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- Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen said a target of between 270-300 will pose a challenge for New Zealand in the second Test.
- SA has a lead of 211, having gone to bed on 140/5 at the end of the third day at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
- Van der Dussen expects Keshav Maharaj to play a role in the chase despite spin not being successful at the Hagley Oval.
Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen said a target of between 270-300 in the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch would be sufficient to get spinner Keshav Maharaj into the game.
Maharaj is the only front-line spinner in both teams and while he took 1/46 in his 16 overs, he gained turn and bounce that worried New Zealand while also providing an element of control that allowed Proteas skipper Dean Elgar to rotate seamers at the other end.
While the Hagley Oval isn't known to aid spin, Maharaj tied down centurion Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell.
SCORECARD | New Zealand v South Africa, 2nd Test
With SA making 140/5, they have a lead of 211 that's already past the highest successful fourth-innings total chased down in Christchurch, which is Australia's 201/3 in 2016.
"Anything around 270 or 280-plus will be decent and if we can emulate what we did with our tail-enders in the first innings and get close to the 300-mark, it'll be a good place for us," Van der Dussen said.
"If we bat well and apply ourselves on day four so we can get into a position where we can put their bowlers under pressure is going to be a great position for us.
"That'll give us a chance to get Keshav into the game while seamers are being rotated while hoping the pitch deteriorates."
That New Zealand bowled 12 maidens in the 53 overs, they hurled down to the visitors, while SA only bowled 13 in the 80 overs New Zealand faced.
It spoke to a level of control and discipline New Zealand exhibited through SA's innings, even though Van der Dussen came out of his shell with his 85-ball 45 that was comfortably SA's most fluent innings of the match.
Van der Dussen, who had an absorbing battle with Neil Wagner, who eventually got him out, gave New Zealand's bowlers credit for their persistence.
"We went out there looking to play on the front, so by being ahead by about 70, we knew their bowlers would be fatigued," Van der Dussen said.
"We looked to put pressure on them, but they've got some world-class bowlers and they really don't give you much.
"I played a bit more streakily than I normally do, but I needed to put pressure on them so we could build on the lead.
"I ran out of luck and Wagner bowled a brilliant spell with those short deliveries, but we're reasonably happy.
"We just need to get through their first spells, their bodies will be sore because they've been bowling for a while.
"If we can start well with the bat, we'll see how the day goes."
Scores in brief
SA: 364 and 140/5 (Rassie van der Dussen 45, Temba Bavuma 23, Kyle Verreynne 22*, Neil Wagner 2/44, Tim Southee 2/28, Matt Henry 1/25)
NZ: 293 (Colin de Grandhomme 120*, Daryl Mitchell 60, Henry Nicholls 39, Kagiso Rabada 5/60, Marco Jansen 4/95)
SA leads by 211 runs
