South Africa's Kagiso Rabada celebrates. Photo / Photosport
South Africa's Kagiso Rabada celebrates. Photo / Photosport
At the start of day four of the second test, the Black Caps needed to accomplish an unlikely feat.
Now, they need a miracle.
The Black Caps will enter day five at 94-4, needing another 332 runs for victory, or to bat out the day for a draw.
Either would secure their first test series win over South Africa, while victory - don't laugh - would be a world record fourth-innings chase, and move New Zealand back to No 1 in the test world rankings and back into contention in the World Test Championship.
None of those tantalising achievements are remotely likely to happen after South Africa overpowered the Black Caps today at Hagley Oval.
Resuming at 140-5 with a lead of 211, South Africa were on top, but not by much, and early wickets would have put the Black Caps in pole position for a second straight win over the visitors.
Those quick wickets were not forthcoming.
Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder – two players at risk of being dropped before today – ensured as much, adding 78 for the sixth wicket as South Africa's lead ballooned to 303 by lunch.
South Africa's Wiaan Mulder and Kyle Verreynne shake hands after their 50 partnership. Photosport
New Zealand's only breakthroughs came thanks to some spectacular fielding – Tom Blundell snaring a sharp one-handed catch to remove Mulder, while Will Young's sprawling one-handed take on the midwicket boundary to remove Marco Jansen stunned even his teammates, with barely any cries for a catch before Young hauled in a screamer.
As it happened, they were the only highlights for the Black Caps. After lunch, Kagiso Rabada produced a game-changing cameo, smashing 47 off 34 balls as he and Verreynne rocketed along at nine an over and ensured the Black Caps' hopes of victory became a pipe dream.
Verreynne, who came into the day with a high score of 30 in eight test innings, played a remarkable hand, finishing unbeaten on 136 as South Africa declared at 354-9, having walloped 214 runs in under two sessions and leaving New Zealand with the unenviable task of requiring a world record 426 for victory, or to bat out 133 overs for a draw.
Based on how easily South Africa had rumbled along, salvaging either result seemed closer to implausible than impossible, but Rabada then turned destroyer with the ball to send those odds hurtling skywards.
South Africa's Kagiso Rabada celebrates. Photo / Photosport
Just like he did in the first innings, Rabada rapidly removed both openers. Tom Latham finished a grim test with scores of 0 and 1 as he clipped the second ball he faced straight to short leg where Rassie van der Dussen took a sharp catch, while Young's catch earlier in the day was the only contribution he made in the test as he fell for a second-ball duck, steering a drive straight to gully.
New Zealand's path to a positive result had a lot riding on a stellar start from the top order, and when Keshav Maharaj's second ball spun between Henry Nicholls' bat and pad, the Black Caps were 25-3 and needing a mere 401 further runs for victory.
After a small rebuild, Maharaj also knocked off Daryl Mitchell's bails for 24, and Devon Conway – dropped on five – was the only man remaining from the top-order onslaught, unbeaten on 60 at stumps as New Zealand's hopes of history turned into battle for survival.
