Stumps New Zealand 211 and 40 for 1 (Latham 21*, Conway 17, Piedt 1-3) trail South Africa 242 and 235 (Bedingham 110, Petersen 43, O’Rourke 5-34, Philips 2-50) by 227 runs
At stumps, New Zealand were 40 for 1, having lost Devon Conway off what turned out to be the last ball of the day, from Dane Piedt. With New Zealand needing a further 227 runs and South Africa nine wickets to win, the contest is evenly poised heading into day four.
Though this is only Bedingham’s fourth Test, the clarity in his thinking and approach – perhaps the experience of playing close to 90 first-class matches helped – stood out. He played aggressively when necessary and scored at a good pace. In his 141-ball stay, he hit 12 fours and two sixes, playing almost a faultless innings.
Petersen, at the other end, was good against spin and pace and ticked along nicely in the middle session. They put on 98 runs together for the fifth wicket, putting South Africa in a strong position at tea.
Not long after, Phillips, with his offspin, cleaned up Ruan de Swardt when he exposed his stumps attempting a sweep. But it was O’Rourke who delivered the key wicket once again when he dismissed Bedingham for 110, Phillips figuring in the script again. It was a back-of-a-length delivery that Bedingham cut but Phillips was waiting at gully for just that shot.
The extra bounce on offer and O’Rourke’s pace and accuracy meant New Zealand wiped out South Africa one hour into the final session.