Right then, with Day 3 ahead, Zimbabwe still trail by 405 runs and have nine wickets in hand. It’s a massive task ahead, and saving the match will take nothing short of a miracle. They’ll need to bat out the entire day and hope for some individual brilliance along the way. For South Africa, the plan will be simple - keep the pressure on, strike early in the morning session, and try to wrap things up as soon as they can. The match is heavily tilted in their favour, but the focus now shifts to whether Zimbabwe can show some grit and delay the inevitable. The action will resume for Day 3 at 8 am GMT on Tuesday, 8th July, but you can join us an hour before for all the buildup. Until then, take care! Ciao!

Wiaan Mulder, the man of the moment and the skipper of South Africa, is down for a chat. He describes his record-breaking innings as pretty special, admitting that he never thought he'd score a double or triple hundred. He credits his time playing County cricket in England for helping him develop as a batter and make crucial technical changes. Mulder reveals that he battles with self-doubt, but has worked on mental preparation. Says that during his innings, he tried to distract himself by singing songs between balls, including, Zombies, by The Cranberries. He didn't overly focus on breaking Brian Lara's record, prioritizing the team's needs instead. Ends by saying that after reaching a high score, he discussed with head coach Shukri Conrad, who echoed his sentiment that Lara's a legend and a player of his stature should likely keep the record. Mulder's priority was contributing to the team's success.

South Africa’s bowlers, despite having already done a lot of work, came out with the same intensity. Bosch looked sharp and got an early breakthrough. Codi Yusuf bowled with good control, and Mulder rotated his options smartly. They kept things tight and didn’t allow Zimbabwe to score freely, despite the easier pitch conditions in the evening. The Proteas continued to build pressure through tidy lines, aggressive field placements, and energy in the field, looking for more inroads before the stumps.

And then, South Africa enforced a follow-on, as they wanted to wrap things quickly, putting more pressure on this struggling Zimbabwe team. But they have shown a bit more fight in their second innings, in the last hour of the day's play. Takudzwanashe Kaitano, who got out for a golden duck earlier, looked solid and settled this time, staying unbeaten on 34. He found some rhythm and confidence, playing with better judgment. Dion Myers too started promisingly but was cleaned up by Corbin Bosch for 11. Nick Welch survived a tricky period and remained not out with Kaitano, as they tried to avoid further damage under fading light conditions.

When Zimbabwe finally got to bat post-lunch, things unraveled quickly. They lost a wicket off the very first ball, and the top order collapsed in no time. Wiaan Mulder, in the bowling too, and Codi Yusuf led the attack with two wickets each, while the debutant Prenelan Subrayen chipped in with four late-order scalps. The only resistance came from Sean Williams, who played a brilliant counter-attacking knock of 83 from just 55 balls. However, it wasn’t enough to avoid the follow-on, as Zimbabwe were bundled out for just 170 in 43 overs, nowhere close to what was needed to stay at par in the match.

South Africa scored at a rate of nearly 5.5 runs per over, which is rare in Test cricket, and they didn’t lose momentum at any point. On the bowling front, Zimbabwe struggled throughout. Tanaka Chivanga and Kundai Matigimu picked up two wickets each, but they couldn’t apply pressure for long enough to break South Africa’s rhythm. The fielding was also below par, with a couple of chances missed early in the innings that only made things worse for them. The bowlers looked completely worn out, and the moment South Africa declared, the signs of mental and physical fatigue were visible all over the Zimbabwean camp.

The light meter has come out and the on-field umpires have decided to call off the day's play. But South Africa completely dominated Day 2 of this 2nd and final Test match with a near-flawless display of both batting and bowling. The day began with Wiaan Mulder resuming from his overnight score of 264 not out, and he picked up exactly where he left off. With Kyle Verreynne supporting him well from the other end, Mulder soon reached his triple century, eventually finishing unbeaten on 367. South Africa declared their innings at a massive 626/5, having batted for 114 overs and sent a clear message of control. Zimbabwe's bowlers were left drained and defeated by the onslaught, especially by the skipper’s marathon effort that has now gone into the record books.