Sinclair hundred boosts New Zealand

New Zealand A 281 for 4 (Sinclair 149*, Vincent 63, Fulton 41) v South Africa A
Scorecard

Mathew Sinclair batted New Zealand A into a strong position at the end of the first day of the third and final four-day match against South Africa A at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom.

New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch that at first glance looked slightly green. The decision at first appeared to be the wrong one, with the out-of-form Matthew Bell and Jamie How both falling to lbw decisions inside the first ten overs.

Sinclair and Lou Vincent pulled the innings together, stroking some glorious drives across the fast outfield on both sides of the wicket as they brought up a 50-run partnership off 104 balls just prior to lunch. Sinclair's was a chanceless half-century, with only nine runs being scored behind the wicket and seven of the 10 boundaries piercing the off-side field. After the 100-run partnership had come up with both batsmen looking comfortable at the crease, the decision to bat first was vindicated.

Vincent's fifty was slightly slower, as he was more content to work the ball around for ones and twos, hitting only five boundaries coming. He became the third lbw victim when he had scored 63, but had helped New Zealand recover to 162 for 3, adding 154 with Sinclair.

Sinclair, who passed 7,000 first-class runs during his innings, went to his second hundred of the series after spending just over four hours at the crease, and then celebrated the milestone with a lofted six over long off three balls later.

Peter Fulton, the in-form player on tour, then put on another 100-run partnership with Sinclair to make the South African bowlers toil hard on a pitch that Bell had read correctly. Fulton fell nine short of his own fifty to Ashwell Prince, a part-time bowler in every sense of the word - this was his maiden first-class wicket.

At stumps Sinclair had progressed to 149 not out, with James Franklin on 13 and New Zealand 281 for 4.