Who walks in?

We are all set for the action to start. It is a cloudy morning with the sun tucked behind the clouds. South Africa are in a huddle near the ropes before taking their places on the field. Prince Masvaure is joined by Nick Welch. Corbin Bosch is at the top of his mark, ready to complete his over. Welch to face. Three slips, a gully and a short leg in place. Off we go...

PITCH REPORT - Ed Rainsford is by the pitch and it’s another cold morning in Bulawayo. Informs that there’s thick cloud cover overhead, but he says there are still runs to be had on this surface and at a decent rate if batters apply themselves. Shaun Pollock joins in and notes that the surface flattened out a bit for the seamers on Day 3. Pollock opines that the spinners will be interested, especially from the Airport End, where there are some footholes to exploit. Adds that a few more bare patches have started to appear, but nothing too alarming just yet. Shaun feels that South Africa will have to work hard for the remaining nine wickets and expects them to set attacking fields.

Time to hear from the head coach of Zimbabwe, Justin Sammons. Reflects on their experience in Bulawayo, noting that although they have played four Tests here before, this particular wicket has behaved differently. He attributes that to the winter conditions, which have led to more moisture being retained in the surface compared to the summer. He emphasises that the team needs several players to step up and grab the opportunity in the fourth innings. Sammons adds that winter in Zimbabwe is a little trickier than summer, but they now have a clearer picture of their personnel going into this Test season. He underlines the importance of the first hour, which has proven to be crucial throughout the match. Reckons that it is not about surviving but about playing with a positive mindset.

The batting coach of South Africa, Ashwell Prince, is in for a chat. He says that they are pretty happy with how the game has gone so far and the way the batters have batted so far, but a couple of them will probably agree that they left a few runs out there. Adds that the contribution, especially from the middle order whenever the team is under pressure, has been good to see. Mentions that even in the last WTC cycle, their middle order came to the party whenever they were in trouble. Mentions that they have watched Brevis and Pretorius in shorter formats like SA20, and when you get a closer look in the nets, they are really talented guys, but sometimes they make mistakes in the middle, but that happens, and they will learn and get better as they play more. Observe that it's still a good pitch to bat on and seamers might have to be straight with their lines and he expects Keshav Maharaj to play a big role in the second innings.

As we look ahead to Day 4, South Africa's bowlers will be looking to exploit any early morning juice in the pitch and make early inroads in Zimbabwe's batting lineup. But on the flip side, for Zimbabwe, a lot will rely on their experienced pair of Sean Williams and Craig Ervine as they aim to bat for as long as possible. Settle in, as the first ball of Day 4 is just around the corner.

Wiaan Mulder's second Test ton was the highlight for the Proteas on Day 3. He was well supported by David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne. Lower down the order, Corbin Bosch and Keshav Maharaj stitched a 92-run partnership to further extend their lead. For Zimbabwe, their bowlers toiled hard to pick up wickets, with Wellington Masakadza being the pick of the bowlers with a 4-fer and Tanaka Chivanga and Vincent Masekesa picking up a couple of wickets apiece. After the visitors were bowled out with a lead of 536 runs, Zimbabwe’s openers showed good resolve until Corbin Bosch removed Takudzwanashe Kaitano in the final over of the day.

Alright, we are here for Day 4 of this opening Test with South Africa firmly in control and eyeing a finish today. Zimbabwe have it all to do if they are to stretch the game into a fifth day. On that note, hello and a warm welcome from Bulawayo as we gear up for what promises to be another fascinating day of Test cricket!

... DAY 4, SESSION 1 ...

As South Africa bowled late in the day, the steep bounce that was evident in the first innings seemed to have disappeared. It could be the effect of the heavy roller, but even during South Africa's own batting earlier in the day, the surface looked much flatter, with very little movement or bounce on offer for the bowlers. Keshav Maharaj and his men will know that taking ten wickets this time will be a tougher task than it was in the first innings. As for Zimbabwe, the first hour on Day 4 will be crucial. There is nothing to suggest that batting is overly difficult. If the batters apply themselves and once the ball loses its hardness, there are certainly runs to be had. The first ball on Day 4 - Tuesday, 1 July, will be bowled at 8 am GMT but you can join us early for all the build-up. Until then, goodbye and take care!

In a tricky final passage of play, the Zimbabwean openers applied themselves well and showed good discipline. South Africa were guilty of bowling a bit too short early on and not making the batters play often enough. Keshav Maharaj managed to create a chance, but Tony de Zorzi could not hold on to a sharp catch at short leg to dismiss Prince Masvaure on 5. That said, the visitors will be pleased to have broken through just before the close and ended the day on a positive note.

A burst of three quick wickets gave Zimbabwe a much-needed lift, reducing South Africa to 155 for 5. However, the momentum was short-lived as Mulder carried on to register his second Test century. He combined with Kyle Verreynne in a 104-run partnership that further extended the visitors’ lead. Both were dismissed on either side of the drinks break in the second session, but Keshav Maharaj and Corbin Bosch added to Zimbabwe’s frustration with a gritty stand of their own. While many expected South Africa to declare, they kept batting and were eventually bowled out with a lead of 536 runs.

South Africa began the day with a lead of 216 runs but suffered an early setback with the dismissal of Tony de Zorzi. However, Wiaan Mulder and David Bedingham dug in and built a solid partnership to steady the innings. Zimbabwe missed the presence of Blessing Muzarabani, who was off the field for the first 90 minutes due to illness. As a result, he was only eligible to bowl late in the second session after completing the mandatory time back on the field, and his absence was clearly felt in the bowling attack.

SESSION SUMMARY - 27.1 overs, 65 runs and 4 wickets. A bitter end to the day for Zimbabwe. Just when it seemed the openers would survive the final session, South Africa managed to sneak in one last over and landed a crucial blow right at stumps. It capped off another dominant day for the Proteas, who posted a target of 537 runs and have all but put the game beyond the realm of possibility for the hosts.

We will have one more over. It will be Corbin Bosch to bowl the last over of the day.