South Africa crushed Zimbabwe by 328 runs in the first Test of the two-match Test series at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on July 1. In the absence of regular captain Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj led the South Africa National Cricket Team and delivered remarkable results in his very first Test match as captain.
Three Proteas batters, including two debutantes, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Corbin Bosch, hammered cracking centuries. In the two-match Test series opener, South Africa’s debutantes shone bright, and Corbin Bosch emerged as the biggest star for the side.
He has not only smashed a brilliant unbeaten century in the first innings but also scalped 5 wickets to help South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 328 runs in Bulawayo. With this massive win in the first Test, South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the ongoing two-match Test series in Zimbabwe.
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No changes in the ICC World Test Championship Points Table After ZIM vs SA 1st Test 2025
However, this Test series is not part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, so there will be no change in the standings. Australia remained at the top of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 points table with 12 points and 100 PCT points followed by England.
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However, England and Australia also have the same 12 points and 100 PCT points. Sri Lanka dropped to third place in the standings. With one win and one draw from their two matches so far, Sri Lanka now has 16 points and a points percentage of 66.67. On the other hand, Bangladesh has dropped to fourth place with only 4 points and a points percentage of 16.67.
India and the West Indies are still looking for their first points in this WTC cycle, as both teams lost their first matches so far in the new WTC 2025-27 cycle. They currently sit in fifth and sixth positions on the table. On the other hand, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa are yet to start their WTC 2025-27 campaigns.
Here is the ICC WTC Table:
| Pos | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Ded | Points | PCT (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 100.00 |
| 2 | England | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 100.00 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 66.67 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16.67 |
| 5 | India | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 6 | West Indies | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 9 | South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
South Africa crush Zimbabwe by 328 runs in Bulawayo Test
After winning the toss and opting to bat first in Bulawayo, Keshav Maharaj led the Proteas side from the front with both bat and ball. The spin specialist has not only taken four wickets but also contributed 21 and 51 runs across the innings in his team’s record 328-run win over Zimbabwe.
Speaking about the one-sided affair, South Africa was in early trouble at 23/3 on Day 1, but debutants Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius sparked a brilliant comeback. Pretorius went on to smash a superb 153, while Corbin Bosch powered the lower order with an unbeaten century as South Africa declared their first innings at 418/9 against Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe had no answers apart from Sean Williams, who scored a gritty 137, but with no real support from his teammates, the hosts were bundled out for 251, handing South Africa a commanding 167-run lead in the first Test in Bulawayo.
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Lhuan-dre Pretorius named Player of the Match
Tanaka Chivanga was the standout bowler for Zimbabwe with four wickets. The Proteas side piled on more misery in their second innings, declaring at 369 with Wiaan Mulder scoring a classy 147. Chasing a mammoth target of 537, Zimbabwe was never in the game.
They crumbled to 82/6 before a small resistance from Craig Ervine (49) and Wellington Masakadza (57). Corbin Bosch and Codi Yusuf ran through the Zimbabwe line-up to bowl them out for 208 runs to help the tourists win the game by 328 runs in Bulawayo.
While Bosch took five wickets, Yusuf took three wickets in the second innings against Zimbabwe. Lhuan-dre Pretorius was named Player of the Match.
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