Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey
Codi Yusuf has enjoyed a positive start to his Test career. Batting at ten in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, Yusuf played nicely for a 49-ball 27. He then impressed with the ball, taking 3/42 in 14 overs as South Africa bowled the hosts out for 251.
Yusuf, who turned 27 in April 2025, played 33 First Class matches in South Africa and England before his Test debut. He picked up 105 wickets in total at 27.81, including 17 wickets at just 20.94 for Durham in the 2025 County Championship season.
Yusuf has worked hard to get to this point. He debuted for Mpumalanga in the Africa T20 Cup in 2018, marking his professional debut. In 2019, Yusuf was playing all formats for Gauteng.
In addition to his red-ball exploits, Yusuf has also performed admirably in white-ball cricket. He took 16 wickets in nine matches in the 2019-20 CSA One-Day Challenge and has also featured for Paarl Royals in the SA20.
“I haven’t had a taste of international cricket yet, but it would be unbelievable to go and make a mark there and show people that I can perform at the highest level,” Yusuf told Independent Media before the Zimbabwe series.
“I personally believe in myself and feel like I can do that, and I know a lot of other people do as well. I know coach Shukri Conrad does as well, and that’s why he would have chosen me to be part of his squad.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on the game and on the moment, but it would definitely be up there as probably the most important game in my career so far.”
Dale Steyn provides insight into Codi Yusuf on Test debut
Yusuf’s whippy action makes him a tricky customer. He can hurry batters, which he has shown on numerous occasions in recent months.
“For those in world cricket that don’t know much about Codi Yusuf. Quick, skiddy, away shape, consistent in length and bowls a nippy bouncer that gets on you faster than you think,” wrote Dale Steyn on X (formerly Twitter).
“Watched him bowl against an England Lions team this past December and honestly tore through them. Deserved national call up!”
Codi Yusuf took 3/59 and 2/22 in that match Steyn is referring to. Yusuf also displayed good pace and bounce in his debut innings as a Test bowler, hurrying the Zimbabwean batsmen on a Bulawayo surface aiding the new ball bowlers.
On Test debut, Yusuf watched on as fellow debutant – 19-year-old Lhuan dre-Pretorius – became the youngest player in history to score 150 in a Test innings. South Africa finished with 418/9 declared, before taking a 167-run lead into their second innings.
