Cricket-S Africa reach 418-9 v Zimbabwe as teenager Pretorius bags debut ton
(Reuters) -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.
After electing to bat, South Africa were in early trouble at 55-4 with the ball nipping around in the fresh morning conditions, but Pretorius, 19, put on 95 for the fifth wicket with fellow debutant Dewald Brevis (51) to change the course of the innings.
Bosch's late burst provided a first test century for the all-rounder as he finished unbeaten on 100 from 124 balls and will resume on the second day with Kwena Maphaka, who has nine.
The touring side have only four starters from the side who won the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's this month, with several players rested and captain Temba Bavuma unavailable due to injury.
Pretorius' 153 came from 160 balls as the left-hander became the youngest South African to score a century on test debut, hitting 11 fours and four sixes.
Zimbabwe twice felt they had him caught behind, but with no third umpire in operation for the two-game series, their vociferous appeals were turned down with no way to challenge the decisions.
Seamer Tanaka Chivanga got early joy for the hosts with an excellent spell of bowling, picking up three wickets in the first session and adding the prized scalp of Pretorius for figures of 4-83.
The South African youngster tried to pull a steep bouncer from Chivanga but succeeded only in skying the ball to Wellington Masakadza at mid-on.
Chivanga removed openers Tony de Zorzi (0) and Matthew Breetzke (13), and David Bedingham (0) in his first spell, bringing Pretorius to the wicket with the score on 23.
Wiaan Mulder (17) looked in good touch before he was run out chasing a quick single, but Brevis and Pretorius shared a quickfire 95-run partnership in 86 balls to swing the momentum South Africa's way.
Kyle Verreynne (10) came and went cheaply, before Pretorius and Bosch added 108 for the seventh wicket to put the tourists firmly in control.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Soccer-England deliver statement 7-0 win over Jamaica in final Euro warm-up
Soccer Football - Women's International Friendly - England v Jamaica - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - June 29, 2025 Jamaica's Nyema Igleton in action with England's Lauren Hemp Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers LEICESTER, England (Reuters) -England issued a statement of intent ahead of the Women's European Championship, demolishing Jamaica 7–0 at home in their final pre-tournament friendly on Sunday. The reigning European champions dominated from start to finish and although Jamaica had an equaliser ruled out for offside, Sarina Wiegman's side controlled the match, pushing to settle the game before halftime. Ella Toone opened the scoring, followed by a headed goal from Lucy Bronze, before Toone again scored deep into first-half stoppage time at Leicester's King Power Stadium. The onslaught continued after the interval, with Georgia Stanway adding England's fourth just before the hour mark, followed by Alessia Russo making it five in the 71st minute. With five minutes to go, Aggie Beever-Jones added the sixth before Beth Mead capped the rout with a seventh in the dying moments. England begin their Group D campaign against France on July 5, followed by games against Netherlands and Wales. The tournament runs from July 2-27. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Toby Davis)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Motor racing-Horner says F1 now looking like a two-horse race
Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 27, 2025 Red Bull team principal Christian Horner before practice REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger SPIELBERG, Austria (Reuters) -Red Bull boss Christian Horner said the 2025 Formula One season was turning into a two-horse race between the McLaren drivers after his team had a home Austrian Grand Prix to forget on Sunday. Defending champion Max Verstappen retired on the first lap after being driven into by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, while team mate Yuki Tsunoda finished last. As a result of Lando Norris leading home team mate Oscar Piastri in a McLaren one-two, Verstappen was left languishing 61 points behind championship leader Piastri. "The buffer they have is significant. It looks very much like a two-horse race. They (McLaren) have got a cushion to the rest of the field," said Horner. "For us, we focus one race at a time. We don't even think about championships. We just focus on the next race at Silverstone, what can we achieve there; same with Spa, same with Budapest. "You try to grab every opportunity like we did in Imola (where Verstappen won)." Verstappen had qualified a lowly seventh, partly undone by yellow flags as a result of a spin by Pierre Gasly in the final moments of Saturday's session. In the race, he was the unfortunate recipient as Antonelli hit him after misjudging under braking into turn three, ending Verstappen's race in the process. Tsunoda struggled all afternoon and was later given a 10-second penalty for a clash with Alpine's Franco Colapinto, which resulted in the Japanese driver finishing last. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took third and fourth places to move their team into second place in the constructors' standings. Horner said: "Well, that was a home race to forget. We got unlucky yesterday with the yellow flag which puts us in a position where you're unfortunately in the crash zone and Kimi just lost it in spectacular fashion. "Max was basically through the corner and getting back on the power and he just got wiped out. So, an unfortunate mistake by Kimi. He's apologised to Max but for us it killed our afternoon. "I don't think we should have had the pace to race the McLarens today so well done to Lando. I think we would have been in that fight with the Ferraris. But when you're out on turn three there's not much you can do about it." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Clare Fallon)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Motor racing-Former supremo Ecclestone makes F1 podium debut at 94
Formula One F1 - Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria - June 29, 2025 Former chief executive of the Formula One Group, Bernie Ecclestone ahead of the race REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki SPIELBERG, Austria (Reuters) -Bernie Ecclestone, the former Formula One supremo who rarely stayed to watch races beyond halfway when he was in charge, made his first grand prix podium appearance at the age of 94 in Austria on Sunday. The Briton was present at the Red Bull Ring to hand out a medal on behalf of the president of the governing FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to McLaren's race winner Lando Norris. Norris hopped off the top step of the podium so that he would be standing at the same level as his diminutive compatriot. "I think it's really nice that the president gives a personal congratulations to the winning competitor," said Ecclestone, who ran the commercial side of the sport for some 40 years until being ousted in 2017. "As he could not attend the race here in Austria, he asked me to present his medal for him which I am pleased and honoured to do. "It was also great to be there as, though it might seem strange, this was the first time in almost 70 years in this sport that I've actually been on the podium." Norris won Formula One's 1,136th championship grand prix and Ecclestone attended the first at Silverstone in 1950. He once said he left races soon after the start because by then his business was done. The President's Medal was first presented to Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the season-ending 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and each one carries the race number and highlights the event's history. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Clare Fallon)
