Who will win South Africa vs Zimbabwe?
South Africa could welcome back some of their star players for the inaugural four-day test match against Zimbabwe, which serves as a warm-up for the home series against India. Scheduled to start on December 26, the live action begins at 13:30 local time.
SA vs ZIM, only test match: Where to watch/Live streaming
TV channels: Sky Sports
Live streaming: Bet365
Toss Prediction
South Africa tend to bat first when they win the toss at Port Elizabeth - four of the last five test matches at St George's Park were won by the team batting first, and the other was drawn.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for the South Africa vs Zimbabwe four-day test match.
South Africa Team News & Playing 11
Team News
South Africa could welcome back AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander for the match against Zimbabwe as all three look to prove their fitness before the test series against India. Morne Morkel is also back in the squad after injury, as is captain Faf du Plessis. The latter may not feature as he continues to recover from a shoulder operation, however - if so, he will join Chris Morris on the sidelines after Titans' Ram Slam T20 Challenge hero suffered a groin strain in the final of that tournament.
Key Players
Dale Steyn needs just five more wickets to overhaul Shaun Pollock's national record of 421 test match scalps, and insists he is fit and firing again as he looks to prove his fitness for the longer form. Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Kagisho Rabida could all feature in one of the most-feared pace attacks in world cricket. On the batting side, meanwhile, Hashim Amla scored a century in each of the two matches against Bangladesh, while the return of AB de Villiers to the test side further bolsters the South African batting line-up.
Recent Form
South Africa bounced back from their 3-1 defeat in the test series in England in the summer to comprehensively best Bangladesh in their two test matches in September/October on their return to home soil. A 333-run victory in the first match was followed by a comprehensive innings victory in the second. They completed a total whitewash of their Bangladeshi tourists by also winning the ODI and T20 series to nil.
South Africa Predicted Playing 11
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Elgar, Markram, Amla, De Villiers, Bavuma, De Kock, Philander, Maharaj, Steyn, Morkel, Rabada
Zimbabwe Team News & Playing 11
Team News
Uncapped duo Blessing Muzarabani and Ryan Burl join a balanced Zimbabwe squad for the test match against South Africa. Tendai Chatara is available again after a lengthy injury absence, while experience is provided by Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine, Chris Mpofu and Kyle Jarvis.
Key Players
Opener Hamilton Masakadza scored 79 in the first innings of the warm-up game against a CSA Invitational XI to continue the form he showed in Zimbabwe's most recent test series against West Indies. In the second test match, Masakadza scored 147 before the game was eventually drawn. Masakadza is only the fifth Zimbabwean batsman to score 2,000 test match runs. Sikandar Raza impressed with bat and ball in that match, meanwhile, taking his first five-wicket haul in tests before a knock of 89 in the second innings. Captain Graeme Cremer picked up eight wickets in the first test, meanwhile.
Recent Form
Zimbabwe drew their most recent test match, against the West Indies, but could not prevent a 1-0 series defeat. It followed a defeat in their one-off match against Sri Lanka but they have enjoyed more success in the shorter format - including a famous 3-2 win against the latter in the preceding five-game series.
Zimbabwe Predicted Playing 11
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Masakadza, Mire, Taylor, Ervine, Burl, Raza, Chakabva, Cremer, Jarvis, Mpofu, Muzarabani
Team Form in Last Five Matches (most recent first)
South Africa: W W L L W
Zimbabwe: D L L L L
South Africa vs Zimbabwe Head to Head
South Africa have won seven of their eight test matches against Zimbabwe and drew the other, therefore winning every bilateral series the two African nations have competed in.
South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test Betting Odds
South Africa, with their star players available again, are big favourites to beat Zimbabwe in the inaugural four-day test match, with Bet365 offering just 1.083 on a South Africa win. Zimbabwe are 29.00 to win while the draw is 8.50. Given his current form with the bat for Zimbabwe, however, it might be worth backing Hamilton Masakadza to top score for the tourists in their first innings at 5.00. Hashim Amla is 4.00 to do likewise for South Africa. Dale Steyn, meanwhile, is 3.75 to mark his return to the team by being South Africa's top first innings bowler. Finally, given the tendency for their to be big first innings runs at Port Elizabeth, it is tempting to back a century to be scored in the first innings at 1.61.
South Africa vs Zimbabwe Test Prediction
Zimbabwe have never beaten South Africa in a test match and that is unlikely to change, even with the new four-day format and day-night conditions to contend with.
Final Verdict: Back South Africa to beat Zimbabwe at 1.083 with Bet365.
Dec 26, 2017
17:00 IST / 11:30 GMT
St Georges Park - Gqeberha, South Africa
SA vs ZIM Test 
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