South Africa vs Zimbabwe Tests 2025: 2–0 SA — Wiaan Mulder's Historic 367* (5th Highest Test Score All-Time, SA Record) in Second Test Bulawayo

South Africa beat Zimbabwe 2–0 in the two-match Test series at Bulawayo in June–July 2025, extending South Africa's winning streak to 10 consecutive Test victories and featuring one of the most extraordinary individual batting performances in the history of Test cricket: Wiaan Mulder's unbeaten 367 in the second Test — the fifth-highest individual Test score of all time and the new South African record, surpassing Hashim Amla's 311* against England at The Oval in 2012. The series was part of South Africa's dominant form following their WTC 2023–25 Final victory over Australia at Lord's in June 2025, and the results at Bulawayo confirmed that South Africa were not merely peak performers in high-stakes matches but a team capable of dominant performances across all formats and conditions. First Test Bulawayo (June 28 – July 1, 2025): South Africa won by 328 runs in a comprehensive four-day victory. SA scored 418/9d in their first innings — a total built on Lhuan-dre Pretorius' 153, which dominated Zimbabwe's attack across two days of batting — and Zimbabwe replied with 251, trailing by 167 runs. South Africa declared their second innings at 369, setting Zimbabwe an impossible target of 537 runs in the fourth innings of a match already won. Zimbabwe were dismissed for 208 in their second innings, falling 328 short of South Africa's target. Pretorius was named Player of the Match for his 153 — an innings that demonstrated the depth of South Africa's batting even outside their established top order of established Test performers. Second Test Bulawayo (July 6–8, 2025): South Africa produced one of the most historically significant performances of the decade. Batting first, South Africa accumulated 626/5d — built on Wiaan Mulder's unbeaten 367 off 334 balls (49 fours, 4 sixes) and David Bedingham's 82 — before Mulder declared the innings at the lunch break on Day 2 with South Africa on 626/5. At the point of declaration, Mulder was on 367* — 33 runs short of Brian Lara's world-record 400* (West Indies vs England, Antigua, 2004). Mulder, as stand-in captain for the Test, chose not to chase the record, declaring at lunch and later explaining: 'Let the legend keep the record. Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be.' Zimbabwe were bowled out for 170 and 220 in their two innings, losing by an innings and 236 runs — South Africa's 10th consecutive Test win. Mulder was named Player of the Match for his 367* and Player of the Series for 531 runs across the 2-Test series.

Mulder's 367*: The 5th Highest Test Score and Why He Stopped at 367

Wiaan Mulder's 367* in the second Test at Bulawayo stands as one of the greatest individual batting performances in Test cricket and a display of controlled aggression that placed Mulder — in only his 21st Test and his first as stand-in captain — among the highest individual scorers in Test history. Mulder's innings was scored off 334 balls and contained 49 fours and 4 sixes across a passage of batting that spanned most of Day 1 and into the lunch session of Day 2 of the 2-day innings before his declaration. The pace of his accumulation was reflected in the fastest 350 in Test cricket: Mulder reached 350 from 324 balls — the quickest any batter has reached 350 in Test history, surpassing the previous fastest-ever 350 achieved by previous record-holders. His 53 boundaries across the innings — 49 fours and 4 sixes — were the second most by any batter in a single Test innings, behind only John Edrich's 57 boundaries (52 fours and 5 sixes) during his 310* against New Zealand in 1965. The decision not to chase Brian Lara's 400* — the world-record individual Test score set at the Antigua Recreation Ground in April 2004 against England — was made at 367* just before the lunch break on Day 2. Mulder, as stand-in captain, declared South Africa's innings at 626/5 at the lunch interval, 33 runs short of Lara's record. His explanation afterward was both respectful and pragmatic: he felt the record belonged to Lara and that pursuing it at the cost of match time would not serve South Africa's interests. Mulder's 367* is the 5th highest individual score in Test cricket history, behind only Brian Lara's 400* (West Indies, 2004), Matthew Hayden's 380 (Australia, 2003), Brian Lara's earlier record of 375 (West Indies, 1994), and Mahela Jayawardene's 374 (Sri Lanka, 2006). His innings is the highest score recorded in Test cricket since Jayawardene's 374 against South Africa in Colombo in 2006 — nearly 20 years of Test cricket without a score between 375 and Mulder's 367.

South Africa's 10-Test Win Streak Following the WTC 2025 Final

The 2–0 sweep of Zimbabwe in June–July 2025 extended South Africa's Test winning streak to 10 consecutive victories — a run that placed South Africa as the world's most dominant Test team at the opening of the WTC 2025–27 cycle. South Africa's 10-match winning run was built on their strong home Test series performances in 2024–25 — including their 2–0 win over Pakistan in December 2024 – January 2025 — and culminated in their WTC 2023–25 Final victory over Australia by 5 wickets at Lord's in June 2025, in which Aiden Markram's 136 guided South Africa to their first ICC global title since 1998. The Zimbabwe series results — 328-run win in the first Test and an innings-and-236-run win in the second — confirmed that South Africa's collective batting depth, pace bowling, and spin attack were all operating at consistently high levels across different match situations. Pretorius' 153 in the first Test and Mulder's 367* in the second demonstrated depth in the batting order beyond the established senior performers. South Africa's ability to compile 626/5d and then bowl Zimbabwe out for 170 and 220 in their two innings — in just three days — confirmed the complete team performance that had characterised their WTC cycle qualification and Final win. Mulder's Player of the Series award for 531 runs across the 2-match series — including his historic 367* — confirmed him as a player of genuine global significance at the opening of the WTC 2025–27 cycle.