South Africa v New Zealand, 2016

Test matches (2): South Africa 1, New Zealand 0
New Zealand arrived quietly confident of a first series win in South Africa. They had just dismantled Zimbabwe, which put nine days' Test cricket into their legs, whereas the South Africans had not played a Test for more than six months. With a tour of India looming, new skipper Kane Williamson and coach Mike Hesson were aware that the busiest nine months in New Zealand's history could define the game's profile back home.

South Africa, by contrast, had crashed from No. 1 in the rankings to an all time low of seventh, and hopes they could prove this was just a temporary blip were not helped when A. B. de Villiers and Morne Morkel were ruled out by injury. Their absence, though, was mitigated by the return of the potent new ball pairing of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.

The scheduling of the two Tests during the rugby season was unfamiliar. The first started on August 19, almost two months before the previous-earliest Test in South Africa. There was also official confirmation from Cricket South Africa shortly before the tour that racial quotas, which had existed at domestic level for over a decade and a half, would be introduced at national level as well. The actual numbers were not revealed, but South Africa's side in both Tests included six non-whites.

The first was at Durban, where the board failed to ensure adequate covering. Rain fell, and the last three and a half days were lost to a wet outfield. The conditions in Centurion were impeccable, justifying the gamble of reseeding the entire playing area, with cool-weather winter grass. It was soft, and a natural emerald-green - unlike the dead, tufty surface which had been spray painted when these teams played a one-day international 12 months earlier. New Zealand's hopes were swept away, largely by the returning Steyn.

Match reports for

1st Test: South Africa v New Zealand at Durban, Aug 19-23, 2016
Report | Scorecard

2nd Test: South Africa v New Zealand at Centurion, Aug 27-30, 2016
Report | Scorecard