NZ pile on the runs on day 3

It was a day of record on day three at Auckland with Scott Styris and Chris Cairns making career bests. Styris (170) and Cairns (158) put New Zealand in a commanding position at 584-8 at stumps with a lead off 282.

Resuming at 201-3 on day three, Scott Styris and Craig McMillan went about wiping away the defect in an attacking manner hitting regular boundaries. Styris passed his career best of 119 and went on to pass his 150. While at the other end McMillan passed his 50. Styris passed his 150 and went pass the record individual score by a New Zealander against South Africa.

On 285, Nicky Boje got to flight a ball outside off, Styris played at it and got an outside edge and was caught by Shaun Pollock at slip for 170. Styris' 170 not only was a new personal highest score but New Zealand put into a great position before lunch by being only 11 runs behind.

Bredon McCullum came to the crease ahead of Chris Cairns. McMillan continued onto 82 before playing the ball on from a hook shot which knocked out his stump out of the ground. South Africa were back in the game at 314-5.

Cairns was in and got the ball rolling as he hit some early boundaries. Cairns managed to hit 16 runs of one Pollock over, two shots fired past short cover who had no chance of fielding. The other one was a pull shot and the first one was through cover.

That was the end of Pollock for that over, with Ntini's first ball of his new spell, bowling McCullum with a low full toss on off stump which knocked it out of the ground. New Zealand was at 349-6.

That didn't deter Cairns racing onto his half century just before tea and some tight South African bowling restricted New Zealand in the last 5 overs. Jacob Oram had displayed some copy book straight and off drives before tea.

It didnt take long after tea with Cairns hitting Boje out of the attack with two sixes in Boje's first over straight after tea. Oram continued to display his exhibition of drives which wouldn't of looked out of place in the MCC Coaching Manuel.

The runs didn't let up from Cairns' blade scoring his 5th Test century and going past his highest Test score of 121. Oram do passed his half century to continue his good run of form with the bat in his last three Tests. Cairns passed his 150 - his highest score in Tests and First Class cricket.

Oram showed his brute strength by hitting two massive sixes of Boje. Cairns continued along with his hitting ability until he tried one big shot to many when he holed out to Jacques Kallis at long on off the bowling off Graeme Smith for 158 to take the score to 574-7. When Cairns passed 153, he had scored 100 runs in a session.

Four runs late Ntini bowled Oram with a tired looking shot which knocked Oram's middle stump out of the ground. Oram had gone for a well made 90. Ntini was the pick of the South African bowlers with 3-101. The rest (Pollock, Kallis and Terbrugge) all went for over 100 runs.

Daniel Vettori (5*) and Daryl Tuffey (2*) held out to stumps. New Zealand finished at 584-8 with a lead of 282 runs.

South Africa 296
New Zealand 584-7 (Styris 170, Cairns 158, Oram 90; Ntini 3-101, Pollock 2-111)

Posted by Craig