South Africa complete easy victory over Zimbabwe to win test series
South Africa, who were put into bat and declared their first innings on 626-5, bowled Zimbabwe out for 220, having enforced the follow-on after skittling out the home side for 170 in their first innings.
Zimbabwe were 51-1 in their second innings overnight and, although they added 92 runs in the morning session, they regularly lost wickets and were all out before tea.
Seamer Corbin Bosch took 4-38 to clean up the tail, with three wickets for spinner Senuran Muthusamy.
Takudzwanashe Kaitano (40), Nick Welch (55) and skipper Craig Ervine (49) offered resistance in a clash best remembered for the decision by South Africa stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder not to chase down the highest score in a test innings.
Mulder was 367 not out, 34 runs away from breaking Brian Lara's 21-year-old landmark of 400 for West Indies against England, when he decided to declare the innings at lunch on the second day.
With one of cricket's significant milestones in his sights, and plenty of time left in the five-day contest, Mulder's decision not to attempt to break the record was met with astonishment.
But the 27-year-old all-rounder, whose test batting average before the match was 26.2, felt it would be inappropriate to dislodge one of the game's greats from the record books.
'Respecting the game is really important and Lara is one of the greatest ever to play the game and deserves to keep that record,' Mulder said at a press conference after play on Monday.
His knock, however, was the fifth-highest score in a test and a South Africa record. He also took three wickets and snagged three catches in the match.
South Africa rested most of the team that won the World Test Championship against Australia at Lord's last month but still proved far too strong for their neighbours as they also won last week's first test by 328 runs.
They have now won 10 successive test matches and next take on Pakistan away in October. Zimbabwe's next test outing is a two-match series against New Zealand in Bulawayo that starts at the end of the month.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
New Zealand spinner Sodhi relishing T20 powerplay challenge
July 25 (Reuters) - Ish Sodhi is enjoying the challenge of bowling in the powerplay overs in Twenty20 Internationals, the New Zealand spinner said after registering a career-best 4-12 against Zimbabwe in the ongoing tri-series in Harare on Thursday. The 32-year-old became the second New Zealand bowler, after Tim Southee (164), to claim 150 wickets in T20 Internationals as his team registered their fourth consecutive win in a tournament also involving South Africa. "Well, that's pretty nice to be able to achieve that milestone and contribute to the win," player of the match Sodhi said afterwards. Sodhi claimed three of his four wickets in the first six powerplay overs when batters tend to take advantage of fewer fielders outside the circle and bat aggressively. "It's quite a new role for me," the leg-spinner said. "I had not bowled in the powerplays a lot. This is a really strong New Zealand side nowadays, so to try and get into the side, you have to learn to be able to bowl in the powerplay. "Getting some wickets is quite pleasing. It shows, I suppose, that I can do it and it's something I want to keep doing." New Zealand will take on South Africa in Saturday's final in Harare. They will stay back for a two-test series against hosts Zimbabwe. Batting all-rounder Michael Bracewell will replace the injured Glenn Phillips for the first test in Bulawayo, New Zealand Cricket said on Friday. "Glenn's injury provided a gap in the Test squad and Michael is the closest like-for-like replacement," said New Zealand coach Rob Walter. "Michael's experience and skillset will be a great asset and allows us to keep the same balance of the team. "Given he's here with the T20 squad and his availability aligned for the first test, we're using the opportunity to include him in the squad." Phillips was ruled out of the Zimbabwe tour with a groin injury suffered in the Major League Cricket in the United States earlier this month.
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Glos dig in against Lancs after Hartley's heroics
Rothesay County Championship Division Two, Cheltenham (day three)Lancashire 557: Green 160, Hartley 130, Hurst 106; Akhter 4-85Gloucestershire 381 & 98-0: Charlesworth 61*, Bancroft 35*Glos (5pts) trail Lancs (6pts) by 78 runs with ten second-innings wickets remaining Match scorecard Tom Hartley produced another stellar performance to put the skids under Gloucestershire as Lancashire made the running on day three of the County Championship match at the College Ground, posted a career-best innings of 130 with the bat on day two, the England slow left armer returned notable figures of 6-116 - his best for Lancashire - to again steal the show. Replying to Lancashire's mammoth 557, the home side were dismissed for 381, conceding a first-innings deficit of Charlesworth staged an outstanding season's-best knock of 160 and Joe Phillips weighed in with 64 as Gloucestershire advanced confidently to 296-3. But Hartley then induced a collapse which saw the hosts lose their last seven wickets for 85 runs in 26 captain Jimmy Anderson enforced the follow-on and Gloucestershire made a better fist of things second time around, Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth safely negotiating 30 overs to stage an unbroken opening stand of 98. Gloucestershire still trail by 78 runs and Bancroft (35*) and Charlesworth (61*) will be called upon to muster further resistance on a pitch offering some assistance to spin when they return in the day had begun full of hope for Gloucestershire. Resuming on 179-1, Charlesworth and Phillips set a new county record partnership for the second wicket in matches against Lancashire, eclipsing the 160 registered by Bill Athey and Paul Romaines at Bristol in 1984. Phillips perished soon afterwards, superbly held at short square leg by Keaton Jennings off the bowling of Chris Green as Lancashire effected an early breakthrough and terminated a profitable alliance of 171 in 47.3 and Ollie Price applied themselves diligently to the task of cussed defiance and, in between performing the hard yards, these two took advantage of sufficient poor balls to post a half century stand from 104 to make something happen, Lancashire were indebted to Hartley, who persuaded Price to slice a cut shot to Luke Wells at backward point in the 72nd over. Price had contributed 31 to a stand of 58 for the third wicket, and Gloucestershire were 249-3, still 308 runs behind and with further graft required. Charlesworth was joined by Cheltenham-born Miles Hammond and these two advanced the score to 259-3 by the new ball available upon the resumption, Anderson returned at the Chapel End, only for Hammond to greet him with an off-driven four and another boundary behind square. Charlesworth then crunched the former England man through the covers off the back foot to bring up his 150 from 233 balls with his 20th Charlesworth's resistance ended soon afterwards, the 24-year-old left hander inexplicably advancing down the pitch to Hartley and being stumped by Phil Salt with the score 296-4. His dismissal sparked an alarming collapse in which the home side lost six wickets for the addition of 62 runs in 21.1 oversHammond had traded almost exclusively in boundaries, his brisk 36 including six fours and a six, when he miscued an attempted drive and offered a return catch to Hartley. On a roll by now, Hartley struck again in his next over, dismissing Graeme van Buuren lbw without scoring, before persuading James Bracey to pop a catch up to short square leg to complete a remarkable five-wicket seen their middle order blown away by Hartley, Gloucestershire's tail end fared no better against Lancashire's back-up spinners. Zaman Akhter fell lbw to Green and Ajeet Singh Dale succumbed in near-identical fashion to Wells' leg breaks. Hindered by a hamstring strain, Marchant de Lange emerged with Phillips as a runner and the big man suggested a possible escape route for Gloucestershire by smiting two huge sixes. But Hartley returned to have the South African held in the deep, leaving Todd Murphy high and dry on 22 not out, as the hosts fell 27 short of saving the follow and Charlesworth restored calm during a final session that, in stark contrast to what had gone before, failed to yield a single dismissal. Watchful in the face of a new-ball examination at the hands of Anderson, Gloucestershire's openers initially focused their efforts on occupying the crease and taking up time. But as Lancashire's bowlers began to tire, so the opening partnership up where he left off in the first innings, Charlesworth went to 50 from 64 balls with seven fours and a six, his antics causing the threat of further collapse to recede into the distance. His captain proved rock-solid, Bancroft chiselling an unbeaten 35 from 86 balls to serve notice that Gloucestershire remain in the fight. Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Rain keeps Essex win at Sussex on hold
Rothesay County Championship Division One, 1st Central County Ground, Hove (day three)Sussex 204 & 245-7: Coles 99*; Critchley 3-33Essex 504: Cox 132, Critchley 123; Hudson-Prentice 3-78Sussex (2 pts) trail Essex (8 pts) by 55 runsMatch scorecard James Coles led Sussex's resistance with an unbeaten 99 but his efforts seem unlikely to deny Essex victory over Sussex at was on the verge of a third successive County Championship century when rain arrived at 17:20 BST and play was abandoned shortly afterwards with Sussex 245-7 in their second innings, still trailing by 55 after conceding a first-innings deficit of is Sussex's man in form. He made 148 not out at Durham and 150 in Sussex's last home match against Warwickshire and he top scored in their first innings with 52. Only five batters have scored more Championship runs this season than the 21-year-old, and he didn't offer a chance here after arriving in the seventh over with Sussex he and Tom Alsop (72) were adding 141 in 72 overs for the third wicket Sussex harboured hopes of stalling Essex's push for Alsop was lbw to Matt Critchley in the leg-spinner's second over and after tea Sussex lost four wickets for 26 in 40 balls including their leading run scorer John Simpson, calamitously run out going for a second run on an the start of the day Essex skipper Simon Harmer clubbed three sixes to reach a half-century before he was last out for 53 as Essex's first innings ended on 504, a lead of new-ball pair Sam Cook and Jamie Porter soon made inroads. Tom Haines nibbled at Cook's first ball and edged it to third slip beforePorter struck in the seventh over to remove Daniel Hughes, courtesy of a fine low catch at second slip by from 33-2 Coles and Alsop rebuilt patiently. Alsop's fourth fifty of the season came off 104 balls and the normally more attacking Coles took 117 deliveries for his, but neither offered a chance as the Kookaburra ball quickly lost its effectiveness and Essex had to settle for had little success himself, Harmer turned to Critchley in the 47th over and with his first ball he nearly won an lbw verdict against Alsop. But the fourth delivery of his next over straightened enough to beat Alsop's defensive push. He faced 150 balls and hit nine had a breakthrough and after tea they rammed home their superiority, aided once again by some pretty poor shot selection by the Sussex middle and lower Ibrahim (19), who had helped Coles add 48 for the fourth wicket, got a leading edge in the first over after the resumption and Khaleel Ahmed took the catch in his follow through, while Simpson was run out by Cook's throw looking for a second run on an overthrow after a moment's hesitation between him and then struck in successive overs. Fynn Hudson-Prentice's mistimed drive was caught well in the covers by Harmer and Jack Carson tamely picked out mid-wicket aiming to hit Critchley over the the clouds rolled in, Ari Karvelas defied Critchley and Harmer for 33 balls but it would need a lot more resistance from him, Coles and Sussex's tail to keep Essex at bay on the final day. Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay
