SO, IT has come to this in the one-off test between Zimbabwe and SA in Harare: a fourth day. Who would have thought?
Yesterday SA's batsmen again did not stamp their authority on proceedings. Instead, they eked out a lead that reached 141 before they were dismissed for 397 in reply to Zimbabwe's first innings of 256. In the 13 overs of their second innings Zimbabwe faced before stumps, they wobbled to 28/1 - 113 runs in the red.
If SA bowl and field like the No1 team they officially are, victory could be theirs today. But if Zimbabwe show the pluck that made their first innings a joy to watch and nothing like SA's 1000-mile march, a mismatch that should not have lasted much more than two days will inch into a once-unthinkable fifth.
SA resumed on 201/4 and scored 196 runs in the 74.3 overs they faced: a run rate of just more than 2.6. Faf du Plessis took 264 balls to score 98, and JP Duminy consumed 134 for his 55.
Tinashe Panyangara toiled wicketless but watertight in conceding 39 runs in 30 overs.
Off-spinner John Nyumbu, meanwhile, became only the second Zimbabwean debutant after Andy Blignaut to claim five wickets on debut with his haul of 5/157.
Nyumbu said AB de Villiers, freshly dethroned by Kumar Sangakkara as the top-ranked test batsman, was his favourite victim.
Plucky Zimbabwe extend Proteas
SO, IT has come to this in the one-off test between Zimbabwe and SA in Harare: a fourth day. Who would have thought?
Yesterday SA's batsmen again did not stamp their authority on proceedings. Instead, they eked out a lead that reached 141 before they were dismissed for 397 in reply to Zimbabwe's first innings of 256. In the 13 overs of their second innings Zimbabwe faced before stumps, they wobbled to 28/1 - 113 runs in the red.
If SA bowl and field like the No1 team they officially are, victory could be theirs today. But if Zimbabwe show the pluck that made their first innings a joy to watch and nothing like SA's 1000-mile march, a mismatch that should not have lasted much more than two days will inch into a once-unthinkable fifth.
SA resumed on 201/4 and scored 196 runs in the 74.3 overs they faced: a run rate of just more than 2.6. Faf du Plessis took 264 balls to score 98, and JP Duminy consumed 134 for his 55.
Tinashe Panyangara toiled wicketless but watertight in conceding 39 runs in 30 overs.
Off-spinner John Nyumbu, meanwhile, became only the second Zimbabwean debutant after Andy Blignaut to claim five wickets on debut with his haul of 5/157.
Nyumbu said AB de Villiers, freshly dethroned by Kumar Sangakkara as the top-ranked test batsman, was his favourite victim.