Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
“WE were not good enough.”
Those were the brutally honest words from Zimbabwe head coach Justin Sammons, who didn’t sugarcoat the Chevrons’ latest humiliation, a crushing innings and 236-run defeat to a second string South African side inside three days at Queens Sports Club.
“If we want to be competing with the best, that’s the standard. Unfortunately, we fell well short of it. We were just well off the mark,” said Sammons, in a damning post mortem of a series that has left Zimbabwe’s red-ball fu-ture hanging in tatters.
“It’s really disappointing, it really is. It’s not through lack of effort, they’re giving their all, but at the end of the day you can’t take away the disappointment of what happened over here.”
This wasn’t just a defeat, it was a national embarrassment. The Proteas, without seven of their regular Test play-ers, needed just two sessions on day three to seal the 2-0 series whitewash. The gulf between the sides was alarming. South Africa declared on a mammoth 626/5, and Zimbabwe could only muster 170 and 220 in reply, a combined 390 runs, just 23 more than what one South African batter, Wiaan Mulder, scored alone.
Mulder, who finished unbeaten on 367, not only delivered a once-in-a-lifetime knock but also claimed a wicket to be named Player of the Series.
Sammons was clear, the issue wasn’t just about talent, it was about standards, execution, and accountability.
“Execution in this series went backwards compared to when we played Bangladesh in Bangladesh, or even some aspects against England. Execution was way off the mark during this series. I’m not sure what we can put that down to, I’m not 100 percent sure. It’s something new for the group as well in terms of us playing five Tests in a row.
“There will be a little bit of fatigue that’s crept in. It’s draining. It’s heavy on the guys, they’re not used to it and that played its part. But that’s what international cricket is about, you need to suck it up and get the job done.”
He continued:
“There have been lessons learnt from previous series, you can see them if you listen to the group speak. But at the end of the day it’s still about executing those lessons. That’s where we are falling short. They know what they’re trying to do, but they just haven’t been able to achieve it at the end of the day against a quality opposition.”
Zimbabwe resumed day three on 51/1, still 405 runs behind, with Nick Welch and Takudzwanashe Kaitano at the crease. Kaitano was the first to go, caught for 40 off 76 balls. The middle order caved under pressure again.
Sean Williams, the most experienced of the lot, was bowled for 11. Welch, who offered some resistance, reached his third Test half-century before he too fell, caught for 55 off 126 deliveries. He top scored for Zimbabwe in the second innings.
Captain Craig Ervine was dismissed for 49, just one run shy of his own fifty. But beyond that, there was little fight. Wessly Madhevere (5), Tafadzwa Tsiga (1), Tanaka Chivanga (22), and Wellington Masakadza, unbeaten on 17, rounded out another forgettable batting card.
South Africa’s bowling was sharp, led by Corbin Bosch with 4/38 in 19 overs. Senuran Muthusamy chipped in with three wickets, Codi Yusuf took two, and Mulder claimed one to cap his all-around dominance.
South Africa coach Shukri Conrad was full of praise for his new-look team.
“We managed to keep the standard as high as we have set them in both Tests. Batting first, we found ourselves in trouble against the new ball, but the youngsters managed that well in the first Test. The same happened in the second innings, Wiaan played a monumental knock,” said Conrad.
“In the bowling front, we were able to maintain our disciplines and constantly keep the Zimbabwean batters under pressure. That was impressive. The catching was also impressive, it’s something that we attach high value to.” The Chevrons now limp into a T20I Tri-Series featuring South Africa and New Zealand, which begins Monday at Ha-rare Sports Club. But after this historic battering, serious questions hang over Zimbabwe’s Test credentials, player development, and readiness for the rigours of the longer format.
