Rain cut short an intriguingly-poised first cricket Test between New Zealand and South Africa, where New Zealand had an outside chance of stealing the match.
Consistent rain on Sunday, the fifth day, meant no play was possible and the match was called off in the afternoon and the Test drawn.
New Zealand needed 264 more runs to win with eight wickets in hand and their two best batsmen – captain Ross Taylor (48) and Brendon McCullum (58) – were at the crease.
Taylor admitted they would have had to play really well to threaten the target of 401 against the South African attack, which boasts the number-one ranked Test bowler in Dale Steyn and the impressive rookie Vernon Philander, who took five wickets in the match.
The target was only attainable because of South Africa’s declaration on the fourth day at 5-435, and Taylor said he would have preferred his bowlers to have taken 20 wickets.
With South Africa scoring 238 in their first innings and New Zealand 273, the match was evenly poised for two-and-a-half days before the visitors grabbed control via centuries from captain Graeme Smith (115), Jacques Kallis (113) and Jacques Rudolph (105no) to rattle up 5-435.
Smith scored 53 in the first innings and was voted player of the match.
He warned New Zealand might not get so close in the second and third Tests, to be played in Hamilton and Wellington in the coming weeks.
“We definitely are going to improve going into Hamilton. The first two days we weren’t at our best and we improved as the Test match went on.”
There were some soft dismissals in their first innings and they were working on eliminating those sorts of chances.
He admitted it was possible New Zealand could have reached the target, which would have been a major upset considering the respective rankings of the two teams in Test cricket.
South Africa is in second, challenging for first, while New Zealand is a lowly eighth.
The draw means South Africa cannot win the series 3-0 and overtake England at the top of the rankings.
Smith said rain was expected and that was in their mind when they declared.
“We took the risk. We felt we were good enough to win the game and that’s why we gave ourselves a chance.”
However, he said the match had been an enjoyable, especially playing at the picturesque University Oval after playing so many stadiums.
