CHRISTCHURCH: South Africa were targeting victory over New Zealand at stumps on day four of the second Test in Christchurch on Monday, thanks to Kyle Verreynne, Kagiso Rabada, and Keshav Maharaj’s spin.

New Zealand were 94 for four, with Devon Conway on 60 and Tom Blundell on one, having set an imposing record target of 426.

With Verreynne not out 136, his maiden Test century, South Africa declared their second innings at 354 for nine.

Verreynne said it was a satisfying inning that went according to plan.

“When I did cross the mark and get to a hundred there was just that sense of pride and joy that I’d made a big impact towards pushing for a result,” he said, adding it was Rabada’s quickfire 47 that really lifted the team.

“He said to me he was going to stick around with me until I got my hundred but once he started hitting it I said he had to keep going. It was like he couldn’t miss.

“The way be played was probably one of the big factors in terms of the energy we took into our bowling. What he was able to do just gave everyone a bit of energy.”

The greatest successful fourth-innings chase is 418, set by the West Indies against Australia 19 years ago, and New Zealand began as if they felt they could beat it.

To demonstrate his determination, Tom Latham scampered for a sneaky single off the first ball, but Rabada had other ideas.

With his third ball, he removed Will Young for zero, following his five-wicket haul in the previous innings and a thrilling 47 with the bat.

He dismissed Latham for one in his second over, reducing New Zealand to six for two.

It was the end of a disastrous Test for the New Zealand openers, who scored only four runs in two innings.

South Africa’s point of difference against New Zealand’s all-pace attack was left-arm spinner Maharaj, who bowled Henry Nicholls for seven and Daryl Mitchell for 24.

South Africa skipper Dean Elgar said he wanted his batsmen to “front up” following their first Test drubbing when he won the toss and chose to bat first. He was the first captain to win the toss at Hagley Oval and not bowl.

In the first innings, Sarel Erwee delivered with a century, and in the second, it was Verreynne’s turn.

South Africa’s second innings resurgence when they were 91 for five was led by the 24-year-old, who had the best score of 30 in his previous five Tests.

He exchanged 78 runs with Wiaan Mulder and Kagiso Rabada before adding 32 more with Lutho Sipamla before the declaration.

His approach was not reckless, but he was harsh with anything that was loose.

He got his 50 off a single when he nudged Kyle Jamieson to fine leg, and his 100 off a boundary when he lashed Matt Henry in the same way — one of 16 fours and one six in his 299 minutes in the middle.

Mulder scored 35 before being caught one-handed by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell diving to his right after edging a Jamieson delivery.

Marco Jansen scored nine runs before swiping Colin de Grandhomme to deep midwicket, where Young caught him one-handed as he rolled over to avoid hitting the boundary marker.

Before being caught in the deep attempting to reach his fifty, Rabada went on a rampage, smacking four sixes and four fours to reach 47 off 34 deliveries.

After surviving a storm of short balls, including one that knocked him on the helmet, Maharaj added four runs in a brief stint in the middle. Lutho Sipamla was not out 10 after surviving a torrent of short balls.

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