South Africa crushed Zimbabwe by an innings and 236 runs in the second Test at Bulawayo on Day 3. Wiaan Mulder delivered an outstanding all-round performance in the match. He scored an unbeaten 367 — just 23 runs short of Zimbabwe's total across both innings — and also took three wickets.
This was South Africa's tenth consecutive Test win, including their WTC 2025 final victory over Australia. Zimbabwe’s second innings collapsed before tea, sealing one of their heaviest defeats in Test history.
Zimbabwe Collapse After Brief Resistance
Zimbabwe began Day 3 at 37/1, still trailing by 405 runs. Overnight batters Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Nick Welch started cautiously against South Africa’s pacers. But the introduction of spin changed everything.
Senuran Muthusamy removed Kaitano for 40 with his second ball. Soon after, Welch tried to counterattack with mixed success. He smashed a six and survived a dropped catch and near stumping, but South Africa struck back.
Mulder cleaned up Sean Williams for 11 with a legal delivery just inside the crease. Welch brought up his fifty but fell soon after lunch for 55, caught by Mulder at slip.
Middle and Lower Order Crumble
After Welch’s dismissal, Zimbabwe lost wickets in clusters. From 153/3, they slumped to 184/9. Codi Yusuf trapped Wessly Madhevere LBW for 5. He then dismissed Tafadzwa Tsiga, who could only manage 1 off 20 balls.
Craig Ervine tried to hold the innings together with a gritty 49, but fell edging behind to Corbin Bosch. Bosch then bowled Kundai Matigimu for a duck and removed Blessing Muzarabani for 0.
Final Stand Delays the Inevitable
At nine wickets down, Wellington Masakadza and Tanaka Chivanga tried to resist. Masakadza edged a few deliveries and survived a stumping scare. Chivanga entertained briefly with 22 off 26 balls, including three fours and a six.
But the resistance ended when Muthusamy got Chivanga to top-edge a shot to slip. Mulder, fittingly, took the final catch.
Brief Scorecard
Although this series was one of the toughest for Zimbabwe, Tanaka Chivanga impressed with the ball. Craig Ervine was also consistent with the bat. However, Zimbabwe needs more practice. They should learn from their opponents how to plan and execute better strategies. Overall, South Africa is one of the toughest opponents they could face.
Wiaan Mulder, who captained South Africa in this Test, was named both Player of the Match and Player of the Series. He scored 531 runs and took seven wickets in the series, including a record-breaking 367 not out in the first innings.
With this commanding win, South Africa completed a 2-0 series sweep and underlined their dominance in Test cricket. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!