Tag: Zimbabwe

AUCKLAND: New Zealand have named a 15-member squad, excluding ace batter Kane Williamson, for the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, slated to commence from July 30 in Bulawayo.

The squad, which is not part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), features some new faces alongside the return of several experienced players.

Among the notable absentees from the squad are Black Caps stalwart Williamson and off-spinner Michael Bracewell.

Kane Williamson is unavailable for the series due to his county commitments. Following his stint with Middlesex, the batting maestro will feature in the Hundred, representing the London Spirit.

Meanwhile, Bracewell, who is currently featuring in the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA, will also feature in the Hundred. The off-spinner is picked by Southern Brave for £200,000 according to a statement given by New Zealand Cricket board.

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter shed light on both players’ absence from the squad, noting that he respects the duo’s decision.

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Kane and Michael were up front with New Zealand Cricket about their availability for this tour during the contracting process,” Walter said.

He added, stating that, “While all Test matches are hugely special and important, the fact that these Tests aren’t part of the ICC World Test Championship did influence the discussions on this occasion.”

The new-look pace attack of New Zealand will be spearheaded by Matt Henry, while Will O’Rourke, Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, and Matthew Fisher will provide ample support with raw pace.

The 25-year-old Fisher has been added to the New Zealand squad for the first time, as Kyle Jamieson, who is awaiting the birth of his first child, is unavailable. Apart from Jamieson, Ben Sears is also not available due to an injury.

Henry Nicholls has returned to the Test squad after two years on the back of excellent domestic form, while left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel is also in the squad after returning from an injury.

New Zealand Test squad

Tom Latham (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Will Young

READ: Wiaan Mulder reveals reason behind forgoing chance to break Brian Lara’s record

BULAWAYO: South Africa captain Wiaan Mulder has revealed the reason behind selflessly forgoing Brian Lara monumental batting record in the second Test against Zimbabwe.

Wiaan Mulder delivered a record-breaking performance in the ongoing South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test, smashing his maiden triple century and surpassing a long-standing record held by legendary Hashim Amla.

The right-handed batter scored 367* off 334 deliveries, peppered with 49 fours and four maximums. However, the all-rounder decided to declare the Proteas innings just when he was 33 runs short of Brian Lara’s 400* run world record.

While speaking at the end of the day’s play, the Proteas’ stand-in skipper, Wiaan Mulder, shared his thoughts after scoring a record-breaking knock for South Africa.

“To be honest, I have never even dreamt of getting a double hundred, let alone a triple hundred. Most importantly, it has put the team in a good position to win this Test,” he said.

Highest individual scores in Test cricket

400* – Brian Lara for West Indies v England, Antigua 2004

380 – Matthew Hayden for Australia v Zimbabwe, Perth 2003

375 – Brian Lara for West Indies v England, Antigua 1994

374 – Mahela Jayawardene for Sri Lanka v South Africa, Colombo 2006

367* – Wiaan Mulder for South Africa v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo 2025

“We had enough to bowl at. Brian Lara is a legend. He got 400 or 401 or something against England, and for someone to keep that record, it is special. I spoke to Shuks (Shukri Conrad) – and spoke about letting the legends keep (that record). Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be,” he added.

He also shed light on the learnings from some of the great players, noting that he was not good enough when he started playing cricket.

“When I started playing for South Africa, I was nowhere near good enough. Have had the opportunity to learn from some great players (past and present).”

“Going to England really gave me a chance to understand what kind of batter (I want to be) and figure out (my weaknesses). Lots of lessons (from my time in England). There were so many thoughts like you have got enough.”

Wiaan highlighted the moment he got bowled out on a no-ball while playing at 247 runs during the second South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test.

“When I got bowled on 247, a lapse of concentration, there was so much negative happening. But there was a lot of positive thinking happening as well. Just singing my song between balls, trying to keep myself natural and present, tried feeling my shoes to stay in the moment and not think too far ahead,” Wiaan concluded.

READ: Wiaan Mulder breaks Hashim Amla’s record with historic triple century

BULAWAYO: South Africa captain Wiaan Mulder delivered a record-breaking performance on Monday during the second Test against Zimbabwe, smashing his maiden triple century and breaking a long-standing record of legendary Hashim Amla.

Resuming Day 2 on his overnight score of 264, the all-rounder didn’t take long to bring up the milestone, reaching his triple hundred in just 297 balls.

In doing so, Mulder registered the second-fastest triple century in the history of Test cricket, only behind Virender Sehwag’s 278-ball effort against South Africa in 2008.

Fastest triple hundreds in Test cricket (by balls faced):

• 278 – Virender Sehwag vs South Africa, 2008

• 297 – Wiaan Mulder vs Zimbabwe, 2025

• 310 – Harry Brook vs Pakistan, 2024

• 355 – Wally Hammond vs New Zealand, 1933

• 362 – Matthew Hayden vs Zimbabwe, 2003

• 364 – Virender Sehwag vs Pakistan, 2004

Mulder didn’t stop at 300. He went on to surpass Hashim Amla’s long-standing record of 311 not out, the previous highest individual Test score by a South African, set at The Oval in 2012 against England.

Highest individual scores by South Africans in Tests:

• 367* – Wiaan Mulder vs Zimbabwe, 2025

• 311* – Hashim Amla vs England, 2012

• 278* – AB de Villiers vs Pakistan, 2010

The 27-year-old also etched his name in the record books as the first player to score a triple century in his debut innings as Test captain.

In the process, he also overtook Graeme Smith (277) for the highest score by a South African captain in Test cricket.

Highest scores by South African captains in Tests:

• 367* – Wiaan Mulder vs Zimbabwe, 2025

• 277 – Graeme Smith vs England, 2003

• 259 – Graeme Smith vs England, 2023

As of this writing, Mulder is playing on 367, which is the joint-sixth highest individual score in Test cricket.

With this innings, he went past legends like Gary Sobers, Sanath Jayasuriya, Hanif Mohammad, and Don Bradman in the list of highest individual scores.

Highest individual scores in Test cricket:

• 400* – Brian Lara vs England, 2004
• 380 – Matthew Hayden vs Zimbabwe, 2003
• 375 – Brian Lara vs England, 1994
• 374 – Mahela Jayawardene vs South Africa, 2006
• 367* – Wiaan Mulder vs Zimbabwe, 2025

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BULAWAYO: South African all-rounder Wiaan Mulder etched his name into the record books after becoming the highest individual scorer ever on Test captaincy debut.

The right-handed batter, who replaced injured Keshav Maharaj as skipper, came in at No. 03 with South Africa in a precarious position of 24-2.

Wiaan Mulder reached the milestone on the last ball of the 80th over, smashing Wellington Masakadza for a four over the backward square leg boundary.

Highest Individual Test Score on Captaincy Debut

Wiaan Mulder 240* vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo 2025

Graham Dowling 239 vs India, Christchurch 1968

Shivnarine Chanderpaul 203* South Africa Georgetown 2005

Earlier, Wiaan Mulder reached his maiden double century on the fourth ball of the 74th over, smashing Wellington Masakadza for a four over midwicket.

With this feat, he became the first player from South Africa and the overall third to score a double century while playing his first match as captain. Previously, New Zealand’s Graham Dowling and West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul have achieved this feat.

Earlier, the 27-year-old also broke the record for the highest individual score on captaincy debut for the Rainbow Nation.

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He took a single off the fifth ball of Blessing Muzarabani’s 43rd over to reach the three-figure milestone. With his century, he became the third South African player to score a century on his captaincy debut.

South African Captains With Century on Test Debut

Herbie Taylor vs England, 1913
Jackie McGlew vs England, 1955
Wiaan Mulder vs Zimbabwe, 2025

At the time of filing this story, the Proteas were in a dominant position of 425-4 with still 9 overs left in the day’s play of the second South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test.

READ: Imad Wasim joins Pakistan Champions Squad ahead of WCL 2025

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has appointed all-rounder Wiaan Mulder as the captain for the second Test against Zimbabwe, following the exclusion of stand-in skipper Keshav Maharaj due to a groin injury.

Maharaj suffered the aforementioned injury during his batting stint on day three of the series opener in Bulawayo.

The veteran left-arm spinner will return home for further medical assessments, with the extent of the injury yet to be confirmed.

In Maharaj’s absence, Mulder has been handed the captaincy for the second and final Test, set to begin on Saturday.

Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy has been called up as a replacement for Maharaj.

South Africa head into the second Test with a 1-0 lead after a dominant 328-run win in the opening match at Queens Sports Club.

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The Proteas’ new-look side made a bold statement, with debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius stealing the spotlight through a remarkable 153-run knock in the first innings.

Wiaan Mulder was equally impressive, making his presence felt in both departments.

After grabbing a crucial four-for in Zimbabwe’s first innings, he followed it up with a gritty century batting at number three, setting the tone for South Africa’s second-innings declaration.

The visitors posted 418/9 in the first innings and 369/6 in the second, setting Zimbabwe a daunting 537-run target.

The hosts’ chase faltered early, and despite some resistance from Wellington Masakadza (57) and a spirited cameo by Blessing Muzarabani (32* off 29), they folded for 208.

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Fast bowler Corbin Bosch bowled South Africa to a 328-run win over Zimbabwe on the fourth day of the first Test at Queens Sports Club on Tuesday.

Bosch followed up a splendid first innings century by taking five for 43 as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 208 while chasing a mammoth 537-runs.

Playing in his second Test, Bosch became the fourth South African to score a century and take five wickets in an innings in a Test.

Corbin Bosch, who broke a stubborn opening stand with the last ball of Monday’s play, struck with the first delivery on Tuesday when new batter Nick Welch fended a lifting delivery to short leg.

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First innings century-maker Sean Williams went on the attack, hitting five fours in scoring 26 off 18 balls.

But Williams became Bosch’s third victim when he got into a tangle trying to play to leg and was caught behind off a top edge.

Fellow fast bowler Codi Yusuf replaced Bosch and quickly picked up three wickets as Zimbabwe crashed to 82 for six.

Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine (49) and Wellington Masakadza (57) delayed South Africa’s win by putting on 83 for the sixth wicket before Bosch had Ervine smartly caught at short leg by Tony de Zorzi.

Bosch completed his five-wicket haul when he bowled Vincent Masekesa for three.

The left-hand batter Masakadza, with a previous highest Test score of 17, struck nine fours in an attacking innings before he was caught at slip off South African captain, left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

South Africa fielded only four of the players who won the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s last month.

The Test series between South Africa and Zimbabwe does not count towards the new championship standings.

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Sean Williams hit an aggressive century for Zimbabwe, but South Africa were in control after the second day of the first Test at Queens Sports Club on Sunday.

The left-handed Williams hit 137 off 163 balls – more than half his team’s total of 251.

South Africa led by 167 runs on the first innings and stretched their lead to 216 runs when they reached 49 for one at the close of play.

Zimbabwe were soon in trouble after South Africa declared their first innings at their overnight 418 for nine.

New cap Codi Yusuf took two wickets in his first three overs, and Zimbabwe suffered a major blow when opening batter Brian Bennett was forced to retire hurt for 19 after being struck on the helmet when he missed a hook against fast bowler Kwena Maphaka.

Bennett, who scored 139 on his previous Test appearance against England in Nottingham last month, was ruled out of the rest of the match with a mild concussion.

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He was replaced by Prince Masvaure, who was dismissed for seven when he batted at number seven.

Sean Williams and captain Craig Ervine (36) shared the only substantial partnership of the innings, putting on 81 before Ervine was stumped by Kyle Verreynne to give Keshav Maharaj his 200th Test scalp.

Yusuf, like fellow debutants Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis, made a promising start to his Test career, taking three for 42. Pretorius made 153 and Brevis 51 in South Africa’s first innings.

All-rounder Wiaan Mulder took four for 50 and left-arm spinner Maharaj, captaining the team for the first time in the absence of injured Temba Bavuma, claimed three for 70.

Fast bowler Tanaka Chivanga took a wicket in his first over for the second time in the match, having Matthew Breetzke caught at gully for one.

But Tony de Zorzi (22 not out) and Mulder (25 not out) prevented any further breakthroughs before bad light stopped play.

The South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test series is not part of the World Test Championship.  The South Africa team includes only four players who won the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in London earlier this month.

READ: Keshav Maharaj breaks 136‑Year barrier with historic milestone for South Africa

BULAWAYO: South Africa stand-in skipper Keshav Maharaj has etched his name into the record books after becoming the first spinner to take 200 wickets for the Proteas.

Since South Africa’s first Test in 1889 against England, Keshav Maharaj is the only Proteas spinner to reach the milestone of 200 Test wickets.

Maharaj achieved the feat against Zimbabwe in his 59th match during the opening Test of the two-match series.

The 35-year-old achieved the record after removing Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine, who was stumped after scoring 36 runs in the 33rd over.

Maharaj bowled the fourth ball of the over on a length and slightly wide of off, but Ervine advanced down the pitch and was beaten all ends up to give South Africa a crucial breakthrough.

With this historic feat, he surpassed Hugh Tayfield in becoming the leading spin wicket-taker for South Africa. The list includes Paul Adams, Paul Harris, and Nicky Boje.

South African Spinners With Most Test Wickets

200* – Keshav Maharaj
170 – Hugh Tayfield
134 – Paul Adams
103 – Paul Harris
100 – Nicky Boje

Maharaj, the ninth-highest wicket-taker for South Africa, has been a regular in the longest format for the Rainbow Nation, having made his debut in 2016 against Australia.

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In 59 Tests for South Africa, Keshav Maharaj bagged 202 wickets, including 11 five-wicket hauls. He best figures of 12-283 in the longest format of the game against Sri Lanka in 2018 at Colombo.

Apart from his international success, Keshav Maharaj has vast experience of first-class cricket, in which he has scalped 628 wickets in 165 matches.

With the aid of Maharaj’s bowling, South Africa have secured a healthy lead over Zimbabwe at stumps on day two of the first Test match.

After bowling out Zimbabwe for 251 in reply to 418-9, South Africa finished the day on 49-1. Wiaan Mulder 25* and Tony De Zorzi 22* finished on high for the World Test Champions (WTC). For Zimbabwe, Tanaka Chivanga claimed one wicket before the end of the day’s play.

Earlier, South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder starred with the ball, taking four wickets in his 16 overs.

The first South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test is currently being played at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.

READ: AB de Villiers warns England, urges India to use Bumrah Like Steyn

JOHANNESBURG: Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Thursday named the T20I squad for the upcoming tri-nation series featuring Zimbabwe and New Zealand, with Rassie van der Dussen set to lead the side in the absence of regular captain Aiden Markram.

The tri-series, scheduled to be played in Harare from July 14 to 26, will mark South Africa’s first T20I assignment under the new all-format head coach Shukri Conrad.

Several senior players have been rested for workload management, paving the way for a number of new faces.

Among them is Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who finished as the leading run-scorer in the recent SA20 season and has received his maiden international call-up.

Corbin Bosch, who has previously represented South Africa in ODIs and Tests, is also in line to make his T20I debut.

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Wicketkeeper-batter Rubin Hermann and all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy, both of whom impressed in domestic competitions, have also been included, with the latter already having Test and ODI experience.

“Lhuan-dre and Rubin have been rewarded for their strong SA20 campaigns. We’re also excited to see how Corbin Bosch adapts his skill set to the T20 format,” said Conrad.

The Proteas will be further bolstered by the return of pacers Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee, who are currently active in the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States after recovering from injuries.

Dewald Brevis, meanwhile, is set to make his long-awaited return to the national setup after nearly two years.

“This T20I tri-series marks the start of our preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup,” Conrad further stated.

“Resting senior players allows us to test our depth and give these youngsters the chance to prove themselves at the international level.”

South Africa squad for tri-series: Rassie van der Dussen (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane.

Tri-nation T20I series schedule:

• 1st T20I, 14 July – Zimbabwe vs South Africa
• 2nd T20I, 16 July – South Africa vs New Zealand
• 3rd T20I, 18 July – Zimbabwe vs New Zealand
• 4th T20I, 20 July – Zimbabwe vs South Africa
• 5th T20I, 22 July – New Zealand vs South Africa
• 6th T20I, 24 July – Zimbabwe vs New Zealand
• Final, 26 July – Number 1 vs Number 2

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South Africa have named Keshav Maharaj as their new captain after Temba Bavuma was ruled out of the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, set to commence on 28 June.

The Proteas’ regular skipper, Bavuma, sustained a hamstring strain during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, and he is yet to fully recover from the injury.

Temba Bavuma was batting on six runs when he cramped while running a single. Despite the injury, he continued to bat along with Aiden Markaram, putting up a match-winning stand.

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Following South Africa’s triumph, Bavuma revealed that he batted against medical advice because of not breaking his team’s momentum in a critical time. The right-handed batter finished on 66 as South Africa won by five wickets.

The South Africa squad against Zimbabwe includes five uncapped players as South Africa rest several all-format players. The players are Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada, while fast bowler Lungi Ngidi is only available for the second Test.

Keshav Maharaj will be the 41st player to lead the men’s Test team. The left-arm spinner has already captained South Africa in seven ODIs and five T20Is.

It is noteworthy to mention that the WTC winners, South Africa, have the following assignments following the Zimbabwe series, including an ODI series against Australia and England, set to take place in August and September.

Despite their maiden WTC title, South Africa will not play any home Tests until October 2026.

For the unversed, South Africa defeated the defending champions Australia in the WTC final by five wickets, with Aiden Markram scoring a majestic 136-run innings in the fourth innings of the match.

South Africa Squad For Zimbabwe Test Series

David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj (capt), Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi (second Test only), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne, Codi Yusuf

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