When lunch was served, Pretorius had already reached forty-four. There was an inside-edge on the way to the wicketkeeper just before the interval, and he managed to survive this chance. They were so sure of their attractiveness, the Zimbabweans. But since DRS wasn’t used in the series, the child got away with it.
At the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, South Africa finished Day 1 of the first Test of the two-match series against Zimbabwe at 418/9 in 90 overs. For the most part of the day, the hosts had total control over the action, but the Proteas held their ground and finished up in a strong position given how they had started.
With the fresh ball, Zimbabwe got off to a quiet start. Only three runs were scored by South Africa in the first five overs. Blessing Muzarabani had maidens in each of his opening three overs. Wellington Masakadza’s final left-arm spin seems to have gone fairly well. Tony de Zorzi edged a delivery from Tanaka Chivanga to leave for a 16-ball duck, ending his arduous battle at the crease.
Muzarabani’s first run came from a boundary off his 28th delivery of the day. After ten overs, South Africa managed to reach 15/1. With Chivanga breathing fire at one end, Matthew Breetzke (13 off 45) and David Bedingham (zero off three) were defeated by a couple of nicks outside the line of the off stump.
Arriving at No. 5, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who was making his Test debut, was already in by the fifteenth over.
The 19-year-old quickly set to work. In the very next over after arriving in the middle, he hit successive deliveries for his first six and four in international cricket. With a deliberate stroke down the ground on his 45th ball, Wiaan Mulder hit his maiden boundary. But in the following over to be run-out, Mulder (17 off 47) was the victim of a complete misunderstanding.
In the second over of the second session, Dewald Brevis, another Test rookie, hit his maiden six in the format. Prior to Pretorius reaching his first fifty on debut, the ball had to be changed because of the maximum in the same over. Brevis hit three sixes off the fifth over of leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa to reach his fifty in style.
Brevis (51 off 41) was sent back to the pavilion the over after he reached his milestone thanks to Muzarabani’s extra bounce. Masekesa, however, was still being beaten at the opposite end. His statistics after six overs were 0/62. Zimbabwe secured their sixth wicket when Kyle Verreynne (10 off 16) was sent back by a brilliant catch at first slip.
On the first ball of the 50th over, Pretorius reached his century. He thereby became his country’s youngest centurion. By the time he recorded his century, he had nearly equalled half of the Proteas’ runs, having entered at No. 5. Until Tea was taken, Corbin Bosch was able to stay with him. Whether the hosts could bowl South Africa out in the third session was a matter of time.
Following the break, Pretorius didn’t appear to have lost any of their momentum. Shortly after the tea break, he raised his bat for 150 by increasing the number of his boundaries. It was the left-hander who ultimately gave Chivanga his fourth wicket. With his team on the verge of reaching the 300-run milestone, Pretorius left for 153 off 160.
With his sixth four, Bosch reached his fiftieth. Keshav Maharaj, the captain, appeared to be a potential player while he was in the middle. But in his 10th over, Masekesa made his first breakthrough when he fell for 21 off 30. Codi Yusuf was another newcomer who left. With a dribble towards third man for three on the eighteenth delivery, he finally got off the mark.
In back-to-back overs, Codi hit his first three boundaries. After adding two more fours to his total, he left for a very helpful 27 off 49, ending a 59-run partnership for the 10th wicket. Bosch was able to go back on track for a possible first hundred when Kwena Maphaka successfully blocked out the last three balls of the 86th over.
With his eighth four of the inning, the 30-year-old was in the nineties. South Africa reached their team 400 shortly after. Bosch reached his well-earned century, his first in First-Class cricket, a ball after being dropped in what was at best a half chance. With a maximum over deep square-leg on the last ball of the first day, Maphaka put the day on a high note.
India
