With an 80% chance of rain in Dunedin on day five, Faf du Plessis’ game management will need to be spot on in order to win the first Test.
It was a tough day of batting for the Proteas on day four, but the stern resistance of Dean Elgar (89) and Faf du Plessis (56*) has given them a chance of winning this first Test, weather permitting.
Rain will fall at the University Oval throughout the day, so it’s up to Du Plessis and the rest of the think tank to decide how long they’ll need to keeping batting. On this track, which is proving trickier each day, the 191-run lead that the Proteas have is already substantial, but Neil McKenzie said that he wants another 60-70 runs to put the game out of New Zealand’s reach.
With four wickets in hand, there’s no guarantee that they’ll even get that much, but even if they don’t, it promises to be an interesting contest, especially considering that the hosts are unlikely to have Ross Taylor’s services, who has a calf tear.
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