1ST TEST , ZIMBABWE Vs SOUTH AFRICA ,BULAWAYO , 2025 HIGHLIGHTS : Bosch’s All Round Performance Claimed a Big Victory Against Zimbabwe .
Corbin Bosch shone with a fifer as South Africa handed Zimbabwe their biggest ever Test defeat, by 328 runs, on the final day in Harare on Tuesday (July 1). Pursuing a daunting victory target of 537, the home side lost their first six wickets for 82 in the morning before a partial recovery followed. But Bosch (5-43) and Codi Yusuf (3-22) paved the way for an early finish by dismissing Zimbabwe’s second innings for a mere 208. Bosch’s All Round Performance Claimed a Big Victory Against Zimbabwe .
TOSS-
South Africa won the toss and chose to bat.
PLAYING XI-
Zimbabwe Squad:
Brian Bennett, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (c), Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Vincent Masekesa, Blessing Muzarabani, Tanaka Chivanga
South Africa Squad:
Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke, Wiaan Mulder, David Bedingham, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj (c), Codi Yusuf, Kwena Maphaka
DAY-1
Fielding a XI with just four members of the WTC Final winning side earlier this month, South Africa made a nervous start as their openers were sent packing early. Tanaka Chivanga, rushed into the attack, struck in his first two overs to pick up Tony de Zorzi and Matthew Breetzke. Chivanga was on fire in his opening spell and David Bedingham prodded at one outside off to edge to first slip. Pretorius then walked out with purpose and smote just his fourth ball in Test cricket for six to be followed by a cover drive for four.
But Wiaan Mulder compounded his side’s woes when he called for a needless single and was run out. Another debutant, Dewald Brevis was the man out there in the middle while the two had a huge rebuilding task on their hands. The visitors should have been deeper in their shell at that point when the left-hander clearly edged one to be caught behind but with no DRS available for the series, he was given a life which he made the most use out of. After lunch Brevis counter-attacked and continued to clear the boundary, including three sixes in an over off Vincent Masekesa to bring up a fifty on debut.
To Zimbabwe’s great relief, Brevis miscued one in the next over, and was gone for 51. While Pretorius continued with his merriment, Zimbabwe were soon able to get rid of Kyle Verreynne to leave South Africa struggling on 189/6. At that stage and with this pitch, you’d have backed them to subsequently bowl South Africa out for under 250. But getting Bosch early in his innings has hurt the hosts real bad as he enjoyed himself with the youngster. Pretorius reached his century in only 112 balls and became the youngest South African to reach three figures on debut.
The left-hander struck a couple of more sixes off Brian Bennett, and smashed Chivanga for three fours in an over to exacerbate the pain en route to bringing up his 150 too. It needed the best bowler on the day for Zimbabwe, Chivanga, to eventually break the magnificent innings. Keshav Maharaj and Codi Yusuf got stuck in on debut and made useful runs during handy partnerships with Bosch. But once the ninth wicket fell with five overs remaining in the day, Bosch farmed the strike for the majority to bring up a maiden ton. Kwena Maphaka for his part stayed till the end before ending the day with a six off the last ball.
DAY-2
South Africa, who posted a first innings score of 418 for 9 declared, had put Zimbabwe in to bat early on this morning. The tourists were an eyelash on the money from the off as CodYusuf claimed a debut Test scalp with his fifth delivery, Takudzwanashe Kaitano chipping one to mid wicket. Yusuf then had Nick Welch poking at one which went behind to the ‘keeper and he had two wickets in no time. That sandwich was filled with Brian Bennett, who had contributed a century against England last month, striking three brisk boundaries to maintain the scoring rate.
Williams was out just after Lunch to Keshav Maharaj before he reached 50, steadying Zimbabwe in the middle-order. Ervine was fortunate to get a streaky boundary over the slip cauldron, but was stumped off the next over by Maharaj – the left arm-spinner’s 200th Test wicket. New batsman Wessley Madhevere was proactive, taking the threes early and also slog-sweeping Maharaj for six.
Williams, meanwhile, was having fun against the left-arm spinner with two fours as Zimbabwe notched the 150 and he soared into the 80s. It was Mulder who finally broke the threatening stand when his inswinger pinned Madhevere in front to send in the concussion sub Prince Masvaure. But at the other end, Williams raised his hundred as the hosts also fought back against South Africa. But the very next ball saw the end of Masvaure, with Mulder claiming his second. Like those who batted before him, Tafadzwa Tsiga started with two consecutive boundaries, also off Mulder. But he couldn’t build on his bright start and fell soon after as Mulder struck in his second over.
It would prove the catalyst for a Zimbabwe collapse as they lost their last five wickets for only 50 runs. Yusuf had Wellington Masakadza caught and bowled, while Maharaj did him in with an intelligent turner and had Williams stumped. Zimbabwe were bundled out for 251 as Mulder and Maharaj mopped up the remaining two wickets for two runs.
Zimbabwe, however, wouldn’t roll over and play dead as Tanaka Chivanga accounted for Matthew Breetzke early. Tony de Zorzi and Wiaan Mulder then batted out the remainder of the day before Stumps was called, and the tourists 49 for 1.
DAY-3
Mulder and Tony de Zorzi began aggressively in the morning and continued in the same vein at the start of play, but the pair’s stand was broken at 63 when De Zorzi was caught at second slip off Tanaka Chivanga. The pacer got the edges a few times too but fortunately for the South Africans, they didn’t carry for the fielders as Mulder and David Bedingham struck a formidable partnership and pushed visiting side ahead. Their job was made difficult by Blessing Muzarabani not taking the field since he was unwell, which left Zimbabwe with only one pace option in Chivanga, who bowled well from one end but bled runs from the other. Bedingham then pulled Wellington Masakadza for six before Mulder also hauled a half-tracker over the boundary as he completed a fifty of his own.
The fours came thick and fast as the third-wicket pair added a rapid 72, before Bedingham found deep midwicket off Masakadza when trying to pull. Lhuan-dre Pretorius, with a century in his first innings, was dismissed cheaply in the second when Vincent Masekesa produced a beauty to bowl him. Dewald Brevis wasn’t there long either, Masekesa having him lbw trying to work across the line as South Africa slumped to 155 for 5. Mulder however, was always attacking and he played a series of aggressive shots, even hitting a boundary off Chivanga in the last over before lunch that took him to his 100 and South Africa’s lead past 350.
He dominated the scoring during his partnership with Kyle Verreynne and they built on South Africa’s lead in the second session. They had kept their boundaries coming along nicely and Mulder hit another six Masekesa as the pair took the lead beyond 400. They raised a century stand at a healthy clip before Mulder, himself looking well set for a 150, fell three short of it when he was caught at deep midwicket off Wessly Madhevere. Verreynne was out in the next over to Masakadza, caught at slip for 36 to end South Africa’s innings seven down. Maharaj and Corbin Bosch then peppered seven boundaries between them, their stand-in Test captain also struck six from the final ball he faced, as they racked up a quick stand to take the lead beyond 500 before Tea.
Maharaj raised his fifty midway through the third session but Zimbabwe struck back with quick wickets. Bosch was bowled by Masakadza after playing and missing a sweep and Maharaj danced down the pitch to same bowler only to be bowled. Returning to play just before Tea, Muzarabani clinched the last wicket when he bowled Maphaka after being denied the fall of Bosch’s wicket as he had over-stepped.
Zimbabwe’s openers Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Prince Masvaure negotiated a challenging 18-over period to defy the South African bowlers. The openers were difficult to the pacers and Maharaj later made an opportunity but Tony de Zorzi dropped a tough chance at short leg to give Masvaure another chance. A short while later, Kaitano went to clip one off Bosch, but this time the ball pitched just short of him. But the batsman perished in the final over of the day, edging a Bosch delivery that held its line, capping off another good day’s play for the 2025 WTC champions.
DAY-4
Replying to overnight 32/1, Zimbabwe made a nightmarish start to the Day 4 morning when Bosch, on his resumption in the pending over, removed Nick Welch with the very first ball as he fell for a duck. It brought out Sean Williams – who began with consecutive boundaries to end Tyagi’s over, and smoked the same against Bosch’s first.
But Bosch got even in short order. The centurion of the first innings, Williams aimed a mow and ended up swirling an edge for the keeper to bite, falling for a promising 26 off a mere 18 balls. Yusuf also took his first ball of the day and finished the vigil of Prince Masvaure, who sent an outside edge to second slip to trudge back after a gritty 12 off 76. Yusuf then dismissed Wessly Madhevere and Tafadzwa Tsiga for ducks in his next two overs, to leave the hosts at 82/6 to complete the middle-order collapse.
Craig Ervine then partnered Wellngton Masakadza to stem the bleeding before Lunch. The duo held fort to push back the inevitable by 20 overs as they made 83 for the seventh wicket partnership. But the moment the partnership was broken, Zimbabwe quickly collapsed.
Dropped when he was on 10, Masakadza went on to outshine his partner to a half-century but Ervine fell just one run shy of his as Bosch finally broke the resolute partnership to take his fourth wicket of the innings. Having scored a hundred in the first innings, the allrounder followed it up with a fifer in the second, when Vincent Masekesa chopped a Laurie offbreak onto his stumps to reduce the hosts to 173 for 8.
With the writing on the wall for the home side, Blessing Muzarabani opted to come out swinging before going down. He hit 4, 4 and 6 off Dewald Brevis before welcoming Maharaj back with a six and a four off the same over too. Brevis, however, changed ends and had his fellow left-armer Tanaka Chivanga stumped as Zimbabwe were dismissed for just 208 in a convincing victory inside four days in Bulawayo.
Brief scores:
South Africa 418/9 decl (Lhuan-dre Pretorius 153, Corbin Bosch 100\*; Tanaka Chivanga 4-83) & 369 (Wiaan Mulder 147, Keshav Maharaj 51; Wellington Masakadza 4-98) beat Zimbabwe 251 (Sean Williams 137; Wiaan Mulder 4-50) & 208 (Wellington Masakadza 57, Craig Ervine 49; Corbin Bosch 5-43) by 328 runs.