Williamson and Ravindra have a few moments left, but they took New Zealand to lunch without any damage.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/south-africa-in-new-zealand-2023-24-1388186/new-zealand-vs-south-africa-1st-test-1388221/match-report-1

New Zealand is at 65 runs for the loss of 2 wickets against South Africa in the lunch break, with Williamson scoring 26* and Ravindra at 15*. Morne Morkel has taken 1 wicket for 21 runs, and Peterson has claimed 1 wicket for 17 runs.

In the first Test session at Mount Maunganui, South Africa’s enthusiastic and experienced bowling attack troubled New Zealand’s more seasoned batsmen, resulting in them losing two wickets.

This sentiment has been reminiscent since last month’s Test debut in Tasmania, recalling Shamarh Joseph’s moment when, as one of the six debutants for the guest team, Tshepo Moreki took Devon Conway’s wicket with the first ball. Ken Williamson seemed troubled on his return from a hamstring injury, and after Tom Latham was dismissed by Dane Paterson, he was seen with host team members during the lunch break alongside Rachin Ravindra.

South Africa’s captain, Neil Brand, chose to bowl, and Morne Morkel proved it was the right decision by trapping Conway in front on the first ball of the second over, dismissing the batsman for 1 run with a delivery that swung around the middle stump. After Dale Steyn in 2014 and Hardus Viljoen in 2016, Morkel became South Africa’s third bowler to strike on the first ball of his Test career following a comeback.

Morkel dismissed Williamson on the first ball, tempting him with an outswinger that kissed the edge, maintaining his disciplined and accurate line. With figures of 5-1-10-1 in his initial spell, Morkel troubled Williamson, claiming his wicket after just 15 deliveries, restricting the batsman to a mere five runs.

However, despite being the most capped player in the team with 15 Tests, Duane Olivier couldn’t create consistent pressure from the second end. He seemed a bit overburdened, overshadowed by the world witnessing his rapid bowling prowess in 2017 when he excelled with the ball in the midst of the 120s and delivered two boundaries on Latham’s drive in his second over.

After settling in, Williamson began playing shots on the off-side through Peterson, gaining some confidence. Similar to Olivier, Peterson lacked pace, but he frequently utilized the scramble seam to target the stumps against Williamson, albeit without much success despite his precision.

Latham and Patterson formed a solid partnership, contributing more than 37 runs for the second wicket. In the 15th over, Peterson’s strong LBW appeal was successfully avoided by Latham, who then displayed a stable approach by guiding the full ball through covers for an additional four runs on the very next delivery. However, Peterson’s seam movement proved beneficial as it eventually led to Latham’s dismissal, securing a victory for South Africa before lunch.

Apart from being hit, Williamson was also on the verge of getting run out when Rachin Ravindra, returning to Test eleven at number 4 in place of Henry Nicholls, swiftly tapped his fifth ball for a quick single, which Williamson managed to complete in a slightly incorrect manner.

There was hope for South Africa to make a comeback in the overs before lunch against New Zealand, although their welcome was marked with a six hit by Moreki, which Ravindra struck over the long-leg boundary. Moreki continued to impress, drawing an edge off Ravindra’s delivery three balls later, but it fell well behind the second slip.

In the first session, there was some swing, seam movement, and good carry. After winning the toss, South Africa brought six debutants onto the field: Brand, Edward Moore, Renard van Tonder, Moreki, Ruan de Swardt, and Clyde Fortuin.