South Africa v New Zealand, 2012-13

Fully exploiting generous, but not extravagant, seam movement, Philander single-handedly reduced New Zealand to 27 for five in his first 25 balls - and that, in effect, was the Test match decided. Morkel and Steyn, who claimed his 300th Test wicket with a even time for Smith to be dismissed before lunch. All this after poor McCullum had chosen to bat in his first Test since replacing Ross Taylor as captain. South Africa applied themselves diligently on a surface which seemed to improve as the ball got older, but their task was made spectacularly easy with a total of only 45 in their sights. Brownlie's maiden Test century, and a resolutely dull 42 from Watling helped the follow-on span 102 overs, 83 more than first time around, but did little to diminish New Zealand's humiliation. It was pathetic.

But it had been gripping to watch Philander wobble and nibble the new ball around with such dexterity. Every delivery did something, but not a lot - which was the point. It was almost always just enough. Two edges to the wicketkeeper, one to first slip, one bowled and one lbw: done and dusted. The fastest five-for in Test history (from the start of a match) was not a bad reinforcement of his rare skill, following the sequence of five in 20 balls he claimed against Australia on debut at the same ground 14 months earlier. This from a man described as "provisionally fit" by his captain on the eve of the game. Williamson provided New Zealand's lone score in double figures, while the five extras that came in the second over as Guptill and McCullum ran a leg-bye that turned into four overthrows accounted for 11% of the eventual total. Flynn did his best to stem the carnage but, joined by Martin, the world's most abject batsman, in the 19th over, he top-edged a pull. New Zealand's 45 all out was a throwback to a different era of low scores - one in which these countries featured prominently. Still, at 116 balls, this was New Zealand's shortest innings ever. It was the lowest Test total by any side in almost 40 years, since Geoff Arnold and Chris Old demolished India for 42 at Lord's in 1974 - and the joint- 12th-lowest in all.

Conditions remained the same for New Zealand's bowlers, but the quality of the batsmen was very different, and South Africa needed only 184 balls from the start of the match to take the lead - another Test record. Amla looked as though he could play the seam movement off the pitch during an easy 66 from 74 balls, then Kallis unfurled an array of cuts and pulls which lesser batsmen had eschewed amid the variable bounce. With a thick edge past gully, he became the fourth man to 13,000 Test runs.

Petersen, meanwhile, had dug himself a foxhole from which he rarely ventured, having established a game plan of dabbing and pushing until a gift presented itself. It was a fine example of the opening batsman's art of self-denial, particularly from one capable of aggression. The reward was a fifth Test century and, finally, the glue for his place in the XI. De Villiers displayed similar restraint before perishing in the flighty moments before the declaration. Patronising though it may sound, New Zealand's seamers should be credited for never giving up.

Pride and dignity were all they could bat for when they returned to the crease 302 in arrears and with almost 11 sessions to play. There was no hope. When Guptill flicked the last ball of Steyn's first over straight to the most obvious short midwicket, there was even more reason to despair. But a wry smile was the order of the day as the Perth-born Brownlie showed off an impressive selection of attacking back-foot strokes to make 109. It was just what New Zealand needed from the man asked to step into Taylor's shoes at No. 4. Philander, having taken 25 balls to complete his first-innings five-for, had to wait nearly 22 overs for his next wicket (Watling was the victim on both occasions). But New Zealand's belated resistance barely touched the debt of their first innings.