Dippenaar is the hero as Safs win by five wickets

Rudolph was caught and bowled by Scott Styris for 24 as South Africa were 17 runs short of their target. Mark Boucher then came and went for his second nought of the tour, leading to a tense finale.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith had led from the front with a fine innings of 72.

He enjoyed an opening stand of 86 with Herschelle Gibbs (43) but the introduction of Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori in the 16th over slowed the scoring rate.

Vettori struck first when a well flighted delivery caught the edge of Gibbs’s defensive bat and Brendon McCullum snapped up a fine catch behind the stumps.

Smith was bowled by Chris Cairns and Jacques Kallis (26) went in the next over lbw to Vettori bringing Dippenaar and Rudolph together.

New Zealand had scored 225 for eight thanks to a fifth-wicket stand of 91 from Styris (60) and Cairns (58) after struggling at 79-4.

South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini was involved in four of the first five New Zealand wickets to fall.

Ntini produced a fine pick-up and throw to run out skipper Stephen Fleming for 30 before he removed debutant Michael Papps for 14 and Hamish Marshall for seven, both caught behind by Boucher.

Ntini also took an awkward catch on the extra-cover boundary to dismiss Styris off the bowling of Andre Nel. (Reuters)

BRIEF SCORES

New Zealand 225 for 8 (S Styris 60, C Cairns 58, S Fleming 30; Pollock 2-33, Klusener 2-39, Ntini 2-41) vs South Africa 226 for 5 (G Smith 72, B Dippenaar 44 n.o., H Gibbs 43; D Vettori 2-37)