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WELLINGTON. – On an enthralling first day of the second Test cricket between New Zealand and South Africa at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, it was Henry Nicholls and JP Duminy who stole the headlines with career-best performances yesterday.

A total of 12 wickets fell on the opening day at the Basin Reserve on a day in which the honours were evenly shared between the teams as the contest hangs on a knife’s edge.

Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, South Africa would have been delighted to have New Zealand out for 268 if you offered it to them at the start of the day.

It could have been a lot worse for the Black Caps were it not for the batting heroics of Nicholls, who scored his maiden test hundred.

Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel struck up front with the new ball to restrict New Zealand to 21-3, before a wicket either side of lunch from Keshav Maharaj left New Zealand reeling at 101-5.

Nicholls continued to score with relative freedom, punishing anything that was over-pitched or had width. His partner at the other end, BJ Watling, knuckled down as the pair partnered for 116 – a sixth wicket record for New Zealand against South Africa. The duo took the Black Caps beyond tea, before the introduction of JP Duminy swung momentum back in the Proteas’ favour.

His offspin accounted for Nicholls (118), Colin de Grandhomme (4) and Watling (34) in three consecutive overs for the part-timer to knock New Zealand back to 222-8.

Some lusty hitting from Tim Southee (27) and Jeetan Patel (17 not out) helped push the total along before Morne Morkel removed Southee and Duminy accounted for Neil Wagner (2).

Duminy finishing with figures of 4-47 in 11.3 overs – his best figures in test cricket. Maharaj (2-47), Rabada (2-59) and Morkel (2-82) took the rest of the wickets, while Philander was miserly and probing with his 0-29 in 15 overs. – AFP.