
Maharaj out of second Test against Zim, Mulder to captain Proteas
Wiaan Mulder will captain the Proteas in the second Test against Zimbabwe. Picture:The Proteas will have a third Test captain in as many matches when they take on Zimbabwe in the second Test, starting in Bulawayo on Sunday.
All-rounder Wiaan Mulder, coming off a superb first Test where he took wickets and scored a big century, will lead the Proteas in the second Test.
This after Keshav Maharaj, who led the team in the first Test, which the Proteas won by a big margin on Tuesday, was ruled out of the match. The left arm spinner has picked up a left groin strain, sustained while batting on Monday.
Maharaj will return home for further assessment to determine the extent of the injury.
Senuran Muthusamy has been named as his replacement.
Mulder, who has been backed as the team's number three batter, will become the side's third captain in three Tests after Temba Bavuma led the team at Lord's in the World Test Championship final against Australia at the beginning of June but was ruled out of the Zimbabwe series because of a hamstring strain, allowing Maharaj to take up the leadership in the first Test.
Meanwhile, fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who was set to join the squad on Wednesday, has been released to give the seamers in the current group another opportunity to build on their performances from the first Test.
Proteas squad for second Test:
Wiaan Mulder (capt), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Kwena Maphaka, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Lhuan-dré Pretorius, Lesego Senokwane, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne and Codi Yusuf

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Junior Springboks dominate Australia with 73-17 victory in World Rugby U20 Championship opener in Italy
The Junior Springboks racked up 11 tries against Australia to get their campaign in the World Rugby U20 Championship off to a powerful start in Calvisano, Italy. It was a game built on absolute physical dominance by the pack of forwards and some excellent strike-running from the backline that laid the foundation for the 73-17 victory over the young Australians. It was sweet revenge for head coach Kevin Foote and his side against a team who beat them last month in Gqeberha during the U20 Rugby Championship. South Africa dominated from the start and had already secured the four-try bonus point after 35 minutes in the match. They scored five of their tries in the first half with some great interplay between the forwards and backs. At the start of the second half, they continued on the same path and concluded the final forty with six tries – the last one right on the full-time whistle. While the backline was full of running as they scored some brilliant tries, including the first one of scrumhalf Haashim Pead where they ran from almost on their own try line, the set pieces fired as well. They were excellent with their lineouts and rolling mauls, although some improvement will be needed in the scrums where they conceded some penalties.

TimesLIVE
14 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Patience and more match time will see Proteas bowler Kwena Maphaka fulfil his potential
Kwena Maphaka finished matric last year, but cricket's school of hard knocks provided more lessons for the 19-year-old in the first Test in Bulawayo that will demand he shows patience but also puts in even more work. The trouble with doing the latter is the sport's jam-packed schedule which, for a new fast bowling talent, means that in 2025 the route to the top of the game involves a very different journey than it did for a teenage fast bowler starting a career in 2005. Maphaka played in just his fifth first-class match last week. It was also his second Test and his 13th match this year, of which 11 were T20s. 'He's involved worldwide in leagues and plays a lot of T20 cricket, so when it comes to Test cricket it involves a different way of approaching your bowling,' Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha said on Friday. Our Proteas Men are back on the grind and putting in the hard yards ahead of the 2nd Test against Zimbabwe 💪🏏 Fired up to seal a 2-0 series victory in Bulawayo! 👊🇿🇦 #WozaNawe — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 3, 2025 Maphaka had an inauspicious outing in the first Test conceding 80 runs in 22 overs across the two Zimbabwean innings and finishing the match wicketless. In an otherwise excellent outing for an inexperienced Proteas attack, Maphaka was disappointing and Botha admitted the young bowler was down in the dumps. More importantly however, Maphaka was also keen to take the lessons out of the first Test, and has been locked in discussions with Botha and trained harder for the second match that starts on Sunday. 'Ultimately as a coach you can do a lot by talking to a person, working with him technically, but he needs to pick up experience — which goes for everyone. You learn as you play. For him, it's about getting a lot more four-day and five-day cricket under the belt, and then he will improve. 'As he goes through different experiences he will also work things out for himself and we can talk through things. It's about that exposure, making sure he learns as he goes and making sure he picks up his confidence as he goes,' said Botha. Maphaka lacked rhythm in both innings, the result of a lack of match time this year. It's not as simple as picking him for every match either. Last season, his provincial side, the Central Gauteng Lions, were deliberately cautious because he was completing his matric exams. THE GRADUATES 🎓🏏🇿🇦 From schoolyard dreams to the Test arena! Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius reflect on a journey they started back in primary school and now rocking the Proteas colours💪 This is brotherhood. This is legacy. This is what dreams are made of 👏 🎥Watch… — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 26, 2025 He played in seven T20 Challenge matches, but just one first-class game. The problem arises when he is out of South Africa, as was the case with the IPL, where he featured twice for the Rajasthan Royals. There Maphaka needs to balance the demands of the franchise, with his own growth and it can be difficult for a young player especially, in an environment which is as intense as the IPL. Playing more first-class matches can be difficult too, especially in South Africa. Numerous coaches, including Shukri Conrad, have criticised a schedule which last season saw provincial teams play only seven matches in the Four-Day Series. Cricket SA has tried to supplement that by organising more SA A tours and it was for SA A that Maphaka made his first class debut in Sri Lanka two years ago. One of the most important lessons is consistency, said Botha, who used the adage of hitting the top of off stump as a part of his bowling that Maphaka needs to improve. 'Kwena, because he has pace and you're playing on good wickets generally in Test cricket, if you get it slightly wrong the batters will get on top of you. He understands that, we've spoken about it and worked out some training methods for him. 'It's basically about getting your body conditioned for bowling that disciplined line and length for long periods. And to do that you need to play a lot of cricket.' Maphaka continues to have the management's support and with Lungi Ngidi no longer needed for the second Test, will continue to lead the attack at the Queens Sports Club. Having watched teammate Codi Yusuf claim six wickets in the first match and Corbin Bosch picking up a second innings five-for, Maphaka has no shortage of motivation to draw on. 'It's about him getting his mind in tune to practise well and bowl quickly,' Botha said of his young charge.

IOL News
14 hours ago
- IOL News
Netball Proteas seek first victory against world champs Australia in October series
The SPAR Proteas will travel to Australia in October to play a three-Test series against the current world champions and world's number one ranked Diamonds. The SPAR Netball Proteas will be hoping to finally break their duck against world champions Australia when they tour Down Under for a challenging three-Test series in October. The series will follow hot on the heels of another tough three-Test series for the Proteas against the Silver Ferns in New Zealand in September. Both tours are part of the Proteas' preparations for the Commonwealth Games next year in Glasgow and the Sydney Netball World Cup in 2027. The first match against Australia will take place at Bendigo's Red Energy Arena on Saturday, October 4. South Africa and Australia have played each other 46 times, with Australia winning all the Test matches. However, in recent years, South Africa have narrowed the winning margin against the world's No 1 team. Much of the credit for this went to former Australian head coach Norma Plummer, who enjoyed two spells with the Proteas. The most notable efforts by South Africa were at the Quad Series in London in 2018 where The Diamonds beat the Proteas 54-50 and the two-point loss (55-53) in the dying minutes of the ill-tempered 2019 Netball World Cup semi-final in Liverpool. The last series between the Proteas and Australian Diamonds was played in 2023, also in Australia, which the hosts won 67-52 and 77-50. It was the first standalone Test series between the two nations Down Under in 18 years.