Rabada has five, de Grandhomme hits ton, South Africa lead crosses 100

South Africa took just two wickets on a surface that continues to offer something for the quicks under cloudy skies

Lunch New Zealand 253 for 7 (de Grandhomme 103*, Southee 3*) trail South Africa 364 (Erwee 108, Wagner 4-102) by 111 runs

de Grandhomme resumed on 54 after a counterattacking half-century on the second evening and picked up where he left off immediately. He hit the first ball of the day, a full delivery from Marco Jansen, square of the wicket for four.

Mitchell had played a supporting role to de Grandhomme yesterday but saw an opportunity to get in on the action. He pulled Kagiso Rabada’s third ball over midwicket and top-edged a hook off Jansen over the wicketkeeper to force South Africa to rethink their bang-it-in lengths.

Rabada’s plan was to attack the stumps with full deliveries with the odd surprise bouncer but he occasionally went too full. Mitchell brought up his third fifty off an overpitched delivery that he clipped off his toes and then took the partnership to 100 runs with a a glance to fine leg.

Wiaan Mulder was the first change of the day and was greeted with back-to-back boundaries by de Grandhomme, who hit him through the covers and then down the ground to move into the seventies. Mulder bowled only one over before Dean Elgar turned to Keshav Maharaj, the only specialist spinner playing in the match, and de Grandhomme paddled him fine for four first-up.

Maharaj persisted, searching for turn on a day when temperatures were barely above 10 degrees centigrade, and was eventually rewarded when he hit Mitchell on the pad in front of off stump. Mitchell was given out lbw but reviewed, only for ball-tracking to show the ball was hitting the middle of middle stump. Maharaj could have had a second when Kyle Jamieson pressed forward and almost offerred a chance to silly point but had to be content with holding his end. de Grandhomme reached his century with a three, off Maharaj, through backward point, off the 138th ball he faced. After taking just 36 balls for his first fifty, de Grandhomme showed a more patient side, with 102 for his second. He was dropped by Kyle Verreynne six balls later, when he gloved a pull off Jansen.

But Jansen did not have to wait too long to have success. He removed Jamieson off the next ball, when the batter clipped a short ball to leg gully and opened up the New Zealand tail in the penultimate over before the break.