Dane Paterson took his maiden five-wicket haul while the top-order came to the party to put the Proteas in a position of strength at stumps on day three of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Ryan Rickelton and Dane Paterson have replaced injured duo Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee in the Proteas team for the second Test against Sri Lanka, starting in Gqeberha on Thursday.
Dane Paterson says he is happy to be "boring" and knows his role in the Proteas squad as long as it helps to achieve their goal of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Proteas stars Dane Piedt and Dane Paterson combined for eight wickets as New Zealand fell 31 runs short of South Africa's first-innings total on day two of the second Test in Hamilton.