Faf du Plessis hails South Africa's fighting spirit

Faf du Plessis, South Africa's captain, hailed his side's ability to wade through difficult situations after the visitors registered a come-from-behind eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second Test in Wellington on Saturday (March 18).

On Day 2 of the Test between the two sides, the able duo of Colin de Grandhomme and Tim Southee had reduced the visitors to 94 for 6. However, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma weren't flustered by the futile situation as they shared a 160-run stand for the seventh wicket lift the spirits of South Africa. Eventually, on the back of Keshav Maharaj's six-wicket haul in the second innings, South Africa won the Test.

"It's happened a few times this season," said du Plessis about South Africa's impressive fightback. "We've been in impossible situations and then there's one or two guys putting their hand up and making the impossible very possible, turning the momentum and putting it right back on the opposition. Lunchtime yesterday, 90 (94) for 6, it felt like not too long ago and now we've won a Test match so just that shift in pressure was really well handled."

Maharaj, the slow left-arm orthodox bowler, blended nagging control with clever flight to return noteworthy figures of 6 for 40 in the second innings. In the windy climes of Wellington, Maharaj excelled and picked up the key scalps of Jeet Raval, Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling. It isn't easy for a spinner to grip the ball on a cold day, but the affable cricketer struck to his basics and was rewarded.

"Surprising given the conditions, cold and not a lot of spin. But I thought the spinners bowled incredibly well, their control and consistency meant the New Zealand batsmen just couldn't get away. Their run rates were very low. the pressure that created chances for wickets. When spinners are contributing like that it makes the seamers' lives much easier especially with us having to rotate the seamers quite often because we only have three," he noted.

Du Plessis also commended Morne Morkel and Co. for bowling zest-filled spells and picking up wickets up front. "That's the plan. See an opportunity in the game where you see who will be the holder and who will be the strike bowler. Most of the morning session it was going to be the seamers, with the wind blowing, it was always going to be quite tough.

"I tried Morne for one over from the bottom end to see if there was something but there wasn't enough there so pretty much went straight to the spinner, and with the strong wind there's quite a bit of drift, so never easy for the batters. But for Kesh to handle the wind and drift that well, I can think of only one bad ball he bowled all day, and he fully deserved his five-for."

Morkel, who made a comeback from a career-threatening back injury during the series, had a tough time in the first innings and ended up with unflattering figures of 2 for 82. However, the veteran pacer showed his class and quality by making crucial incisions with the new ball in the second essay. Du Plessis commended Morkel for his incisive spell and noted that the 32-year-old pacer is getting back to his best.

"I said Morne was bowling very well and I had the confidence in him. It was a bit of a punt as he's been away from the game for so long but I knew what I saw from him. Every time he's bowling, he's getting better. In the first innings there were good spells, and he released the pressure a bit and bowled bad balls.

"Then in the second innings he hardly bowled a bad ball. His consistency is there and he's getting his pace back up and today with the new ball is as tough as you could face. I was standing in the slips and it looked nasty, a lot of bounce with good intensity and pace. When he's on like that he's a real handful."

The final Test of the series will be played in Hamilton. Historically, it has assisted the spinners to some extent, evidenced by the 39 wickets Daniel Vettori has bagged at the ground. Du Plessis pointed out not just Maharaj, but JP Duminy also made vital contributions with his offspin by taking four wickets in the first essay. "Obviously spin will be the main threat there [Hamilton]. What was really good for me was the way JP bowled in this match. That confidence from the bowling was something I was looking for, to give a little bit more responsibility and he got through it really well.

"He didn't score a hundred this innings but the way he played looked really good, the way he plays at his best with positive body language. He really had good intensity, at the end running down and hitting the guy over his head shows courage. The way he bowled helps us going to the next Test match and obviously spin will play a part. Two, possibly three spinners will be very much a part of our thinking," du Plessis concluded.