A South African side missing several regulars will resume on 49 for one on the third morning after Zimbabwe made 251 in reply to the tourists' first-innings score of 418 for nine declared.
Australia's opening partnership has been the subject of much debate since David Warner retired and remains unresolved less than a month before the World Test Championship final against South Africa.
''South Africa have got some world class batters and obviously they've got some unbelievable bowlers there as well so it's going to be a good challenge and obviously it's a one-off Test match.'
Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten century as South Africa edged tantalisingly close to an unlikely success in the World Test Championship final, needing 69 runs to dethrone Australia after reaching 213-2 at stumps on the third day at Lord's on Friday.
Skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child in February and was also ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign with an ankle injury, will take the reins against South Africa.
Ahead of England's five-match Test series against India at home, head coach Brendon McCullum hailed young all-rounder Jacob Bethell
Left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza was the pick of the home bowlers with figures of 4-98, while leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa took 2-117.
England have requested a pitch with 'plenty of life in it' as they look to unleash returning pacers Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson in the third Test against India at Lord's.
Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne for next week's first Test against West Indies in Barbados
Ajinkya Rahane has expressed his desire to return to Test cricket for India-a format he deeply cherishes-despite receiving "no response" from the selectors.
'There is a lot of inspiration we can draw from in the brand of cricket we have played in the last three or four years.'
Teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored 153 on debut and Corbin Bosch an unbeaten maiden century as a much-changed South Africa reached 418 for nine on the opening day of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Saturday.
'It's never easy, but I think he will learn from this exposure.'
South Africa beat Australia by five wickets to win World Test Championship
In the World Test Championship final in June, New Zealand, in all likelihood, will meet either India or England, who will clash in a four-Test series, starting on Friday.
Ashwell Prince, South Africa's batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram as the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered the Proteas towards what could be a famous run-chase in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia on Friday.
'The most important thing for India is to throw the counter punch almost immediately.'
Seales played down the incident when quizzed for more information at stumps on the first day.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz named new Bangladesh ODI skipper
Dinesh Karthik believes India head coach Gautam Gambhir is tactically 'very good', but feels man-management remains an area he would need to work on.
Kagiso Rabada etched another milestone into his illustrious career on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's
Limited-overs captain Hope has played 38 Tests, the last of which came in Sri Lanka in late 2021.
As England and India gear up for the final Test of the fiercely fought five-match series starting at The Oval on Thursday, a number of individuals on either side will be on the cusp of major individual milestones.
'They (Gill, Jaiswal and Pant) now have to drag this Indian Test team forward like Virat did single-handedly.'
A calf injury forced Josh Hazlewood to miss being part of Australia's World Test Championship win two years ago and the fast bowler is keen to avoid a second such heartbreak.
Aiden Markram himself knows what he is capable of -- and how to express it on a cricket field. And South Africa will be the biggest beneficiary in the coming years.
The 25-year-old Shubman Gill is a clear favourite to land the high-profile job as Indian embarks on a new World Test Championship cycle.
When I think of the character of this team, our never-say-die attitude stands out. There are only three of us who have played over 50 Tests, but we never back down from a challenge
Pietersen doubled down on his criticism, calling out the Proteas for going into a shell rather than trying to wrest back momentum.
Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
The five-match Test series will take place from June 20 to August 4, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's and The Oval (London), and Old Trafford (Manchester).
Ravi Shastri claimed India's dominant contribution to global cricket revenue makes the share fair.
Konstas has been drafted in to replace Marnus Labuschagne, who opened in the World Test Championship final alongside Khawaja but failed to impress as Australia lost to South Africa by five wickets.
Nathan Lyon has no immediate plans of Test retirement as he yearns for one final away series win in India before calling time on his illustrious career.
India's young guns have the talent to achieve something special in the upcoming England Test series, provided they back themselves, said former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers in Mumbai on Saturday.
"We will have an advantage...": BCCI VP Shukla on India's new-look squad for England tour
Indian players mourn Ahmedabad airplane crash victims before intra-squad match
Speaking to PTI, Lamb also spoke passionately about his playing days with Kapil Dev in County cricket and why he rates Sachin Tendulkar over Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.
'Bosch is new to the international scene, but he's really fit in well. To see him conquer both facets (bat and ball) in this Test was really special.'
Pakistan selectors rule out T20 role for Babar, Rizwan and Afridi in near future
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances