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BULAWAYO: South Africa stand-in skipper Keshav Maharaj has etched his name into the record books after becoming the first spinner to take 200 wickets for the Proteas.
Since South Africa’s first Test in 1889 against England, Keshav Maharaj is the only Proteas spinner to reach the milestone of 200 Test wickets.
Maharaj achieved the feat against Zimbabwe in his 59th match during the opening Test of the two-match series.
The 35-year-old achieved the record after removing Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine, who was stumped after scoring 36 runs in the 33rd over.
Maharaj bowled the fourth ball of the over on a length and slightly wide of off, but Ervine advanced down the pitch and was beaten all ends up to give South Africa a crucial breakthrough.
With this historic feat, he surpassed Hugh Tayfield in becoming the leading spin wicket-taker for South Africa. The list includes Paul Adams, Paul Harris, and Nicky Boje.
South African Spinners With Most Test Wickets
200* – Keshav Maharaj
170 – Hugh Tayfield
134 – Paul Adams
103 – Paul Harris
100 – Nicky Boje
Maharaj, the ninth-highest wicket-taker for South Africa, has been a regular in the longest format for the Rainbow Nation, having made his debut in 2016 against Australia.
In 59 Tests for South Africa, Keshav Maharaj bagged 202 wickets, including 11 five-wicket hauls. He best figures of 12-283 in the longest format of the game against Sri Lanka in 2018 at Colombo.
Apart from his international success, Keshav Maharaj has vast experience of first-class cricket, in which he has scalped 628 wickets in 165 matches.
With the aid of Maharaj’s bowling, South Africa have secured a healthy lead over Zimbabwe at stumps on day two of the first Test match.
After bowling out Zimbabwe for 251 in reply to 418-9, South Africa finished the day on 49-1. Wiaan Mulder 25* and Tony De Zorzi 22* finished on high for the World Test Champions (WTC). For Zimbabwe, Tanaka Chivanga claimed one wicket before the end of the day’s play.
Earlier, South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder starred with the ball, taking four wickets in his 16 overs.
The first South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test is currently being played at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
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