Zimbabwean cricket team in South Africa in 2017–18
The Zimbabwe cricket team toured South Africa in December 2017 to play a four-day Test match as a day/night fixture which started on Boxing Day. Zimbabwe last played a Test match in South Africa in March 2005. Ahead of the Test match, there was also a three-day day/night match between Zimbabwe and a Cricket South Africa Invitation XI. The Test match finished inside two days, with South Africa winning by an innings and 120 runs. Despite being a four-day match, Cricket South Africa sought approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to grant the fixture Test match status. The ICC approved the request for Test status in October 2017 at their board meeting in Auckland. The trial of the four-day Test format by the ICC will run until the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Per the ICC's playing conditions, a minimum of 98 overs are to be bowled each day, with the follow-on set at a lead of 150 runs, instead of 200 runs in a five-day game. The last time a four-day Test match was played was in 1973, between New Zealand and Pakistan. Summary South African cricketers Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar expressed their concerns about a four-day