South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test - (Source : @Johns/X.com)
On Saturday, June 28, South Africa locked horns with Zimbabwe in the first of a two-match Test series at Queens Sports Club. This is the Proteas’ first Test since winning the 2025 World Test Championship title after defeating Australia at Lord’s.
The Rainbow Nation is without star players such as regular skipper Temba Bavuma and pacer Kagiso Rabada. Instead, a new-look South Africa, led by Keshav Maharaj, is squaring off against Zimbabwe away from home.
It is a special game for South Africa, as they are the defending champions—a term not often associated with the Proteas. However, for those unaware, the ongoing Test series is not part of the 2025-27 WTC cycle.
Why Is the South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test Series Not Part of the 2025-27 WTC Cycle?
According to the rules set by the ICC, only the top nine ranked teams in the ICC Test rankings are eligible to play in the World Test Championship. Since 2019, which was the inaugural year of the elite Test tournament, this format has been in place.
Zimbabwe is currently ranked 12th and is not among the nine teams participating in the 2025-27 WTC cycle. As a result, the ongoing South Africa vs Zimbabwe match will be considered an official Test match, but it will not be part of the WTC cycle.
When Will South Africa Start Their New WTC Campaign?
Furthermore, the results of the two matches will not affect South Africa’s position in the current WTC table. For context, the Proteas are yet to begin their 2025-27 WTC campaign.
South Africa will play their first match of the 2025-27 WTC cycle against Pakistan in October when they travel to the Asian country. So far, six out of the nine teams have started their WTC campaigns, with Australia currently on top after a win over West Indies in the Caribbean.
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