South Africa kick off a two-Test tour in Zimbabwe this Saturday, fielding a young, experimental squad under Keshav Maharaj’s leadership. With many regulars rested, including key batters and bowlers, the Proteas’ fringe players face a full-strength Zimbabwe in a non-WTC match. Let’s look at the best bets and a prediction for this game.
ALSO READ: Players to Watch: Proteas vs Zimbabwe Test Series.
Betting Preview
Zimbabwe come into this one with some recent red-ball action under their belts, including a heavy innings defeat to England at Trent Bridge and a rain-affected warm-up against South Africa in Sussex. However, they are in terrible form; they’ve slipped to 12th in the ICC Test rankings after just two wins in 17 matches since 2020, losing to Ireland, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and England despite home advantage in most games.
7.00
Zimbabwe vs South Africa
Kwena Maphaka
Player of the match
Odds are subject to change.
Bet Here
South Africa, on the other hand, arrive as newly crowned World Test Champions and on an eight-match winning streak. They’ve beaten Bangladesh, West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia in the last year alone. While this is a non-WTC series and key players like Rabada, Markram, and Rickelton have been rested, the Proteas still boast far greater depth and quality.
A shortened warm-up saw South Africa reach 313/2 (declared) before rain limited Zimbabwe to 48/1. Keshav Maharaj will lead an inexperienced bowling unit in the absence of several senior players, offering opportunities to names like Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke and David Bedingham to cement their Test credentials.
8.50
Zimbabwe vs South Africa
Dewald Brevis
player of the match
Odds are subject to change.
Bet Here
Zimbabwe are without injured duo Richard Ngarava and Ben Curran, while Sikandar Raza is unavailable due to MLC duty. That leaves much riding on seamer Blessing Muzarabani and veteran batter Sean Williams, the latter has top-scored in three of their last five innings.
With South Africa unbeaten in nine Tests against Zimbabwe, including eight wins, five by an innings, and five days of sunshine forecast, a comfortable Proteas victory looks all but inevitable.
Recent Form & Stats
- Head-to-Head: South Africa have won 10 of the last 10 Tests against Zimbabwe.
- Recent Results: Zimbabwe are winless in their last seven away Tests.
- Proteas Performance: South Africa’s win rate has surged; four of their last five Tests were victories, suffering only two losses in their last ten outings.
Betting Tips
Prediction: South Africa to win at 1.25.
Best Bet: Tony De Zorzi to score over 33.5 1st innings runs at 1.85.
Value Bet: Tony De Zorzi to be South Africa’s top batter 5.30.
