307/10 (96.1)
CR : 3.19
149/10 (60.3)
CR : 2.46
New Zealand won by 9 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
M Henry
6/39 & 3/515(10)
Over 3
New Zealand 8/1
Henry Nicholls4(2)
Will Young0(6)
Newman Nyamhuri1-8(1.2)
NZ won by 9 wickets
6:16 PM IST, 2:46 PM Local Time: The New Zealanders have steamrolled Zimbabwe inside three days to take the first Test match by 9 wickets. A clinical victory for the Kiwis, who take an unassailable lead of 1-nil in this two-match series.
Despite losing Nathan Smith on the second day of the Test match, the Kiwi bowlers didn’t let the Zimbabweans get ahead in the game. Sean Williams and Craig Ervine did try to help the team take a lead, but Mitchell Santner came in between them.
The day started with a fast-bowling burst from Will O’Rourke and Matt Henry. The former had two early wickets in the morning session, but then Williams and Ervine frustrated the BlackCaps.
With Michael Bracewell and Daryl Mitchell operating together, the duo stitched a crucial stand for the fifth wicket. However, Santner brought himself into the attack to get Williams' number, on 49, with a delivery angling down the leg side. Henry backed him from the other side, taking Ervine’s wicket. And then, he took one more wicket post Lunch to complete nine wickets in the match.
The Kiwis didn’t have O’Rourke after Lunch after the team management decided to keep him off the field as a precaution due to a stiff back.
The hosts tried taking full advantage of the situation with Tafadzwa Tsiga and Blessing Muzarabani stretching the ninth wicket for 84 balls. However, the New Zealand captain kept his calm and forced Muzarabani to play a false shot. The left-armer then removed Tsiga on 30.
As a result, New Zealand were asked to come out to bat in the fourth innings– to chase down the target of 8 runs. The Kiwis lost Devon Conway on the final ball of the first over after hitting a boundary, but Henry Nicholls finished off the game with a cracking four.
Earlier in the match, Matt Henry scalped six wickets in the first innings of the match as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 149 runs. Conway and Mitchell, then, batted with some determination for their respective knocks of 88 and 80 runs. A high-spirited effort from Muzarabani and Tanaka Chivanga ensured that the Kiwis didn't get too ahead in the game after two innings. Having said that, if the home bowlers brought the team back in the game, the batters failed to deliver as Zimbabwe lost the game fair and square.
Despite losing Nathan Smith on the second day of the Test match, the Kiwi bowlers didn’t let the Zimbabweans get ahead in the game. Sean Williams and Craig Ervine did try to help the team take a lead, but Mitchell Santner came in between them.
The day started with a fast-bowling burst from Will O’Rourke and Matt Henry. The former had two early wickets in the morning session, but then Williams and Ervine frustrated the BlackCaps.
With Michael Bracewell and Daryl Mitchell operating together, the duo stitched a crucial stand for the fifth wicket. However, Santner brought himself into the attack to get Williams' number, on 49, with a delivery angling down the leg side. Henry backed him from the other side, taking Ervine’s wicket. And then, he took one more wicket post Lunch to complete nine wickets in the match.
The Kiwis didn’t have O’Rourke after Lunch after the team management decided to keep him off the field as a precaution due to a stiff back.
The hosts tried taking full advantage of the situation with Tafadzwa Tsiga and Blessing Muzarabani stretching the ninth wicket for 84 balls. However, the New Zealand captain kept his calm and forced Muzarabani to play a false shot. The left-armer then removed Tsiga on 30.
As a result, New Zealand were asked to come out to bat in the fourth innings– to chase down the target of 8 runs. The Kiwis lost Devon Conway on the final ball of the first over after hitting a boundary, but Henry Nicholls finished off the game with a cracking four.
Earlier in the match, Matt Henry scalped six wickets in the first innings of the match as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 149 runs. Conway and Mitchell, then, batted with some determination for their respective knocks of 88 and 80 runs. A high-spirited effort from Muzarabani and Tanaka Chivanga ensured that the Kiwis didn't get too ahead in the game after two innings. Having said that, if the home bowlers brought the team back in the game, the batters failed to deliver as Zimbabwe lost the game fair and square.
Time for the post-match presentation....
Craig Ervine (Zimbabwe Captain): "Yeah, certainly. I thought there was a lot more application from the team in this Test. The pitch offered quite a bit on the first day, but the guys really tried to grind through it. A few questionable decisions went against us, but I believe the team stuck to their plans and showed intent. Unfortunately, it just didn’t quite go our way.
We actually expected the pitch to play a bit better than it did. We haven’t seen this much lateral movement here in quite some time. On that first day, I felt 250 would have been a competitive score given the conditions, but we ended up about 100 runs short. When we came out to bowl, there was definitely enough in the surface to take two or three early wickets, but things didn’t go our way.
I thought the bowlers responded well on day two and put in a solid effort. We’ve been on the road for a while now and have played a good number of Tests, so both mental and physical freshness are just as crucial as the prep work. We’ll take a few days off, reassess, and look to bounce back stronger."
We actually expected the pitch to play a bit better than it did. We haven’t seen this much lateral movement here in quite some time. On that first day, I felt 250 would have been a competitive score given the conditions, but we ended up about 100 runs short. When we came out to bowl, there was definitely enough in the surface to take two or three early wickets, but things didn’t go our way.
I thought the bowlers responded well on day two and put in a solid effort. We’ve been on the road for a while now and have played a good number of Tests, so both mental and physical freshness are just as crucial as the prep work. We’ll take a few days off, reassess, and look to bounce back stronger."
Player of the Match: Matt Henry
Matt Henry (POTM): "(On switching from T20s to Tests) You need to know how to do it at the international stage. You have to trust the work put in beforehand. The skillset also helped me.
It was great the way we could exploit it on day one and set the platform.
(On Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke's injuries) They both are getting checked out. Hopefully, they will get back on the field before the second Test, but with a long summer back at home, we don't want to lose them. Great to be back here playing Test cricket."
It was great the way we could exploit it on day one and set the platform.
(On Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke's injuries) They both are getting checked out. Hopefully, they will get back on the field before the second Test, but with a long summer back at home, we don't want to lose them. Great to be back here playing Test cricket."
Mitchell Santner (New Zealand Captain): "I think it was a strong collective performance. The way we bowled up front, the ball did a bit more than we initially expected. I thought we held our lengths and lines well, and to restrict them to under 150 was a great outcome. With the bat, we could’ve been a bit more clinical, but it’s always nice to get a lead.
Yeah, I think we showed good intent. We spoke about building partnerships, but unfortunately, we couldn’t string together any significant ones. Credit to their bowlers — batting becomes challenging when the ball is bouncing like that.
Blessing Muzarabani was getting the ball to rise steeply! That said, we know we need to improve with the bat in the next match. Nathan Smith bowled really well—exceptionally, in fact—so it was unfortunate that he couldn’t contribute much after last evening. We'll see how his body responds. On the bright side, it gave Michael Bracewell and me a few extra overs under our belts."
Yeah, I think we showed good intent. We spoke about building partnerships, but unfortunately, we couldn’t string together any significant ones. Credit to their bowlers — batting becomes challenging when the ball is bouncing like that.
Blessing Muzarabani was getting the ball to rise steeply! That said, we know we need to improve with the bat in the next match. Nathan Smith bowled really well—exceptionally, in fact—so it was unfortunate that he couldn’t contribute much after last evening. We'll see how his body responds. On the bright side, it gave Michael Bracewell and me a few extra overs under our belts."
Right then. That's it from the first Test match between New Zealand and Zimbabwe from Bulawayo. The BlackCaps have taken an unassailable lead of 1-nil in this two-game Test series. Now, we have a turnaround of around six days before the second Test. But, cricket never ends here on Crickxo!
This is Arjun Bhalla, signing off on behalf of Deepak Prakash and Sachin Yadav!
This is Arjun Bhalla, signing off on behalf of Deepak Prakash and Sachin Yadav!