Stats from South Africa Test series

During the series Chris Martin became the third New Zealand bowler after Sir Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori to claim fifty or more wickets against one country. Hadlee has achieved the feat against five countries and Vettori against three but Martin is the first to do so against the Proteas. 
       
Mark Boucher has now played the most matches for South Africa against the BLACKCAPS. He and Jacques Kallis both equalled John Waite's record of fifteen matches in the first Test with Boucher extending his record to seventeen matches, one more than Kallis who was unable to play in the third Test.        

Boucher became just the third wicketkeeper to claim fifty dismissals against New Zealand during the third Test. He now has exactly fifty dismissals, made up of forty nine catches and just one stumping. Only Australia's Rod Marsh with 58 dismissals and Boucher's compatriot John Waite, with fifty seven, have made more dismissals.      
  
Daniel Vettori has now played fourteen matches against the Proteas, behind only Stephen Fleming and John R Reid, each of whom played fifteen matches. Chris Martin lies next on thirteen matches.        
        
Vettori played his one hundred and tenth Test at the Basin Reserve and is poised to equal Stephen Fleming's New Zealand record when he plays his next Test, most probably in the Caribbean during New Zealand's winter tour.        
        
Vettori continued to find the South African batsmen the hardest to bowl against. Going into the series he had just eighteen wickets at an average of 69.66. His three wickets during the series came at a cost of 95 runs each so his record against South Africa is now twenty one wickets at an average of 73.28. This compares very unfavourably to his overall average of 33.94.        
        
The South African second innings in Dunedin contained three centuries, the first occasion that the Proteas have managed this against New Zealand.  This was the fourteenth time that the Black Caps have conceded three hundreds in an innings with no team having managed four.  By contrast New Zealand have twice scored four centuries in an innings, but managed three in an innings on only three occasions.
        
Jacques Kallis scored his sixth Test century against New Zealand during the Dunedin second innings to bring him level with Rahul Dravid. Only Javed Miandad, with seven, has scored more centuries against the BLACKCAPS.        
        
During that first Test in  Dunedin Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis added exactly two hundred runs for South Africa's third wicket, well short of the record of 330 shared by Hashim Amla and Kallis at Johannesburg in 2007-08. Then in the third Test Alviro Petersen and JP Duminy repeated the dose with exactly two hundred runs once again for the third wicket.        
        
Petersen scored his third and highest century when scoring 156 at Wellington while Duminy scored his second century and became the seventh South African batsman to score a hundred in his first match against New Zealand. His was the fourth of those seven to have been scored at Wellington.        

Vernon Philander became the second fastest bowler to reach fifty test wickets, achieving the mark in his seventh Test. Only the Australian bowler Charles Turner, back in the nineteenth century, has reached the milestone quicker requiring one less Test. Philander managed the feat in 135 days with only Rodney Hogg (Australia) managing it faster needing just 113 days.        
        
Of New Zealand bowlers Shane Bond was quickest to the milestone in terms of Tests, achieving the mark in his twelfth Test. Daniel Vettori is the fastest in terms of time reaching fifty wickets in one year and one hundred and twenty four days.        
        
During the second Test in Hamilton Philander became just the fourth South African bowler to claim ten wickets in a match against New Zealand, with Dale Steyn having managed the feat twice.          
        
Philander's twenty one wickets is the most by a South African bowler in a three Test series against the BLACKCAPS although Dale Steyn did finish with twenty wickets from two Tests in 2007-08.        
        
Mark Gillespie has now played three Tests against the Proteas and taken a five wicket bag in each, improving his best bowling figures each time. In his first Test he finished with five for 136 to be one of only seven New Zealand bowlers to have taken five wickets in an innings on debut.  Then when recalled to the BLACKCAPS team for the second Test he finished with five for 59 in the South African first innings. He backed that up by claiming career-best figures of six for 113 on his home ground at the Basin Reserve. Only Chris Martin has taken more five wicket bags against South Africa with his four coming in thirteen matches.   
     
Morne Morkel achieved his best bowling figures and his fifth five wicket bag as he tried his utmost to bowl South Africa to victory at Wellington.   He took all six wickets to fall in New Zealand's second innings finishing with six for 23.        
        
Marchant de Lange who took seven for 81 on debut against Australia in his only previous Test found things a bit harder in Wellington finishing with match figures of one for 151.