Mulder makes merry and Bosch takes late wicket to keep Proteas on top
While Zimbabwe's attack is nowhere near the quality of Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins, who Mulder played so effectively against in the second innings of the World Test Championship final, the early loss of an opener in each innings, meant Mulder was under pressure when he arrived at the crease.
Unfortunately for Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarabani, who Mulder acknowledged was difficult to handle in the first innings and then late on the second day, wasn't able to bowl on Monday morning because he was feeling unwell.
But there is a different kind of pressure for batters when conditions are in their favour, and Mulder showed the requisite responsibility to take advantage against an attack with just one front-line seam bowler. Again there was a lot of loose bowling from the home spinners, allowing Mulder to display his attacking repertoire.
At the other end, Tony de Zorzi (31) and David Bedingham (35) wasted their opportunities. De Zorzi, who missed out on the WTC final, again flashed at a delivery outside his off stump, with the edge easily taken by Sean Williams at second slip.
In the first innings, Williams dropped De Zorzi in the same spot, before the left-hander was dismissed, caught at third slip also off the bowling of Tanaka Chivanga. There is an issue for De Zorzi in that region that he needs to resolve if he wants to win back his spot when everyone is available.
Bedingham, who made a three-ball duck in the first innings, can be forgiven for his dismissal as he was trying to keep the scoring rate high and pulled a short ball from Wellington Masakadza straight to Williams at midwicket. That he missed out on a score of more substance may concern him, especially given the contributions of debutants Pretorius and Dewald Brevis on the first day.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
3 days ago
- The Herald
Soweto Marathon on track despite money spat
'Last year, we launched in July, so there is not much of a delay if we are launching in August. Some trustees were expelled from the athletics administration," they said. 'Now, clearly, they are fighting that expulsion with ASA but, at the same time, they were the signatories to the trust bank account. After the expulsion, what do you expect a normal person to do? You expect them to hand over but they didn't do so. 'Second, there were some transactions in the trust bank account that needed some explanation, and a forensic investigation was initiated. There is a group from certain clubs who are saying the race should not happen, but it will happen.' The source said the CGA board being dissolved will not affect the preparation for the November race in Nasrec, Johannesburg. 'Runners should not panic. In 2023, the race happened. It was not staged by the trust, but by the clubs. Last year was the same thing.' CGA general manager Mandla Radebe said the body is confident the race will go as planned this year. 'According to us, the race is going ahead. We are not panicking yet because we are still in July, maybe they are planning for August to launch,' Radebe said. SowetanLIVE
The Herald
4 days ago
- The Herald
Pieter Coetzé earns podium seeding after tight 100m backstroke semifinals
Pieter Coetzé bagged the third seeding position in Tuesday's 100m backstroke final at the world championships in Singapore after a pair of hard-fought semifinals on Monday night. The South African, who set a 51.99 sec world lead at the World Student Games in Germany just more than a week ago, touched second in the second heat in 52.29, behind Hungarian Hubert Kos, the Olympic champion in the 200m backstroke, in 52.21. Russian Kliment Kolesnikov won the first semifinal in 52.26, just nine-hundredths of a second ahead of the Olympic champion in this event, Italy's Thomas Ceccon, also owner of the 51.60 world record, who kept enough in reserve to clinch bronze in the 50m butterfly half an hour later. 'I just wanted to make it back for the final and I was happy with the time and the swim. And to get second in the semis is a good result,' said Coetzé, who is racing against Russian competitors, competing under the neutral banner, for the first time. 'I knew it was going to be fast ... I've swum with most of these guys, but the Russians are new to me. I haven't swum against them and they're also really fast, but I don't really focus on the people I'm racing against. I just focus on what I need to do.' Just 0.36 sec — or the blink of an eye — separated the eight fastest swimmers, who included Oliver Morgan of Britain (52.41), Apostolos Chrisou of Greece (52.44), Frenchman Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (52.47) and Russia's Miron Lifintsev (52.57).
The Herald
5 days ago
- The Herald
Untidy handover costs Bayanda Walaza golden treble in student games finale
Double sprint champion Bayanda Walaza had to settle for the 4x100m silver on Sunday afternoon as South Africa wrapped up their World Student Games campaign by claiming three last medals at the weekend. In the morning rowers Kat Williams and Courtney Westley secured silver in the women's pair, winning the country's only medal outside swimming and athletics. And javelin-thrower Jana van Schalkwyk took bronze in the women's event on Saturday night with a distance of 56.73m. The nation ended seventh on the medals table with six gold, five silver and eight bronze, though they finished fourth on the athletics medals table and fifth in the swimming standings. An untidy final handover from Mthi Mthimkulu to Walaza cost the Mzansi flyers as they ended second behind Korea in the final athletics event of the showpiece. Walaza, the 100m and 200m champion at the Universiade, went into the relay expected to make it three sprint golds, but just when it seemed they were going to make it, the South Africans came unstuck. Kyle Zinn, fifth in the 100m, got off to a good start, with Retshidisitswe Mlenga and Mthimkulu advancing the baton at the front of the race.
