Tag: New Zealand

BULAWAYO: Matt Henry brilliant spell, followed by a mammoth opening stand from Devon Conway and Will Young, put New Zealand in a commanding position against Zimbabwe.

New Zealand ended the day in a dominant position on the score of 162-1 with a 49-run lead in the second Test here at the Queens Sports Club on Thursday.

Zimbabwe were bowled out for just 125 runs in only 48.5 overs with returning Brendon Taylor top scoring for 44 runs.

Taylor, making his first Test appearance since 2021, guided Zimbabwe’s batting until the 33rd over, finishing with a top score of 44 runs from 107 balls, including six boundaries.

After his dismissal, wicketkeeper-batter Tafadzwa Tsiga took over, remaining not out with 33 runs off 54 balls, featuring four boundaries.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Henry, who had already taken nine wickets in the first match of the series at the same venue, maintained his excellent form by securing five wickets for just 40 runs in 15 overs.

He was well-supported by fellow pacer Zakary Foulkes, who accounted for four wickets, while Matthew Fisher added one more.

In reply, New Zealand’s opening pair, Conway and Will Young, established a commanding partnership of 162 runs.

This partnership came to an end in the 35th over when Trevor Gwandu bowled Young, who scored 74 runs off 101 balls with 11 boundaries.

Meanwhile, Conway remained steadfast at the crease, forming an unbeaten 12-run partnership with nightwatchman Jacob Duffy as play concluded for the day.

Zakary Foulkes, who was making his debut, shared his thoughts after taking a four-wicket haul.

“It hasn’t really sunk in,” said Foulkes after taking four for 38 as New Zealand shot out Zimbabwe, who chose to bat after winning the toss, for 125. It was nice to spend a few days at home,” he said.

“Then I got on the big bird back here. I was very surprised to get the call. It was surreal to make my debut today,” Foulkes revealed.

It is noteworthy to mention that New Zealand comprehensively won the opening Test match against Zimbabwe by nine wickets at the same venue.

READ: Glenn McGrath predicts 5-0 Ashes win for Australia

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry helped BlackCaps seal a nine-wicket win on the third day of the first Test against Zimbabwe on Friday.

Zimbabwe managed to avoid an innings defeat, but New Zealand needed only eight runs to win.

Devon Conway hit a four but then edged a ball from Newman Nyamhuri into his stumps before Henry Nicholls hit the winning boundary in Nyamhuri’s next over.

Santner took four for 27 as Zimbabwe, needing 158 to avoid an innings defeat, were bowled out for 165.

Zimbabwe resumed on 31 for two and quickly lost overnight batter Nick Welch and nightwatchman Vincent Masekesa to fast bowler Will O’Rourke.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Veteran left-handers Sean Williams (49) and Craig Ervine (22) shared a fifth-wicket stand of 57 but were dismissed in successive overs by Santner and Matt Henry shortly before lunch.

Sikandar Raza and Newman Nyamburi fell soon after the interval, but wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga (27) and fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani (19) put on 36 for the ninth wicket before Santner dismissed both batters.

New Zealand were hampered by the absence of pace bowlers Nathan Smith, who suffered an abdominal injury while batting on Thursday, and O’Rourke, who was feeling stiffness after his morning spell.

The teams meet again in the second Test at the same venue from Thursday. The two-match series is not part of the World Test Championship.

READ: Blow for England as key player ruled out of remainder of final India Test

Matt Henry took a six-wicket haul to propel the Blackcaps into a dominant position on the opening day of the first New Zealand vs Zimbabwe Test at Queens Sports Club on Wednesday.

Fast bowler Henry took six for 39 as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 149 after winning the toss and deciding to bat.

New Zealand were 92 for no wicket at the close, with Devon Conway and Will Young unbeaten on 51 and 41 respectively.

Henry, who was voted the best player of a Twenty20 tri-series tournament that ended on Saturday, did not take long to adjust to red-ball cricket in New Zealand’s first Test since December last year.

Henry dismissed both Zimbabwe opening batters, Brian Bennett (6) and Ben Curran (13), inside the first seven overs.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

He took two more wickets in an over interrupted by the lunch break, then came back to finish off the innings with his final two victims shortly after tea.

Seamer Nathan Smith took three for 20 in 14 tight overs.

Captain Craig Ervine, who took 23 balls to score his first run, top-scored for Zimbabwe with 39, eked out over 116 deliveries.

Ervine and Nick Welch (27) put on 36 for the fourth wicket after Zimbabwe were reeling at 31 for three.

But Henry returned for the last over before lunch to have Welch caught at second slip. Three balls later, after lunch, he had the experienced Sikandar Raza caught behind for two.

Ervine and wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga (30) added 54 for the sixth wicket to lift Zimbabwe from 69 for five. Smith trapped both batsmen leg before wicket shortly before tea, and Zimbabwe’s resistance crumbled.

In reply, Conway and Young batted through to the close of play, scoring steadily after a cautious start.

Zimbabwe opening bowler Blessing Muzarabani had an opening spell of eight overs but was unable to make a breakthrough.

Conway reached his fifty in the penultimate over of the day, his first Test half-century since he made 76 against India in Pune last October. Seven innings since then had yielded a highest score of 22.

Since New Zealand’s last Test match against England in 2024, Zimbabwe has played eight Tests.

However, Zimbabwe has lost six, drawn one, and had a single victory, against Bangladesh in Sylhet in April.

The second New Zealand vs Zimbabwe Test will be played from 7 to 11 August at the same ground.

READ: Coach has every right to look at wicket: Gill backs Gambhir amid Oval pitch controversy

New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe starting at Queens Sports Club on Wednesday.

New Zealand white-ball captain Mitch Santner will lead the team in Latham’s absence.

According to a statement by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Tuesday, Latham injured a shoulder while fielding in a Twenty20 match in England earlier this month and has not fully recovered.

Tom Latham will remain with the squad in the hope of being fit for the second Test, which starts on August 7.

“It’s hugely disappointing for Tom to be missing the first Test, as captain but also as an integral part of the team,” head coach Rob Walter said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“It’s never great when you lose your captain, who’s a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said, we’re going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test.

“We’ll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he’ll recover in time.”

Left-arm spin bowler Santner will become New Zealand’s 32nd men’s Test captain. He led the white-ball team to victory in a T20 white-ball series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, which ended last Saturday.

“Mitch did a wonderful job with the T20 squad,” said Walter.

“He was excellent from a strategy point of view, and he has a strong understanding of the game.”

READ: Nathan Lyon breaks silence on omission from West Indies Test

HARARE: Matt Henry took two wickets in the final over as New Zealand beat South Africa by three runs in the final of the Zimbabwe T20I tri-series at Harare Sports Club here on Saturday.

Chasing New Zealand’s total of 180 for five, South Africa were on the brink of victory when big-hitting Dewald Brevis hit 15 runs, including two sixes, off the penultimate over from Zakary Foulkes.

South Africa needed seven off the last over to edge past New Zealand.

It seemed Brevis might have hit another six off the second ball, but Michael Bracewell on the deep midwicket boundary held a high hit and calmly tossed the ball up before crossing the rope and then stepping back to complete the catch.

Three runs were scored off the next two balls before Daryl Mitchell held a diving catch at long-on to dismiss George Linde. Henry closed out the match with a dot ball.

Fast bowler Henry was named player of the match as well as player of the tournament after finishing as the leading wicket-taker with ten wickets.

“South Africa got off to a flier,” Henry said of South Africa’s opening stand of 92 between Lhuan-dre Pretorius (51) and Reeza Hendricks (37).

“It’s a credit to our team for staying in the fight, knowing wickets can change things.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

After defeating South Africa, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner praised his players’ ability to “hang in there” on what he described as the best batting pitch of the tournament.

“Guys stepped up on different occasions throughout this tri-series,” said Santner.

“There were a lot of challenges with the ball today, but the guys were ready and really clear on how they wanted to operate.”

South Africa captain Rassie van der Dussen said he was proud of the way a young team missing several leading players had competed.

“A centimetre more and the result would have been different,” he said.

Tim Seifert (30) and Devon Conway (47) put on 75 for New Zealand’s first wicket, and Rachin Ravindra contributed a hard-hit 47 off 27 balls before South Africa’s tactic of bowling low full tosses kept the total in check towards the end of the innings.

South Africa also lost momentum after their fast start before Brevis slammed 31 off 16 balls with three sixes, which so nearly could have been four.

A lengthy check was needed by the television umpire to determine whether Bracewell had stepped on the boundary rope while still holding the ball.

READ: Australia Champions edge past India in WCL 2025

Tim Seifert hit a second successive half-century and Ish Sodhi took four wickets as New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by 60 runs.

The sixth match of the T20 tri-series between New Zealand Zimbabwe was in Harare on Thursday.

New Zealand won all four matches in the round robin phase of the Zimbabwe Tri Series They will play South Africa in the final at the same venue on Saturday.

Seifert hit 75 in a New Zealand total of 190 for six –the highest of the tournament– and Sodhi took a career-best four for 12 as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 130.

Seifert and Rachin Ravindra (63) put on 108 for the second wicket to set up New Zealand for the highest total in the six round robin matches.

Zimbabwe scored 21 off the first two overs in reply before leg-spinner Sodhi came on to bowl in the third over. He struck with his second ball and took three wickets for five runs in two overs in the power play.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Sodhi came back later to claim a fourth wicket and become the third player to take 150 wickets in T20 internationals on a list headed by fellow New Zealander Tim Southee with 164. It was his fifth and least expensive four-wicket haul in the format.

“It was nice to contribute in a slightly new role for me. I haven’t bowled a lot in powerplays in my career,” said Sodhi after being named player of the match.

“It was nice to put a score on the board batting first,” said New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner, who chose to bat on a pitch that has favoured teams batting second.

He said the number of players who had “put their hands up at different times” gave New Zealand a selection headache ahead of the final.

READ: No David Miller as South Africa announces white-ball squads for Australia tour

New Zealand bowlers set up a comfortable seven-wicket win against South Africa in their Zimbabwe Twenty20 international tri-series match at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.

South Africa were restricted to 134 for eight in their 20 overs after being sent in, thanks to a clinical bowling display from New Zealand bowlers.

New Zealand opening batter Tim Seifert hit 66 not out as the Black Caps cruised to victory with 25 balls to spare.

New Zealand maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament and will go into the final against the same opponents at the same venue on Saturday as strong favourites. They won their first match against the Proteas by 21 runs.

South Africa could score only 18 runs in the first five overs despite losing only one wicket. “The way we bowled in the power play was outstanding,” said New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“Our bowlers found a length and found some swin,g and we were able to squeeze from there,” said Santner.

Jacob Duffy and Adam Milne took two wickets each while fellow pace bowler Zachary Foulkes only conceded 12 runs in his three overs.

South Africa packed their team with spin bowlers, but the tactic unravelled in the first over against an explosive New Zealand batting, bowled by left-arm spinner George Linde, as they attempted to defend a low total.

Linde started with two wides, one of which went to the boundary for four extra runs. Then Seifert was dropped at long-off before he had scored. The over cost South Africa 15 runs.

Seifert and fellow opener Devon Conway (19) took the total to 50 in the first five overs, and the Black Caps were in control for the rest of the match.

READ: Salman Ali Agha reflects on Pakistan’s series loss to Bangladesh

Matt Henry took three wickets and Devon Conway hit an unbeaten half-century as New Zealand outclassed hosts Zimbabwe by eight wickets in their tri-series match at Harare Sports Club on Friday.

Zimbabwe made a promising start but could only score 120-7 after being sent in to bat in their 20 overs.

New Zealand needed only 13.5 overs to secure the win, with left-handed opening batter Conway making 59 not out off 40 balls.

New Zealand’s fast bowlers, led by Henry, made good use of short-pitched deliveries while left-arm spinners Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra gained bounce and turn from a dry pitch.

Wessly Madhevere and Brian Bennett put on 37 for the first wicket before Bennett (21) top-edged a short ball from Henry to square leg in the sixth over.

Madhevere took 11 runs off Henry’s first over but struggled for fluency in making 36 runs off 32 balls, while none of the batsmen were able to master New Zealand’s spin bowlers.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“They came out quite aggressive in the power play, but we adapted well with the ball,” said New Zealand captain Santner.

Player of the match Conway was dropped on one at backward point off Richard Ngarava in the first over of New Zealand’s reply, and opening partner Tim Seifert was caught at cover for three off Blessing Muzarabani in the next over.

But Conway and Ravindra put on 59 for the second wicket before Daryl Mitchell joined Conway to take New Zealand to a victory over Zimbabwe which virtually ensures them a place in the final on July 26.

“I got a bit lucky early on,” admitted Conway. He said Ngarava and Muzarabani bowled well on a “challenging” surface. “It was nice to get through that period,” he said.

Zimbabwe will have to win their remaining matches against New Zealand and South Africa by big margins to have any chance of reaching the final.

READ: PCB responds to Sana Mir’s misleading social media post

Jimmy Neesham found himself in an unfortunate list during New Zealand’s tri-series clash against South Africa in Harare on Wednesday, joining the likes of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam in an unwanted T20I record.

The Kiwi all-rounder was dismissed for a second-ball duck, which was his seventh in T20Is, equalling the tally of several prominent names, including Kohli, Babar, Mohammad Hafeez, Quinton de Kock, and Jason Roy.

A total of 43 players now share this dubious distinction.

Neesham has also edged past fellow New Zealander Colin de Grandhomme, who previously held the national record with six ducks. The 34-year-old now owns the record for most ducks in T20Is for New Zealand.

Most T20I ducks for New Zealand:

• Jimmy Neesham – 7
• Colin de Grandhomme – 6
• Ish Sodhi – 6
• Tim Southee – 6
• Ross Taylor – 6
• Finn Allen – 5

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Globally, the record for most ducks in T20Is is jointly held by Rwanda’s Zappy Bimenyimana and Kevin Irakoze, Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar, Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka, and Ireland’s Paul Stirling, all with 13.

Despite the early exit of Jimmy Neesham, New Zealand cruised to a 21-run win over South Africa, registering their first victory of the tri-series.

Tim Robinson anchored the innings with an unbeaten 75 off 57 balls, while Bevon Jacobs added firepower with 44* off 30.

Tim Seifert chipped in with a brisk 22 as the Kiwis posted 173/5.

In response, South Africa were bowled out for 152 in 18.2 overs. Dewald Brevis top-scored with 35 off 18, followed by George Linde (30) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (27).

Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy starred with the ball, picking up three wickets each. Ish Sodhi bagged two, while Mitchell Santner added one to his name.

READ: Lamine Yamal to wear Lionel Messi’s iconic number 10 jersey at Barcelona

HARARE: Debutant Bevon Jacobs and Tim Robinson’s gutsy knocks, followed by an all-round bowling effort, led New Zealand to a 21-run victory over South Africa here on Wednesday.

The New Zealand vs South Africa match was the second fixture of the tri-series played at the Harare Sports Club.

Chasing a target of 174 runs, South Africa’s innings folded on 152 in 18.2 overs.

In pursuit of the target, the Proteas had a rapid start, scoring 34 in just 3.2 overs. However, the Black Caps laid the first blow, removing dangerous Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who struck 27 off 17 deliveries with the help of six fours.

South Africa’s progress was dented further in the next over as Rubin Hermann (1) was caught by Matt Henry off Jacob Duffy’s bowling, reducing them to 35-2.

The wickets continued to tumble as Mitchell Santner removed Reeza Hendricks ( 16 off 12 balls), which reduced South Africa to 50-3 at the end of the powerplay.

South Africa’s half of the side went back to the pavilion by the ninth over as Rassie van der Dussen and Senuran Muthusamy fell in quick succession.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The scorecard read 62-5 when Dewald Brevis arrived at the crease, who tried to lift South Africa out of the trouble. He forged a quick-fire 39-run stand of 20 balls with George Linde, bringing the score near 100 at the halfway stage of the innings.

Brewis looked impressive for his 35 off 18 deliveries, laced with three sixes and a four; however, he was caught off Matt Henry’s bowling. George Linde put in a valiant effort with 30 off 20 balls, striking two sixes and a four, bringing down the equation to 38 off the last four overs.

However, New Zealand put on a clinical bowling effort at the death to bundle out the rainbow nation.

For Black Caps, Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy picked up three wickets each, while seasoned bowler Ish Sodhi was clinical with two wickets.

Earlier, after being put in to bat first, New Zealand posted 173-5 in their allocated 20 overs, thanks to a rearguard effort from debutant Bevon Jacobs and Tim Robinson.

The duo put on a mammoth 103-run partnership to lift New Zealand out of trouble after a shambolic batting performance from their top order.

The Black Caps were reduced to 70-5 in only 9.3 overs; however, Robinson (75* off 57) featuring three sixes and six fours and Jacobs (44* off 30) with the aid of three fours and a six powered them to a formidable total.

For South Africa, Kwena Maphaka scalped two wickets. Lungi Ngidi, Senuran Muthusamy and Gerald Coetzee chipped in with two wickets each.

READ: ‘He didn’t listen to me when I was captain’: Joe Root issues bold statement on Ben Stokes