• Pretorius, Bosch centuries put Proteas in charge

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    Lhuan-dre Pretorius hit a dazzling 153 on debut to transform South Africa’s fortunes on the first day of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

    The Proteas scored 418-9, a total which seemed unlikely when Pretorius arrived at the crease with his team in trouble at 23-3.

    Fast bowling all-rounder Corbin Bosch, batting at No 8, made 100*, reaching his century in the last over of the day.

    Pretorius, a solidly-built left-hander aged 19 years and 93 days, became the youngest South African to hit a Test century and the seventh from his country to make a hundred on Test debut.

    Pretorius hit a six off the fourth ball he faced, from left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza, then smiled broadly at batting partner Wiaan Mulder.

    He hit another six and seven fours in reaching his century off 112 balls. He hit a total of four sixes and 11 fours off 160 deliveries before he was caught at mid-on off a top-edged pull against fast bowler Tanaka Chivanga.

    Pretorius gave no chances but the Zimbabwean players seemed convinced that he had edged a ball from Chivanga to wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga when he was on 30. No DRS is in place for the series.

    Chivanga, who took the first three wickets while conceding only eight runs, took 4-72 despite seeming to struggle with a hamstring strain during the afternoon.

    Chivanga and fellow fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani, who took 2-59, generated pace and bounce but they were the only specialist seamers in the team and Zimbabwe’s four spin bowlers proved expensive.

    Pretorius was one of three new caps in a Proteas team containing only four of the players who clinched the World Test Championship against Australia at Lord’s in London two weeks ago.

    The team also had a new captain in veteran left-arm spin bowler Keshav Maharaj.

    Pretorius and fellow debutant Dewald Brevis put on 95 off 88 balls for the fifth wicket. Brevis slammed 51 off 41 deliveries, hitting four sixes and three fours. He reached his half-century with the third of three sixes in an over off leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa.

    Bosch, who was stranded on 81* batting at No 9 in his only previous Test, against Pakistan in Centurion in December, helped Pretorius add 108 for the seventh wicket.

    He was on 84 when the ninth wicket fell but last man Kwena Maphaka shepherded him to his maiden first-class century.

    South Africa’s previous youngest centurion was Graeme Pollock, who was aged 19 years and 317 days when he made 120 against Australia in Sydney in 1963-64.

    Pretorius became the 10th youngest Test centurion of all time in a list headed by Mohammad Ashraful of Bangladesh, who was 17 years and 61 days old when he made a hundred against Sri Lanka in 2001.

    It continued a meteoric rise to prominence for Pretorius, who made a century on first-class debut last December when he was 18 and has now hit four centuries in eight matches.

    © Agence France-Presse

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    Simon Borchardt