 105 minutes for the seventh wicket before Jacques Kallis had McCullum caught behind with the total 309.

Scott Styris earlier topscored with 74.

Kallis had the best South Africa figures of three for 61, while Shaun Pollock had two for 75 to move within two scalps of Allan Donald's South Africa test record of 330 wickets.

SCOREBOARD

South Africa

First innings 459

New Zealand

First innings (102-2 overnight)

M Richardson lbw b Pollock 4

M Papps lbw b Kallis 59

S Fleming lbw b Adams 27

S Styris b Pollock 74

C McMillan lbw b Kallis 19

C Cairns c Boucher b Ntini 28

J Oram not out 49

B McCullum c Boucher b Kallis 57

D Vettori not out 21

Extras (8b, 7lb, 8nb) 23

Total (for 7 wkts, 128 overs) 361

Fall: 20 (Richardson), 75 (Fleming), 127 (Papps), 172 (McMillan), 223 (Styris), 225 (Cairns), 309 (McCullum).

Bowling: S Pollock 25-4-75-2 (6nb), M Ntini 23-7-54-1, J Kallis 22-6-61-3, A Nel 24-8-64-0 (2nb), P Adams 32-7-84-1, J Rudolph 2-0-8-0.

- NZPA