Player of the Match
Player of the Match
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    21.3 gone! Fullish on off stump, and Elgar is a touch early into his flick, fatally so. Chips it in the air, and straight into midwicket's lap 72/1
    65.3 stunning catch by Taylor. One-handed leap to his right to hold on with his fingers. A length ball in the corridor, Markram late on it with the forward push and plays inside the line too. Was pushing outside his body and got a big edge. The wide slip leaped to his left as this was dying on him. But that wasn't an issues because Taylor skipped to his right and stretched a long long way to his right to hold on 251/4
    24.2 hits it straight to cover. A woeful delivery, only outdone by a soft shot. Mpofu puts the wicket in his imaginary pocket and zips it up with a sheepish smile, because this one is a Christmas gift. Short and wide outside off, he pushes with an open face with no intent to keep it down or find a gap 77/2
    46.5 bang! for the third time South Africa lose a wicket to a soft dismissal. Fullish outside off, not full enough for the drive, and AB drives on the up, checks his shot, and ends up sending a return catch to Mpofu, who reacts well, gets down low, on both knees, and takes it to his left with both hands about a foot off the ground 173/3
    71.3 edges through to the keeper and Jarvis' persistence has been rewarded. He's bowling superbly in this spell, wobbling it this way and that in the corridor. This time he draws him forward and gets it to straighten marginally outside off. Bavuma is playing close to the body and the front leg is out there as well. But that ball is too good. Taylor takes easily to his right 272/5
    77.3 sweeps and misses to be caught in front of off stump. It's very full. Looks to be smashing leg stump on first look. De Kock won't even review it. Cremer getting em 303/7
    75.5 misses a googly and is struck in front. On the front foot to defend, beaten on the inside edge and Ketleborough gives it out. Philander reviews. He might have a chance on line, this looked like it could have been going down...nope it isn't. Hitting leg stump halfway up. Philander gone, along with a review. It appeared close because he'd put a big stride in and that googly had spun a long way. The umpire too his time and made a good decision 298/6
    not out
    4
    6
    19
    1
    0
    66.66
    77.4 it appears Rabada has run himself out. It's been sent upstairs. Zimbabwe are convinced. Full ball at off stump, drives inside-out, wide of cover. A decent shot, but a strange decision to come back for a second. The throw is good to the striker's end, on the bounce. Rabada slides and can't make it. Replays confirm he is out. He jogged for the first, indicating a second run was never on his mind. Until, suddenly, it was. 304/8
    78.3 Burl dives low to his left at gully and holds on. Back of a length ball shapes away in the corridor. Draws the bat out, takes the edge and he's held on very nicely 309/9
    Extras
    7 (b 2, lb 2, nb 2, w 1)
    TOTAL
    309/9d (78.3 Overs, RR: 3.93, 335 minutes)
    Did not bat: M Morkel
    Fall of wickets: 1-72 (Dean Elgar, 21.3 ov), 2-77 (Hashim Amla, 24.2 ov), 3-173 (AB de Villiers, 46.5 ov), 4-251 (Aiden Markram, 65.3 ov), 5-272 (Temba Bavuma, 71.3 ov), 6-298 (Vernon Philander, 75.5 ov), 7-303 (Quinton de Kock, 77.3 ov), 8-304 (Kagiso Rabada, 77.4 ov), 9-309 (Keshav Maharaj, 78.3 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    KM Jarvis1825733.1601
    B Muzarabani1324803.6900
    CB Mpofu13.315834.2910
    CJ Chibhabha1115104.6301
    AG Cremer1806623.6600
    Sikandar Raza502505.0000
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    0.1 Morkel has pinned him in front first ball, Paul Reiffel has given it, and a review has been made. This looks very plumb. Very straight. Height always a factor with Morkel, but his front leg has not moved at all. This doesn't look good.Hitting the top of leg stump. Which means the review goes first ball 0/1
    6.2 Bavuma snaps it high to his left with the reverse cup at fourth slip. But there's a doubt here with Morkel's front foot. There seems to be nothing behind the crease...and the third umpire deems in his favour. Morkel goes full at Chibhaba, who still won't put the front foot out as he looks to drive. Well away from the body, big outside edge. Taken with characteristic flair 11/2
    10.4 full, striking in front of leg, no forwards stride and looks very plumb, as evidenced by Philander's sprint down the track. Umpire gives, Ervine reviews. The decision stands and it's so so close. Ervine is an unlucky man. Half that ball is pitching in line, half hitting in line, and it's umpire's call on the wickets too. Decision stands 14/4
    8.1 'yeahhh beauty,' AB de Villiers screams from behind the wicket after taking a straightforward catch. It's been said for years that Morkel would be a lot more dangerous if he bowled fuller. He's done it again. Full and nipping away naughtily in the corridor. It's an anxious forward poke from Taylor, not fully committed. Means his bat is ahead of his pad a touch and that margin is enough for it to find the outside edge 11/3
    16
    35
    47
    3
    0
    45.71
    19.1 A beauty! Takes top of off stump this time as the wicket cartwheels away beautifully. Pitches on a good length just outside off and angles into the left hander. Burl prodded forward just a little, but the ball zips off the pitch and finds the gap between pad and his forward defense. 36/5
    25.5 another wicket! It's that nagging line just outside off that earns him the wicket, just a bit more bounce and takes the outside edge as he tries to drive off the back foot. Another catch to de Villiers' name 55/7
    19.5 There's the five-for! Back of a length on the fourth-stump line, he tries to push at the ball but there's no footwork in place. Brushes his outside edge and easily pocketed by AB. Raza was glued onto his back foot 36/6
    29.1 inside edge onto off stump! There's the ninth. Back of a length outside off and the batsman's not sure whether he wants to come forward and go deep, eventually attempts to defend off the back foot but there's a wide enough gap between bat and pad. Thick inside edge, and rattles the stumps 63/9
    28.4 straightens after pitching and induces the outside edge! On a good length outside off and Cremer is too slow. Attempts to defend off the front foot but the extra pace beats him with ease. Another outside edge for AB to gobble up 63/8
    30.1 The fifth lowest total for Zimbabwe in Test cricket! All out for 68 in just over 30 overs. It was once again on that tantalizing fourth-stump line and the batsman chooses to poke at it. Finds the outside edge and easily collected by the fielder at gully, who dives forward and pockets this with ease 68/10
    not out
    4
    5
    6
    1
    0
    80.00
    Extras
    4 (lb 2, nb 2)
    TOTAL
    68 all out (30.1 Overs, RR: 2.25, 140 minutes)
    Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Hamilton Masakadza, 0.1 ov), 2-11 (Chamu Chibhabha, 6.2 ov), 3-11 (Brendan Taylor, 8.1 ov), 4-14 (Craig Ervine, 10.4 ov), 5-36 (Ryan Burl, 19.1 ov), 6-36 (Sikandar Raza, 19.5 ov), 7-55 (Kyle Jarvis, 25.5 ov), 8-63 (Graeme Cremer, 28.4 ov), 9-63 (Peter Moor, 29.1 ov), 10-68 (Chris Mpofu, 30.1 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    M Morkel1152151.9000
    VD Philander1042112.1000
    K Rabada6.121221.9402
    AL Phehlukwayo301224.0000
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    34.2 big edge and AB takes it. Good length ball, drifted in at off stump. Spins and bounces sharply from there after drawing him forward. AB in the perfect position to take his eighth catch of the game 91/7
    17.2 there's the breakthrough! Beautiful delivery just outside off and it's that extra bounce that does the trick again.Tries to poke at it, and then attempts to pull his bat away but it's too late. Takes the outside edge as he looks to drag his blade back. Another scalp for AB to catch 54/1
    27.2 Another wicket! Good length on middle stump and traps the batsman in front of the stumps. Hits his front pad and then his back pad, and looks like it would've gone on to crash into middle and off. Just that extra zip off the surface, and the bowler gets his reward 75/3
    26.6 It's a reverse sweep that's gone wrong! Amla pockets at first slip, but the umpire wants to confirm if it has carried. Taylor asks Amla if the catch is clean and Hashim says it's out. Taylor is walking back but the umpires want to check anyway. He tried to reverse sweep but takes the face of the bat and onto Taylor's back-leg pad, thereby lobbing the ball up. Amla's outstretched right hand gets just under the ball as it settles into his palm. Soft signal was out. Some replays suggest that the ball may have bounced, but some replays make it look like it's a clean catch. Third umpire think's its out, though, and Taylor finally makes his way out. Wonder what the decision would've been if the soft signal was 'not out' 75/2
    29.1 And the change of angle works! It's full and just outside off and forces the batsman to drive at it. Just the slight shape away from the left hander after pitch and that's enough to take the outside edge. Sharp take from de Villiers, who has to dive to his left 80/5
    28.3 what has Raza done here? Gifts Maharaj a wicket. Tries to hit the bowler out of the attack but the spinner wins this battle. Tossed up full on off and he tries to hit this out of the park. It's a leading edge instead, and caught by Phehlukwayo with ease 80/4
    31.2 a late decision to give him caught-behind and he reviews it. Superb ball, climbing in rapidly from outside off. He looks to defend, but it's tentative. Withdraws the bat late as well. Clearly caught in two minds. It's a very very faint edge, hardly any disturbance during the replay, but a big enough one as the ball is adjacent to the inside edge of the bat. Good decision. That was faint enough for him not to feel it, so the review can't be critcised either. Superb bowling, that came in, with the shiny side 87/6
    not out
    18
    37
    43
    4
    0
    48.64
    37.5 tonks off stump. An ugly shot. Nowhere near the pitch, nowhere close to being behind the line as he looks for an on-drive. It's a straight ball angled in at off stump on a good length, he's playing way inside the line 98/8
    38.6 loses his shape completely against what looks like he could have hit as a full toss. It's floated in at middle stump, he wants to sweep, then he wants to drive inside-out. It opens a big passage between bat and pad and he's bowled 103/9
    42.3 full at off stump, swipes across the line, misses it and loses his off stump. That's the match. 121/10
    Extras
    15 (b 8, lb 7)
    TOTAL
    121 all out (f/o) (42.3 Overs, RR: 2.84, 175 minutes)
    Fall of wickets: 1-54 (Chamu Chibhabha, 17.2 ov), 2-75 (Brendan Taylor, 26.6 ov), 3-75 (Craig Ervine, 27.2 ov), 4-80 (Sikandar Raza, 28.3 ov), 5-80 (Ryan Burl, 29.1 ov), 6-87 (Peter Moor, 31.2 ov), 7-91 (Hamilton Masakadza, 34.2 ov), 8-98 (Kyle Jarvis, 37.5 ov), 9-103 (Chris Mpofu, 38.6 ov), 10-121 (Blessing Muzarabani, 42.3 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    M Morkel401203.0000
    VD Philander731011.4200
    KA Maharaj17.355953.3700
    K Rabada731211.7100
    AL Phehlukwayo721331.8500

Match Details

Toss

South Africa , elected to bat first

Player Of The Match

Series result

South Africa won the one-off match

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

13.30 start, Lunch 15.30-16.10, Tea 18.10-18.30, Close 20.30

Match days

26,27 December 2018 - day/night match (4-day match)

TV Umpires

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Close of Play

  • Tue, 26 Dec - day 1 - Zimbabwe 1st innings 30/4 (RP Burl 15*, KM Jarvis 4*, 16 ov)
  • Wed, 27 Dec - day 2 - Zimbabwe 2nd innings 121 (42.3 ov) - end of match

Match Notes

A short finish

1

No. of Tests to be completed in fewer balls in last 50 years than this Test which had only 907 balls. The Sharjah Test of 2002 between Pakistan and Australia last only 893 balls.

Fifth lowest

4

No. of smaller Test totals for Zimbabwe, than the 68 in this game. This is also the lowest total for any team this year.

Long gap

2012

Last time Morne Morkel took a five-wicket haul in Tests, before today's match. He had picked it against Australia at Adelaide in November 2012. His last five-for at home was in December 2010.

Session of wickets

88/9

Score in the final session on first day. In first two sessions, 251 runs were scored for loss of four wickets while the last session saw 9 wickets for 88 runs in 29 overs.

Solid beginning

380

Runs for Markram from his four Test innings, the fifth-most for any batsman. Javed Miandad leads the chart with 419 runs while the previous best among SA batsmen was 311 runs by Rudolf.

Excellent start

3

No. of 50+ scores for Aiden Markram from his 4 Test innings. He scored 97, 15 and 143 in the series against Bangladesh and has scored another fifty in this match.

New format

1973

Last time a four-day Test was hosted, which was between New Zealand and Pakistan in Auckland.