Proteas have series victory in their sights against Zimbabwe

South Africa were well on track for another dominant victory, with captain Wiaan Mulder leading the charge on day two of the second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Monday.

At the close of play, Zimbabwe had reached 51/1 in their second innings after being forced to follow on, still needing 405 runs to make the Proteas bat again.

With South Africa having declared their first innings on 626/5 at the lunch break, Zimbabwe were left with a lot of work to do, and they didn’t react well.

In their first innings, the hosts were bowled out for 170 runs in 43 overs, with only middle-order batter Sean Williams (83 not out) putting up much of a fight.

Spin bowler Prenelan Subrayen, making his Test debut, led the SA attack by taking 4/42, while Mulder and Codi Yusuf grabbed two wickets each.

Forced to bat again, Zimbabwe got off to a better start in their second innings, losing only one wicket in the 16 overs they played before the close. Takudzwanashe Kaitano was on 34 not out and Nick Welch was unbeaten on six.

Mulder shines with triple-century

Earlier, in the morning session, Mulder carried the SA team to 626/5 before they opted to close out their first innings, this despite Mulder being on 367 not out and with a world record in his sights.

The 27-year-old all-rounder, playing his 21st five-day match for the Proteas, broke the SA record for the most runs in a Test innings.

In the process, he became only the second South African to earn a triple-century in the format after Hashim Amla scored 311 not out against England at The Oval in July 2012.

And while only three players – Brian Lara of the West Indies (400 not out and 375), Matthew Hayden of Australia (380) and Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka (374) – have scored more than Mulder in a Test innings, the Proteas declared with Mulder just 33 runs short of Lara’s global mark.

If South Africa win the second Test against Zimbabwe, they will secure a 2-0 series victory.