Duanne Olivier has called for an improved fielding performance from the Proteas on the second day of the first Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Friday.

The Proteas put down four catches against New Zealand, who reached day one stumps on 116/3 and an overnight lead of 21 runs, after they bowled SA out for a disappointing 95 inside 50 overs.

Henry Nicholls was dropped on two occasions, by Zubayr Hamza and Temba Bavuma, Tom Latham by Marco Jansen and Neil Wagner by Rassie van der Dussen as they let their hosts off the hook.

“As a bowler, you always feel frustrated when catches go down but at the end of the day we are a team and I know that guys don’t do it on purpose,” said Olivier, adding that they must show character on Friday to drag themselves back into the match.

“It is how we come back on day two, that’s the South African way of showing character. There are still four days left and a lot of overs to be bowled, so it is about how we come back in the morning.

“It happens in the game. Unfortunately putting four catches down is not nice but tomorrow is a new day and things can change quickly, especially on a wicket like this where there is a lot of assistance for the fast bowlers. It is just about sticking to our game plan and keeping it simple.”

Olivier went on to say that catches may have been dropped due to lapses of concentration but they will come back fresher on Friday morning looking to have a good start with ball in hand.

“That first hour on Friday is going to be key for us, if we do well in that first hour it may bring us back into the game. We are a bit behind in the match but we can still bowl them out cheaply because cricket is a funny game.

“To be honest I am not sure why we dropped those catches, maybe it was lapse of concentration. If you want to go and look for excuses, I assume you will find a thousand why we put down those catches but, like I said, guys don’t do it on purpose.

“Today might belong to them but tomorrow might be our day. It is just about sticking to what we did against India and to our DNA and our game plan.

“During the managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ), we practised at the Lincoln University where the wicket was green and similar to this one and we knew coming into the game that it is a little bit more bowler-friendly.

“Day one was a touch soft and more tennis ball bounce and then when the sun was out it made it a bit harder and maybe it quickened out a little as well. As bowlers, you do your homework, practise certain things and there were certain instances where we needed to go around the wicket.”