South Africa vs Zimbabwe, 2017: One-off Test – Statistical Highlights

The South Africa and Zimbabwe Test match which was marked to be the first ever 4-day day/night Test match and the first ever 4-day Test in over 40 years couldn’t last even two days as Zimbabwe batsmen failed to take the game past the second day’s 2nd session. South Africans did struggle with the bat before they declared on 309/9 to give themselves a chance to bowl the visiting side under lights. Morne Morkel’s five-fer cleaned up Zimbabwe’s first innings for 68 while Keshav Maharaj took a five-fer in the 2nd innings to seal an innings and 120-run win for the hosts.

All the stats and numbers that were created during South Africa’s dominant win over Zimbabwe:

1 – South Africa became the first team to win a Test match after declaring their innings on the very first day. Overall, AB de Villiers declaring the South African innings is only the 5th instance of a team declaring their innings before stumps on day one. The last two sides that declared on the first day ended up on losing side while the other two teams’ matches ended in a draw.

4 – Zimbabwe’s 68 is the 4th instance of South Africa bowling out their opposition under 70 in the last ten years. Remaining nine sides collectively dismissed their opponents on four instances under 70 in this period.

5/59 – Keshav Maharaj’s bowling figures of 5/59 in the 2nd innings are the 2nd best bowling figures for a South African spinner in the last 60 years at home. Only Paul Harris (6/120 against Australia, 2009) recorded better bowling figures than Maharaj in this span.

8 – De Villiers’ eight catches are the joint most by any captain in a Test match. Alec Stewart against South Africa in 1994, Adam Gilchrist against Sri Lanka in 2004 and MS Dhoni against Australia in 2014 took eight catches each while leading their sides.

37 – Morne Morkel’s five-wicket haul in the first innings was the first for him in 37 Test matches. His last 5-fer in this format came against Australia in 2012 November in Adelaide.

205 – De Villiers became the 17th player and only the 3rd South African to take 200 catches in Test cricket. Mark Boucher (532) and Jacques Kallis (200) are the other two South Africans in this list.

309/9 – South Africa’s total of 309/9 in this Test is the lowest they made in a Test match that they won by an innings margin. South Africa defeated Australia by innings and 80 runs in Hobart last year after making 326/10.

309/9 – The 309/9 by South Africa is the 3rd lowest declared total in the Test history to win the game by an innings margin. Australia defeated New Zealand by innings after posting 199/8 in 1946 Wellington Test while England made 267/2 against New Zealand in The Oval in 1958.

309 – The 309 by South Africa is also the lowest total ever made in the first innings of a Test match that was won by an innings margin. England defeated India by innings and 207 runs enforcing follow-on after posting 347/9 dec in the first innings of the game.

907 – The 907 balls bowled in this Test are the 9th fewest in a completed Test and the 2nd fewest in a Test in the last 71 years. The 2002 Sharjah Test between Australia and Pakistan lasted just 893 balls.

2005 – This South Africa-Zimbabwe Test match is only the 5th in the last 70 years to be completed in two days. The last of the previous four Tests that lasted two days was the Zimbabwe-New Zealand game in August 2005.