On 18 May 2021, Zimbabwe Cricket announced 16-man squads for both the unofficial ODI and Test series, with Tendai Chatara named as the captain for the List A series, while Richmond Mutumbami as the captain for the first-class format. On the same day, Cricket South Africa also named 16 man-squads for the tour, with Zubayr Hamza named as the captain for both formats.[6][7]
This tour was Zimbabwe A's first since 2017, while the tour was also the first bilateral series for South Africa A since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The Zimbabwe Cricket's Director of Cricket Hamilton Masakadza stated, "The importance of the Zimbabwe A team cannot be overemphasised and, needless to say, we couldn’t be happier to have the boys finally back in action." He added, "Playing regularly at this level will help our players bridge the gap between domestic cricket and the international game. We are grateful to Cricket South Africa for accepting our invitation and we are looking forward to an exciting, competitive series between the two sides."[8]
The unofficial ODI series were used by South Africa as the preparation for their away series against the West Indies in June 2021. Cricket South Africa’s convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang said, "We are pleased to have our ‘A’ team playing again. This is vital for the growth of our next tier of players who have been starved of international experience of late." Mpitsang added, "The one-day series in particular will act as match preparation for our Proteas who will be taking part in the white-ball leg of the tour to the West Indies."[9][10]
The second unofficial Test match was suspended due to the COVID-19 restrictions set by the Zimbabwean government. Zimbabwe's Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) instructed an end to all sporting activities from 14 June 2021. In response, Zimbabwe Cricket agreed to put a stop to all cricket activities but would appeal the government for the fixture to be completed in a bio-secure environment and to permit the national men's team to continue preparations for the home series against Bangladesh and the tour of Ireland in August.[11][12]
South Africa A won the inaugural match of the bilateral List A series by 6 wickets while chasing the target of 320. An unbeaten century by Theunis de Bruyn helped South Africa A make a strong start to their tour of Zimbabwe as they comfortably beat their hosts by six wickets.[15] Bruyn smashed 113 runs off just 64 balls which led the visitors to conquer the match despite being punished from Tadiwanashe Marumani's 82 off 73 and Dion Myers's 96 off 91 balls.[16][17] While in the second match, despite another fighting innings from Dion Myers, who scored 70 in excellent style, Zimbabwe A went down to another heavy defeat, by 184 runs, at the hands of South Africa A at Harare Sports Club. Ryan Rickelton starred in South Africa's massive victory as he scored his career-best knock of 169 runs.[18] Captain Zubayr Hamza, batting way down at eight, provided handy contributions in the tail end from South Africa when he struck an unbeaten 37 off 17 balls to lift them to a 366 target.[19][20]
In the third rain-affected List A match, Chamu Chibhabha and Milton Shumba's magnificent unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 124 earned Zimbabwe A a fine victory over South Africa A by 22 runs according to the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method. This victory kept Zimbabwe A alive in the series despite losing early four wickets within 46 runs. Chamu Chibhabha's 85 runs off 103 balls, Milton Shumba's 50 runs off 98 balls, and consistent bowling figures of all Zimbabwean bowlers starred in this victory, as South Africa A were losing wickets regularly in the batting innings.[21] In the final List A match, the batting unit of Zimbabwe A again suffered as the visitors seal the one-day series winning the match by 116 runs. Reeza Hendricks slammed 89 runs off 105 balls and Theunis de Bruyn handily contributed in the late overs, which led South Africa A to secure 281 runs in 50 overs. The economic bowling figures of all South African bowlers, with Senuran Muthusamy as the best bower, who bagged 4 wickets for 36 runs as Zimbabwe A were restricted to 165 runs, with more than 11 overs to spare.[22]
No play was possible on Day 2 and the match was suspended due to the COVID-19 restrictions.[23]
Notes
^Chamu Chibhabha captained Zimbabwe A for the last List A match.
^Timycen Maruma captained Zimbabwe A for the second first-class match.
References
^"When I Accepted The Offer From Afghanistan Some People Laughed At Me: Lalchand Rajput". News18. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
^"South Africa A tour of Zimbabwe, South Africa A in Zimbabwe 2021 score, Match schedules, fixtures, points table, results, news". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
^"Zimbabwe A to face South Africa A in one-day and four-day games". Zimbabwe Cricket. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
^"Catch the live action as Zimbabwe 'A' face South Africa 'A' via our YouTube channel". Zimbabwe Cricket (via Facebook). Retrieved 29 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Zimbabwe A vs South Africa A 2021: Full schedule, squads, match timings and live streaming details". Sportskeeda. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Hamza to lead SA A in Zimbabwe". SA Cricket Magazine. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"SA A determined to win all games in Zimbabwe - Hamza". SA Cricket Magazine. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Zimbabwe A returns to action after three years". Cricexec. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Zubayr Hamza to lead South Africa 'A' for Zimbabwe tour". Sport24. Retrieved 22 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Zubayr Hamza to lead South Africa 'A' for Zimbabwe tour". The Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"ZC puts all cricket activities on hold pending appeal". Zimbabwe Cricket. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
^"ZC puts all cricket activities on hold ahead of Bangladesh's tour". The Daily Star. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
^ ab"ZC names Zimbabwe A coaches and squads". Zimbabwe Cricket. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
^ ab"South Africa A squads announced for Tour to Zimbabwe". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"De Bruyn ton powers SA 'A' to victory over Zimbabwe". SA Cricket Mag. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Theunis de Bruyn's ton powers South Africa A to win over Zimbabwe A". India TV. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Myers, Marumani light up first one-dayer before SA 'A' prevail". Zimbabwe Cricket. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^"Myers sparkles again but Zimbabwe 'A' suffer heavy defeat". Zimbabwe Cricket. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^"Rickelton leads SA A to huge win". SA Cricket Mag. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Rickleton ton helps SA 'A' to massive win over Zimbabwe". Sport24. Retrieved 1 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Chibhabha, Shumba star as Zimbabwe A defeat South Africa A". Zimbabwe Cricket. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
^"Zimbabwe A fail to fire as South Africa A seal one-day series". Zimbabwe Cricket. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
^"Ongoing Zimbabwe A-South Africa A four-day match suspended as Covid-19 cases rise". ESPN Cricinfo. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
south, africa, cricket, team, zimbabwe, 2021, south, africa, cricket, team, toured, zimbabwe, june, 2021, play, four, unofficial, international, matches, with, list, status, unofficial, test, matches, with, first, class, status, against, zimbabwe, cricket, tea. The South Africa A cricket team toured Zimbabwe in May and June 2021 to play four unofficial One Day International matches with List A status and two unofficial Test matches with first class status against the Zimbabwe A cricket team 1 2 The fixtures for the tour were confirmed by Zimbabwe Cricket on 17 May 2021 with all of the matches having played in Harare 3 Zimbabwe Cricket s official YouTube channel streamed all the matches live 4 5 South Africa A cricket team in Zimbabwe in 2021 Zimbabwe ASouth Africa ADates29 May 16 June 2021CaptainsTendai Chatara List A n 1 Richmond Mutumbami First class n 2 Zubayr HamzaFC seriesResultSouth Africa A won the 2 match series 1 0Most runsMilton Shumba 74 Zubayr Hamza 229 Most wicketsWesley Madhevere 4 Daryn Dupavillon 8 LA seriesResultSouth Africa A won the 4 match series 3 1Most runsDion Myers 170 Ryan Rickelton 224 Most wicketsTapiwa Mufudza 5 Senuran Muthusamy 9 Contents 1 Background 2 Squads 3 Series summary 4 List A series 4 1 1st Unofficial ODI 4 2 2nd Unofficial ODI 4 3 3rd Unofficial ODI 4 4 4th Unofficial ODI 5 First class series 5 1 1st Unofficial Test 5 2 2nd Unofficial Test 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksBackground EditOn 18 May 2021 Zimbabwe Cricket announced 16 man squads for both the unofficial ODI and Test series with Tendai Chatara named as the captain for the List A series while Richmond Mutumbami as the captain for the first class format On the same day Cricket South Africa also named 16 man squads for the tour with Zubayr Hamza named as the captain for both formats 6 7 This tour was Zimbabwe A s first since 2017 while the tour was also the first bilateral series for South Africa A since the COVID 19 pandemic struck The Zimbabwe Cricket s Director of Cricket Hamilton Masakadza stated The importance of the Zimbabwe A team cannot be overemphasised and needless to say we couldn t be happier to have the boys finally back in action He added Playing regularly at this level will help our players bridge the gap between domestic cricket and the international game We are grateful to Cricket South Africa for accepting our invitation and we are looking forward to an exciting competitive series between the two sides 8 The unofficial ODI series were used by South Africa as the preparation for their away series against the West Indies in June 2021 Cricket South Africa s convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang said We are pleased to have our A team playing again This is vital for the growth of our next tier of players who have been starved of international experience of late Mpitsang added The one day series in particular will act as match preparation for our Proteas who will be taking part in the white ball leg of the tour to the West Indies 9 10 The second unofficial Test match was suspended due to the COVID 19 restrictions set by the Zimbabwean government Zimbabwe s Sports and Recreation Commission SRC instructed an end to all sporting activities from 14 June 2021 In response Zimbabwe Cricket agreed to put a stop to all cricket activities but would appeal the government for the fixture to be completed in a bio secure environment and to permit the national men s team to continue preparations for the home series against Bangladesh and the tour of Ireland in August 11 12 Squads EditFirst class List A Zimbabwe A 13 South Africa A 14 Zimbabwe A 13 South Africa A 14 Tendai Chatara c Faraz Akram Ryan Burl Brighton Chipungu Tanaka Chivanga Brad Evans Joylord Gumbie Roy Kaia Takudzwanashe Kaitano Wesley Madhevere Brian Mudzinganyama Tapiwa Mufudza Carl Mumba Tarisai Musakanda Richmond Mutumbami Milton Shumba Zubayr Hamza c Dominic Hendricks Edward Moore Raynard van Tonder Theunis de Bruyn Senuran Muthusamy Sinethemba Qeshile Migael Pretorius Daryn Dupavillon Glenton Stuurman Lutho Sipamla Dayyaan Galiem Okuhle Cele Tony de Zorzi Ryan Rickelton Tshepo Ntuli Richmond Mutumbami c Faraz Akram Ryan Burl Tendai Chatara Tanaka Chivanga Brad Evans Roy Kaia Tapiwa Mufudza Brian Chari Chamu Chibhabha Luke Jongwe Timycen Maruma Tadiwanashe Marumani Dion Myers Ainsley Ndlovu Victor Nyauchi Zubayr Hamza c Ryan Rickelton Janneman Malan Reeza Hendricks Tony de Zorzi Dwaine Pretorius Andile Phehlukwayo Sisanda Magala Junior Dala Lutho Sipamla Senuran Muthusamy Daryn Dupavillon Glenton Stuurman Theunis de Bruyn Wiaan Lubbe Sinethemba QeshileSeries summary EditSouth Africa A won the inaugural match of the bilateral List A series by 6 wickets while chasing the target of 320 An unbeaten century by Theunis de Bruyn helped South Africa A make a strong start to their tour of Zimbabwe as they comfortably beat their hosts by six wickets 15 Bruyn smashed 113 runs off just 64 balls which led the visitors to conquer the match despite being punished from Tadiwanashe Marumani s 82 off 73 and Dion Myers s 96 off 91 balls 16 17 While in the second match despite another fighting innings from Dion Myers who scored 70 in excellent style Zimbabwe A went down to another heavy defeat by 184 runs at the hands of South Africa A at Harare Sports Club Ryan Rickelton starred in South Africa s massive victory as he scored his career best knock of 169 runs 18 Captain Zubayr Hamza batting way down at eight provided handy contributions in the tail end from South Africa when he struck an unbeaten 37 off 17 balls to lift them to a 366 target 19 20 In the third rain affected List A match Chamu Chibhabha and Milton Shumba s magnificent unbroken fifth wicket partnership of 124 earned Zimbabwe A a fine victory over South Africa A by 22 runs according to the Duckworth Lewis Stern method This victory kept Zimbabwe A alive in the series despite losing early four wickets within 46 runs Chamu Chibhabha s 85 runs off 103 balls Milton Shumba s 50 runs off 98 balls and consistent bowling figures of all Zimbabwean bowlers starred in this victory as South Africa A were losing wickets regularly in the batting innings 21 In the final List A match the batting unit of Zimbabwe A again suffered as the visitors seal the one day series winning the match by 116 runs Reeza Hendricks slammed 89 runs off 105 balls and Theunis de Bruyn handily contributed in the late overs which led South Africa A to secure 281 runs in 50 overs The economic bowling figures of all South African bowlers with Senuran Muthusamy as the best bower who bagged 4 wickets for 36 runs as Zimbabwe A were restricted to 165 runs with more than 11 overs to spare 22 List A series Edit1st Unofficial ODI Edit 29 May 2021 09 30 Scorecard Zimbabwe A319 9 50 overs v South Africa A320 4 42 5 overs Dion Myers 96 91 Dwaine Pretorius 3 39 8 overs Theunis de Bruyn 113 64 Luke Jongwe 2 58 7 overs South Africa A won by 6 wicketsHarare Sports Club Harare Umpires Iknow Chabi Zim and Langton Rusere Zim South Africa A won the toss and elected to field Tanaka Chivanga made his List A debut 2nd Unofficial ODI Edit 31 May 2021 09 30 Scorecard South Africa A365 6 50 overs v Zimbabwe A181 35 3 overs Ryan Rickelton 169 150 Luke Jongwe 2 65 7 overs Dion Myers 70 63 Senuran Muthusamy 4 37 8 3 overs South Africa A won by 184 runsHarare Sports Club Harare Umpires Christopher Phiri Zim and Iknow Chabi Zim Zimbabwe A won the toss and elected to field 3rd Unofficial ODI Edit 02 June 2021 09 30 Scorecard South Africa A226 9 50 overs v Zimbabwe A170 4 37 overs Tony de Zorzi 60 82 Dion Myers 3 18 6 overs Chamu Chibhabha 85 103 Lutho Sipamla 2 31 7 overs Zimbabwe A won by 22 runs DLS method Harare Sports Club Harare Umpires Christopher Phiri Zim and Forster MutizwaSouth Africa A won the toss and elected to bat Zimbabwe A were set a revised target of 149 runs from 37 overs due to rain 4th Unofficial ODI Edit 04 June 2021 09 30 Scorecard South Africa A281 6 50 overs v Zimbabwe A165 38 2 overs Reeza Hendricks 89 105 Luke Jongwe 3 47 10 overs Milton Shumba 35 55 Senuran Muthusamy 4 36 8 2 overs South Africa A won by 116 runsHarare Sports Club Harare Umpires Forster Mutizwa Zim and Langton Rusere Zim Zimbabwe A won the toss and elected to field First class series Edit1st Unofficial Test Edit 07 10 June 2021 Scorecard Zimbabwe A v South Africa A344 105 4 overs Milton Shumba 74 247 Daryn Dupavillon 5 69 21 4 overs 603 4d 135 overs Zubayr Hamza 222 239 Roy Kaia 3 98 27 overs 93 45 3 overs Timycen Maruma 33 99 Glenton Stuurman 3 18 10 3 overs South Africa A won by an innings and 166 runsHarare Sports Club Harare Umpires Forster Mutizwa and Iknow ChabiZimbabwe A won the toss and elected to bat Tanaka Chivanga replaced Dion Myers Zim as concussion substitute during South Africa A first innings Timycen Maruma replaced Milton Shumba Zim as concussion substitute during Zimbabwe A second innings 2nd Unofficial Test Edit 13 16 June 2021 Scorecard South Africa A v Zimbabwe A282 88 5 overs Ryan Rickelton 92 157 Wesley Madhevere 5 49 23 overs Match drawnHarare Sports Club Harare Umpires Christopher Phiri and Langton RusereZimbabwe A won the toss and elected to field No play was possible on Day 2 and the match was suspended due to the COVID 19 restrictions 23 Notes Edit Chamu Chibhabha captained Zimbabwe A for the last List A match Timycen Maruma captained Zimbabwe A for the second first class match References Edit When I Accepted The Offer From Afghanistan Some People Laughed At Me Lalchand Rajput News18 21 May 2021 Retrieved 22 May 2021 South Africa A tour of Zimbabwe South Africa A in Zimbabwe 2021 score Match schedules fixtures points table results news ESPNcricinfo Retrieved 22 May 2021 Zimbabwe A to face South Africa A in one day and four day games Zimbabwe Cricket 17 May 2021 Retrieved 22 May 2021 Catch the live action as Zimbabwe A face South Africa A via our YouTube channel Zimbabwe Cricket via Facebook Retrieved 29 May 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Zimbabwe A vs South Africa A 2021 Full schedule squads match timings and live streaming details Sportskeeda 29 May 2021 Retrieved 29 May 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Hamza to lead SA A in Zimbabwe SA Cricket Magazine 18 May 2021 Retrieved 22 May 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link SA A determined to win all games in Zimbabwe Hamza SA Cricket Magazine 20 May 2021 Retrieved 22 May 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Zimbabwe A returns to action after three years Cricexec 19 May 2021 Retrieved 22 May 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Zubayr Hamza to lead South Africa A for Zimbabwe tour Sport24 Retrieved 22 May 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Zubayr Hamza to lead South Africa A for Zimbabwe tour The Chronicle Retrieved 22 May 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link ZC puts all cricket activities on hold pending appeal Zimbabwe Cricket 14 June 2021 Retrieved 16 June 2021 ZC puts all cricket activities on hold ahead of Bangladesh s tour The Daily Star 14 June 2021 Retrieved 16 June 2021 a b ZC names Zimbabwe A coaches and squads Zimbabwe Cricket 18 May 2021 Retrieved 22 May 2021 a b South Africa A squads announced for Tour to Zimbabwe Cricket World Retrieved 22 May 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link De Bruyn ton powers SA A to victory over Zimbabwe SA Cricket Mag 30 May 2021 Retrieved 1 June 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Theunis de Bruyn s ton powers South Africa A to win over Zimbabwe A India TV 30 May 2021 Retrieved 1 June 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Myers Marumani light up first one dayer before SA A prevail Zimbabwe Cricket 30 May 2021 Retrieved 1 June 2021 Myers sparkles again but Zimbabwe A suffer heavy defeat Zimbabwe Cricket 31 May 2021 Retrieved 1 June 2021 Rickelton leads SA A to huge win SA Cricket Mag 31 May 2021 Retrieved 1 June 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Rickleton ton helps SA A to massive win over Zimbabwe Sport24 Retrieved 1 June 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Chibhabha Shumba star as Zimbabwe A defeat South Africa A Zimbabwe Cricket 2 June 2021 Retrieved 5 June 2021 Zimbabwe A fail to fire as South Africa A seal one day series Zimbabwe Cricket 4 June 2021 Retrieved 5 June 2021 Ongoing Zimbabwe A South Africa A four day match suspended as Covid 19 cases rise ESPN Cricinfo 14 June 2021 Retrieved 14 June 2021 External links EditSeries home at ESPNcricinfo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title South Africa A cricket team in Zimbabwe in 2021 amp oldid 1058104234, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
