Proteas’ bowlers shred Zimbabwe
After showing good fight on day one of the one-off day-night Test in Port Elizabeth Zimbabwe were torn apart by a clinical Proteas attack.
Morne Morkel completed his five wicket haul early in the day having bagged three scalps in an intense night session on Tuesday.
Ryan Burl (16) was the first to go on day two comprehensively bowled by Morkel who got the ball to seam off a full length straight through the gate and sent the off stump cartwheeling away.
Morkel changed tack to Sikandar Raza pepering him with short balls before getting him to nick off to a length ball outside off.
The five wicket haul was Morkel’s first in Test cricket since Adelaide in 2012 and marked his rebirth as a quality swing bowler who bowls fuller than he had done.
Nightwatchman Kyle Jarvis (23) was stubborn though he played and missed at a bevy of Vernon Philander deliveries.
Philander was left frustrated though as Andile Phehlukwayo got his man with bounce and seam on a nagging line that caused Jarvis to nick off.
A brace of Kagiso Rabada (2/12) wickets and another from Phehlukwayo (2/12) saw Zimbabwe knocked over for just 68.
AB de Villiers enforced the follow on with Zimbabwe initially showing greater resistance moving to 36 without loss by lunch with Hamilton Masakadza forced to go off after taking a blow to the hand.
We would not see the lights turned on for the second day though as the Proteas spearheaded by some crafty left-arm spin from Keshav Maharaj (5/59) ripped through Zimbabwe again.
Maharaj did more bowling than any other in the second innings sending down 17.3 overs while the next most was the seven bowled by Philander (1/10), Rabada (1/12) and Phehlukwayo (3/13).
The Dolphins tweaker used flight, dip and spin and was almost unplayable at times.
Craig Ervine’s 23 was the top score for Zimbabwe whose scorecard was a procession of failure.
The match ended after less than five sessions bearing out the massive gulf in class and resources between the Southern African neighbours.
Zimbabwe managed to reach 121 all out losing by an innings and 120 runs.
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