New Zealand fast bowler Will O’Rourke has taken his first Test wicket on debut against South Africa in Hamilton this morning.
O’Rourke, 22, had Proteas skipper Neil Brand trapped in front to make a vital breakthrough after the Black Caps lost the toss at Seddon Park.
Bowling at more than 140km/h, the 1.97m O’Rourke dismissed Brand for 25 with the second ball of the 13th over when the left hander was looking increasingly comfortable.
O’Rourke was part of a four-pronged seam attack alongside skipper Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner as New Zealand seek to wrap up a first Test series win over the Proteas.
Fellow fast bowler Kyle Jamieson was left out of the XI due to back soreness and no doubt with an eye to the upcoming Australia Test series in Wellington and Christchurch.
Will Young was brought in to replace Daryl Mitchell, who has a previously announced foot injury, with spinner Mitchell Santner also left out.
New Zealand’s attack on a bouncier and pacier pitch than last week’s in Mount Maunganui has clearly been designed around seam, with Rachin Ravindra, who scored a maiden double century at Bay Oval, and Glenn Phillips potential spin options.
South Africa may have surprised with their willingness to bat first on a pitch tinged with green after being bowled out for 162 in the first innings last week in their 281-run defeat but they will have designs on avoiding a first ever series defeat to the hosts via the same method they employed the last time they were here two years ago.
On that occasion they fought back from a heavy defeat in the first Test at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval to win the second at the same venue by 198 runs after batting first and twice dismissing the Black Caps for under 300.
Their plan quickly went awry this morning though when, after Brand survived the first over of the match against Southee, who had the ball swinging, make-shift opener Clyde Fortuin went hard at Matt Henry’s first ball in the next and succeeded only in hitting the ball to gully where Glenn Phillips made a fine diving catch to his left.
Brand and Raynard van Tonder then appeared virtually untroubled in putting on 36 runs for the second wicket before O’Rourke made a hugely valuable breakthrough in warm and sunny conditions.
Wagner, in the relatively unusual position of bowling on a first day of a Test before lunch, had Zubayr Hamza trapped in front without playing a shot with the fifth ball of his first over but the decision was overturned by the third umpire on height.
O’Rourke’s breakthrough had South Africa 40-2, and, just as the tourists appeared set to make it to lunch without further issue, Wagner had van Tonder caught by Tom Latham at gully for 32.
Wagner, turning to his familiar short-bowling routine, dug another in and van Tonder inexplicably guided it straight to Latham to leave South Africa 64-3 at the break.
It was the newcomer O'Rourke, who bowled five overs for figures of 1-12 in the morning session, who made the important breakthrough, but it was the old master Wagner who got the third wicket New Zealand would have been craving.
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