Cape Town - Dale Steyn claimed two wickets just before lunch to put the Proteas in the driving seat on day two of the first Test against New Zealand at Kingsmead on Saturday.
After South Africa were dismissed for 263 earlier after a 50-minute late start to the day due to light rain in Durban, the pace attack showed great discipline and accuracy under helpful cloudy skies.
Steyn and Vernon Philander hit their lines and lengths almost immediately and beat the bat on several occasions as New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Tom Latham struggled to get going against the swinging ball.
Philander nearly made the initial breakthrough in the fourth over as he lured Latham forward outside off-stump, and the left-hander got a thick edge. The ball went straight to Dean Elgar at second slip, and while it was below knee height, it was comfortable enough for a slip fielder.
Elgar, though, grabbed at the ball instead of waiting for it to go into the hands and the ball hit wrist/forearm area and was put down with Latham on three.
Luckily for Elgar, the damage was limited to just one more run as Steyn benefited at the other end as he pitched it up and got Latham to hang his bat out on off-stump, and the edge went to Hashim Amla at first slip. It was just reward for a fired-up Steyn, who was swinging the ball both ways.
In came the big fish, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, but he survived the rest of the session to be on two off 16 balls.
But there was no such luck for Guptill, who misread a Steyn in-swinger and was trapped plumb lbw for seven. The Steyn bluff had worked as he had pushed square leg to the boundary, and then pitched it up.
The Black Caps were reduced to 12/2 off nine overs, but Williamson and Ross Taylor (2 not out) held Steyn and Philander at bay for another three overs before more rain brought a premature end to the opening session, with New Zealand trailing by 248 runs.
Earlier, Kagiso Rabada ended on 32 not out as the Proteas posted 263 in 87.4 overs, with Steyn being sent back for two and Dane Piedt scored nine.
New Zealand’s best bowlers were Neil Wagner (3/47 in 15 overs) and Trent Boult (3/52 in 21.4 overs), but now they need the rest of the batting line-up to get runs on the board to give them something to bowl at in the second innings.