Match summary: New Zealand 307 (Conway 88, Mitchell 80, Muzarabani 3-73) and 8 for 1 (Nicholls 4*, Conway 4, Nyamhuri 1-8) beat Zimbabwe 149 (Ervine 39, Henry 6-39, Smith 3-20) and 165 (Williams 49, Santner 4-27, O’Rourke 3-28, Henry 3-51) by nine wickets
THE Zimbabwe cricket team suffered a nine-wicket loss to visiting New Zealand inside three days in the first of the two-match Test series at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday.
It was Zimbabwe’s batting woes that came to fore yet against especially the top order as the team fell to their fourth straight defeat in Test cricket.
However, the defeats have come against top tier opposition such as England, South Africa and now New Zealand.
Zimbabwe coach Justin Sammons expressed satisfaction with his team’s fighting spirit, despite the massive loss to New Zealand.
He was especially pleased with the way that the bowling department performed during the match.
“Obviously, the way we sort of bowled after tea on Day 1 wasn’t, we weren’t really on it,” Sammons said.
“But certainly the way we showed character to come back the next day and really challenge them throughout the day was obviously really pleasing.”
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He highlighted the bowlers’ ability to maintain pressure even when wickets were not falling, a significant improvement from previous matches.
“We made life difficult for them. Against high quality opposition with top class batters, it was a challenge. It was Test cricket,” the coach said.
“It was good to see that Blessing Muzarabani after bowling 25 overs, he was still giving his all. He was still operating at the same speeds.
“Tanaka (Chivanga) again, you know, he’s continuing to grow. We can see that the way his control is obviously improved tremendously. Yet he still obviously offers that wicket-taking ability.”
While the team’s batting woes were evident, Sammons pointed to promising patches of play that demonstrated the team’s potential.
“Batting-wise, I think we showed little patches again, just not for long enough,” he noted.
He referenced partnerships that, while not lasting long enough, showed promise, such as the stand between Tafadzwa Tsiga and Craig Ervine on Day 1, and a similar fight shown on Day 3.
The coach stressed the importance of converting these moments into more substantial performances.
“Those moments, we’re just not getting over the line and we need to be better.”
The visiting Black Caps, led by a dominant bowling performance and solid batting, stamped their authority on the series, leaving the hosts with significant questions to answer about their top-order batting.
New Zealand’s victory was built on a relentless bowling display, spearheaded by man of the match Matt Henry.
After electing to bat first, Zimbabwe’s top order crumbled in the first innings, bowled out for a paltry 149.
Henry was the chief destroyer, claiming a remarkable 6 for 39.
New Zealand then capitalised with the bat, posting a substantial 307, thanks to half-centuries from Devon Conway (88) and Daryl Mitchell (80), establishing a commanding 158-run lead.
Facing a huge deficit and needing to bat long to have any chance of a fightback, Zimbabwe’s second innings on Day 3 followed a similar pattern.
Despite a resilient 49 from veteran Sean Williams and a courageous 27 from wicketkeeper Tsiga, the home side was bundled out for 165.
The Kiwi bowlers again shared the spoils, with stand-in captain Mitch Santner taking 4 for 27, Will O’Rourke chipping in with 3 for 28, and Henry adding another three wickets to his tally.
Chasing a meagre target of 8 runs, New Zealand completed the formalities in just 14 balls.
Although Devon Conway was bowled for 4, Henry Nicholls hit the winning boundary to secure the nine-wicket win and a 1-0 series lead.
Bowling dominance and Zimbabwe’s batting woes
The architects of the New Zealand victory were undoubtedly their bowlers. Matt Henry, who finished with a match haul of nine wickets, was a constant threat.
“I think from our point of view, once we assessed that it was doing a little bit on day one, we knew it was really important to get ahead of the game,” said Henry after the match.
“Thankfully, as a unit, we bowled really well to put Zimbabwe under pressure because we knew it probably would get better as the game did progress.”
Resuming on 31 for 2, Zimbabwe quickly lost nightwatchman Vincent Masekesa and Nick Welch to O’Rourke.
The experience of Williams and Ervine provided a brief period of stability with a 57-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but both fell in quick succession to Santner and Henry just before lunch.
Despite losing Sikandar Raza and Newman Nyamburi cheaply after the break, a stubborn 36-run stand between Tafadzwa Tsiga and Blessing Muzarabani helped Zimbabwe avoid an innings defeat and forced New Zealand to bat a second time.
However, the target was simply too small to pose any real challenge.
The teams will now have a short break before meeting again for the second and final Test at the same venue, starting next Thursday.
Zimbabwe will be hoping for a better performance with former Brendan Taylor coming back into the fold after a three and a half year ban.
