Zimbabwe Bowled Out for 251 Against South Africa’s 418-9d

BULAWAYO: In a momentous achievement, stand-in South Africa skipper Keshav Maharaj etched his name in cricket annals on Sunday, becoming the first South African spinner to grab 200 wickets in Test matches.

The 35-year-old accomplished this feat in the 34th over of Zimbabwe’s innings by dismissing Craig Ervine, the opposition captain, who was stumped by Kyle Verreynne.

Maharaj, a consistent presence in South Africa’s red-ball team for the past nine years, had already exceeded Hugh Tayfield’s record of 170 wickets. His next target is Vernon Philander, who retired with 224 wickets from 64 Tests.

Dale Steyn, the former pace legend, remains South Africa’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 439 wickets from 93 games.

Shaun Pollock holds the second position with 421 wickets from 108 Tests, while among current bowlers, Kagiso Rabada leads with 336 wickets from 71 games.

Earlier in the match, Maharaj also made a valuable contribution with the bat, scoring 21 runs off 30 balls at No. 9, which helped South Africa reach a solid total of 418/9 in their first innings of the opening Test against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club.

The first day was defined by Lhuan-dre Pretorius’s impressive debut performance, where he delivered a remarkable innings under pressure.

Coming in at 23/3, the 19-year-old southpaw hit a stunning 153, becoming the youngest South African and only the seventh overall from his nation to achieve a century on Test debut.

Pretorius announced his arrival emphatically, hitting a six off the fourth ball he faced from Wellington Masakadza and sharing a confident smile with his batting partner, Wiaan Mulder.

He achieved his century in just 112 balls and went on to score 153 runs off 160 deliveries, including 11 boundaries and four sixes. His superb innings concluded when he top-edged a pull shot off Tanaka Chivanga to mid-on.

Despite a brief moment of controversy, when Zimbabwe players appealed for a caught-behind against Pretorius on 30, the debutant maintained composure throughout and gave no significant chances.

Adding to Zimbabwe’s challenges, Corbin Bosch, a pace-bowling all-rounder batting at No. 8, scored a resilient unbeaten century.

He reached his hundred in the day’s final over, finishing on 100* and boosting South Africa to a dominant total.

In response, the home side was bowled out for 251 in 67.4 overs, trailing by 167 runs. Sean Williams was the top performer with the bat, scoring 137 runs off 164 deliveries.

Wiaan Mulder spearheaded South Africa’s bowling attack with four wickets, followed by Codi Yusuf and Keshav Maharaj, who each took three wickets.