New Zealand and South Africa's Academy sides played out a draw on a slow pitch in Townsville yesterday.

New Zealand chose to bat first and struggled to get any momentum to their innings. In the 25 overs to lunch on day one they had scored 51/1 and the wicket lost was an unforced error when Jesse Ryder attempted a second run on a fielder's error.

Shanan Stewart did get some scoring going but Jordan Sheed took 59 balls to get off the mark. Stewart finally succumbed when on 41, attempting to hook South African paceman Alan Kruger only to be bowled off a bottom edge. His innings latest two and a half hours.

Rob Nicol tried to fire things up and hit two boundaries early in his innings but when off-spinner Imraan Khan was introduced Nicol attempted to hit a full toss through the off-side only to be caught at point.

At tea, New Zealand were 124/3 off 51 overs. Sheed was on 21 and Jamie How nine.

Sheed departed just after the interval, for 22, having been bowled by South African captain and medium-pacer Alviro Pieterson.

With Joseph Yovich joining How, some short singles and better placement of the ball into gaps finally occurred and they added 55 before Yovich attempted to run the ball past the slip field and played the ball onto his stumps.

How took 100 balls and 119 minutes to achieve his half-century but saw Kyle Mills fall leg before wicket to Hashim Amla in the same over. The new ball proved a reviver as How attacked and by stumps he and Stu Mills had added 52 for the seventh wicket.

However, day two saw play revert to a slower pace as batsmen attempted to get back in synch with the pitch. How and Mills spent 25 minutes tried to get their partnership going but eventually Kruger denied How his century when he edged a ball to wicket-keeper Thando Bula with his score on 89, his overnight score.

Kruger also trapped Iain Robertson leg before wicket in what was definitely a much-tighter bowling line adopted by the South Africans on the second day.

By lunch, New Zealand were 319/8 with Mills and Gareth Shaw having added 58 for the ninth wicket.

After lunch the pair capitalised on the tiring South African bowlers and achieved an unbroken stand of 124 for the ninth wicket when the declaration was made at 385/8.

Amazingly, New Zealand were required to open their bowling with an old ball as no new ball was available. That didn't deter Kyle Mills however, as he induced an edge from Gerhard Strydom which was taken by How in the slips.

By tea South Africa were 52/1 after 15 overs. However, after tea off-spinner Jeetan Patel had Pieterson caught at mid-off.

Khan faced a fiery spell from Mark Gillespie but survived and after 25 overs New Zealand asked to change the old ball. Khan played with much more confidence and posted a half century off 96 balls but the 102-run partnership with James Schorn was ended when Schorn was leg before wicket for 44 by Gillespie and then Khan's choice of a second run off a leg bye proved fatal when he couldn't beat How's throw. He was run out for 86 scored off 140 balls.

By stumps on day two, Amla and Davey Jacobs had taken the side to 180/4.

Conditions were perfect on the third day, a fact appreciated by the two batsmen who had as their immediate target avoiding the follow-on mark of 235. Jacobs was especially effective when hitting Patel to the long-on boundary or pulling the pace bowlers in and over square leg.

However, when they had added 52, Amla attempted a cut shot against Patel and was caught by wicket-keeper Stu Mills.

Jacobs was undaunted and after he brought up his half-century off 62 balls, the South Africans declared 142 runs behind. Eighty overs minimum remained to be bowled.

New Zealand went out aggressively with Ryder thriving on the challenge. Forty runs were scored off eight overs but Stewart was caught at mid-wicket off Kruger and just before lunch Ryder was caught at mid-on having his 43 off 33 balls. New Zealand were 73/2.

How scored a half-century off 52 balls before ending his run-a-minute innings when suffering a communication error with Nicol and was run out. Nicol and Sheed batted through until a declaration was made leaving South Africa 297 to score off 50 overs.

The South African chase didn't start well as both openers were gone after only seven balls had been bowled. Schorn drove at Yovich but merely edged to How in the slips while Strydom offered a leg-side chance to Mills from Kyle Mills' bowling.

Mills also picked up Amla to have South Africa struggling at 26/3 after nine overs.

New Zealand dangled the bait and Pieterson and Jacobs attacked and scored half-centuries as they scored at run-a-ball pace. But Mills came back and removed both of them with Jacobs caught at mid-off and Pieterson trapped leg before wicket. He scored 85 off 91 balls while Jacobs scored 52 off 55.

Ryan McLaren fell to a full toss from Patel and was the sixth wicket down when trapped leg before wicket but the lower order batted out for the draw with South Africa 41 runs short of their target.

Mills did best of the New Zealand bowlers taking four for 44 from his 10 overs.

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