New Zealand were beaten comprehensibly by South Africa in the second Test in Christchurch on Tuesday but that doesn’t mean the hosts did not have their share of brilliance in the series-deciding final Test match. On Day 4, Will Young pulled off an “outrageous” catch to dismiss South Africa pacer Marco Jansen. During the 79th over of South Africa’s second innings, Jansen had flicked Colin de Grandhomme’s delivery towards the deep midwicket region.
While the ball was seemingly travelling for a four atleast, Young, who was deployed around that region, came running and pouched an excellent one-handed catch.
Young took a stumble but held on to the ball, leaving the commentators and viewers scratching their heads.
New Zealand Cricket share the video of the catch on their official Twitter handle.
Watch: Will Young’s Outrageous Catch In New Zealand vs South Africa 2nd Test
A simply outrageous catch from Will Young is our @ANZ_NZ Play of the Day from Hagley Oval! #NZvSA pic.twitter.com/iRWNvriqja
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 28, 2022
South Africa eventually declared their innings at 354/9 after Kyle Verreynne 136-run knock, handing New Zealand a target of 426.
New Zealand were all out for 227 eight balls after tea on the final day.
It completed a remarkable turnaround for South Africa who read the conditions far better than New Zealand after being thrashed by an innings and 276 runs in the first Test on the same ground.
A century by Sarel Erwee laid the base for a first innings 364, Kagiso Rabada took five for 60 as New Zealand folded 71 in arrears and an unbeaten 136 from Kyle Verreynne in the second innings tightened the clamp on New Zealand.
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A disappointed New Zealand captain Tom Latham, who saw the chance of a history-making first series win over South Africa slip away, put the blame on his batsmen, “Our blueprint is about putting a big first innings score on the board, if we were able to do that things might look slightly different,” he said.
“Unfortunately we were not able to build partnerships in the first or second innings.”
(With AFP inputs)
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