Faf du Plessis returned as captain for South Africa.

He was originally ruled out of the series because of a shoulder injury suffered in Sri Lanka in August but travelled and trained with the team when they won the first two matches of the series under the captaincy of JP Duminy.

"The shoulder is as good as it can be," he said.

"I'm tired of sitting on the side."

Zimbabwe skipper Hamilton Masakadza said the pitch looked better than those for the previous matches, both of which were criticised for their uneven bounce.

"We hope to put some runs on the board," he said.

"It looks a good one-day wicket," said Du Plessis.

"It has been pretty easy for the bowlers so far. Today they will probably need a little more skill."

South Africa made three changes.

Du Plessis, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada and left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi came in for Dean Elgar, Christiaan Jonker and Lungi Ngidi.

Teams:

South Africa

Faf du Plessis (captain), Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, JP Duminy, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Khaya Zondo, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi

Zimbabwe

Hamilton Masakadza (captain), Solomon Mire, Brendan Taylor (wkt), Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Peter Moor, Elton Chigumbura, Brandon Mavuta, Kyle Jarvis, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara

Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZL), Shaun George (RSA)

TV umpire: Bongani Jele (RSA)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)