After Colin De Grandhomme's second Test century reduced the first-innings deficit considerably, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner claimed two wickets apiece to reduce South Africa to 140/5 at the end of Day 3. Now 211 ahead, South Africa will want to inflate their lead to around 300 to 320.
De Grandhomme started exactly from where he had left a day ago, sending the first ball of the day from Marco Jansen to the point boundary. Daryl Mitchell, meanwhile, also struck a flurry of boundaries to race away to his fifty.
The South African pacers bowled too many over-pitched deliveries, and de Grandhomme and Mitchell made the most of it as runs flowed freely in the opening hour. Then Keshav Maharaj was brought into the attack. He broke the 133-run stand by getting Mitchell for 60. De Grandhomme (120*) soon reached his hundred with a square cut to backward point.
Mitchell's dismissal, however, slowed down the scoring rate, and New Zealand hit only one boundary in the next 10 overs. Jansen dismissed both Kyle Jamieson and Southee to reduce New Zealand to 255/8, but Neil Wagner hit back with three fours and a six. Kagiso Rabada wrapped up the innings with the wickets of Wagner and Matt Henry in consecutive balls. He finished with five wickets.
With a first-innings deficit of 71, New Zealand needed early wickets. Southee pinned Saral Erwee, the centurion of the first innings, leg-before early in the innings. Eight overs later, he got Dean Elgar, while Henry bowled Aiden Markram.
Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma steadied the innings with a 65-run stand for the fourth wicket. Van der Dussen made 45 before handing out an easy return catch to Wagner. Kyle Verreynne (22) and Wiaan Mulder (10) will resume on Day 4.
South Africa 364 (Saral Erwee 108; Neil Wagner 4-102) and 140/5 (Rassie van der Dussen 45; Tim Southee 2-28) lead New Zealand 293 (Colin de Grandhomme 120*; Kagiso Rabada 5-60, Marco Jansen 4-98) by 211 runs.