Player of the Match
Player of the Match
  • BATSMEN
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    2.6 Edged and taken, Henry strikes early for New Zealand. Henry has varied his lengths nicely and this is a just reward. This one is fuller than the previous ball, slightly fuller than good length, on the fourth stump. Bennett hangs back and pokes at it, this time the edge carries nice and low to third slip, where Young takes it with a tumble 10/1
    6.4 The change in angle works for Henry! Both the Zimbabwe openers are back in the dressing room. He bowls it full on off, Curran is not anticipating it there. His weight is on the back foot but he looks to drive at it - more in reaction to the ball. Gets a thick outside edge that sits straight in third slip's hands 24/2
    26.2 and it takes just two balls for Henry to provide the breakthrough. A length ball in the channel, just around off, thus making the batter play. Welch pushes at it and gets a healthy edge to second slip 67/4
    11.2 Chopped on! Williams has been troubled by the angle inwards and that has brought about his downfall. Smith angles it in from a shortish length, Williams moves back and looks to steer it to third. But the nip back makes the ball take the inside edge and knock the leg bail off. Zimbabwe slide in trouble 31/3
    50.1 full and angling towards the batter from around the wicket. Ervine misses the flick and gets hit on the pads. An appeal for lbw, the umpire takes his time before raising the finger. Was it heading down? Perhaps. But there's no DRS, so Ervine has to walk back 123/6
    26.5 Short ball does it for Henry, who picks up his fourth! A nothing dismissal really. Digs it in on middle and angles it into Raza, who looks to hop and fend it away. All he manages is a glove and it lobs up for Blundell to take an easy diving catch. Zimbabwe slipping fast 69/5
    52.5 Smith strikes back. A length ball from wide of the crease, and it keeps coming in with the angle. Tsiga looks to defend but gets beaten on the inside edge and is hit on the back leg, not too high. No hesitation in the umpire's mind that this was going to hit the stumps 136/7
    56.5 Brutal bouncer to get a five-wicket haul for Henry! Absolutely nothing that Nyamhuri could do about it. The bumper is on middle, aimed at the batter's head. He takes his eyes off it and looks to fend, gets it off the shoulder of the blade. Young at third slip stands still and takes the skier 143/8
    59.2 Huge mix-up and Masekesa is out of here! Fuller outside off, driven towards cover. Calls through for a run and starts running but Muzarabani does not respond. Too late before Masekesa spots his partner and turns back. Conway's throw to Blundell is next to the stumps 149/9
    60.3 Henry closes out the innings with a six-wicket haul! Sees Muzarabani make room, follows him up with a length ball and cramps him for room. He looks to turn it across the line but only gets a leading edge towards cover, where Santner runs in and pulls off a diving catch. Zimbabwe shot out for 149 149/10
    not out
    0
    4
    6
    0
    0
    0
    Extras
    13 (b 4, lb 2, w 7)
    TOTAL
    149 all out (60.3 Overs, RR: 2.46)
    Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Brian Bennett, 2.6 ov), 2-24 (Ben Curran, 6.4 ov), 3-31 (Sean Williams, 11.2 ov), 4-67 (Nick Welch, 26.2 ov), 5-69 (Sikandar Raza, 26.5 ov), 6-123 (Craig Ervine, 50.1 ov), 7-136 (Tafadzwa Tsiga, 52.5 ov), 8-143 (Newman Nyamhuri, 56.5 ov), 9-149 (Vincent Masekesa, 59.2 ov), 10-149 (Blessing Muzarabani, 60.3 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    MJ Henry15.333962.5100
    W O'Rourke133260220
    NG Smith1482031.4200
    MJ Santner1644602.8700
    MG Bracewell20120600
  • BATSMEN
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    26.1 and a wicket very first ball. But did it carry to Welch at short leg? He himself isn't convinced and signals for TV umpire. Was a short ball from Muzarabani that had Young hoping and fending it towards short leg. Welch was a bit deeper than usual and had to take a couple of steps before putting in a dive to his left. Replay suggests he clearly took it above the ground, with hands under the ball. An easy decision for the third umpire and Young walks back 92/1
    54.5 and that extra bounce does the trick! It was a short of length outside off. Not too wide but Conway looked to cut uppishly. The ball got big on him and he could hit it only at head height towards gully where Bennett made no mistake 177/4
    44.4 Muzarabani breaks through and this is not good for Nicholls! Once again he backs away to slash it hard over gully, this time he was cramped for room. Muzarabani follows him with a back-of-a-length ball and it doesn't rise as much as Nicholls expected it to. Slaps it straight to Bennett, who makes no mistake at gully. A chance provided to Nicholls because of Latham's injury and he doesn't make it count with a big one 158/2
    47.4 Taken on second attempt, Raza is delighted! Tossed up full around off, Ravindra lunges forward and looks to defend with hard hands. The ball goes off the outside edge to Ervine's hand at first slip, but he fumbles and then dives to his left to take it on the rebound. Raza's probing line pays off. Zimbabwe strike twice in four overs 163/3
    80
    119
    224
    5
    1
    67.22
    96.1 A perfect yorker from Nyamhuri to end New Zealand's innings! Mitchell walks across to scoop it away but misses and sees the stumps shattered. New Zealand bowled out for 307 with Smith not to bat further 307/9
    56.6 in the air and Chivanga has his second. Was a short ball, just outside off. Blundell went for the pull but ended up lobbing it towards deep square leg where Williams took a simple catch 181/5
    62.4 Muzarabani picks up another! Bracewell departs! It was short of length at the stumps. Bracewell went for the pull only to top edge it high up in the air. Tsiga calls for it and for a moment it looked like he had misjudged it. In the end, he had to put a full-stretch dive to take the catch near short fine leg. New Zealand 200 for 6, only 51 ahead 200/6
    71.2 Soft, soft dismissal! Santner cannot believe what he has done. Sees the flight, charges down to smother it. But he is not towards the pitch of it and ends up chipping it straight back to Masekesa for the simplest of catches. In a spell where he has dished out a lot of full tosses, the legspinner picks up his first wicket, even if it was not with his best ball. New Zealand lead by 84 233/7
    92.6 Ouch. More pain for Smith. Another short ball, this time around off and middle. He hops and gets an inside edge onto his body and it dies down before short leg. Immediately crouches down in pain. And this does not look good. The physio comes out again but Smith is walking off, retired hurt. In fact on another look, don't think this ball hit his body. But he was immediately writhing in pain as soon as ball hit bat 294/7
    95.2 Knocked him over! This was coming, wasn't it? Williams bowls one full and straight in line of the stumps. Looks like the arm ball. Henry prods forward to defend for the turn but there is none. It goes through bat and bad and hits leg stump 307/8
    not out
    0
    4
    4
    0
    0
    0
    Extras
    5 (lb 4, w 1)
    TOTAL
    307 all out (96.1 Overs, RR: 3.19)
    Fall of wickets: 1-92 (Will Young, 26.1 ov), 2-158 (Henry Nicholls, 44.4 ov), 3-163 (Rachin Ravindra, 47.4 ov), 4-177 (Devon Conway, 54.5 ov), 5-181 (Tom Blundell, 56.6 ov), 6-200 (Michael Bracewell, 62.4 ov), 7-233 (Mitchell Santner, 71.2 ov), 7-294* (Nathan Smith, retired not out ), 8-307 (Matt Henry, 95.2 ov), 9-307 (Daryl Mitchell, 96.1 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    B Muzarabani2657332.800
    TL Chivanga1835122.8310
    NT Nyamhuri16.126413.9500
    Sikandar Raza2026313.1500
    SC Williams712313.2800
    V Masekesa912913.2200
  • BATSMEN
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    7.5 Nicked behind! Zimbabwe lose their openers. O'Rourke pitches it up, slightly fuller than good length. Bennett is not fully forward after what happened the previous ball. Has a tame poke at it, only to edge it behind to Blundell. One-way traffic continues, with respect to Zimbabwe's batting 29/2
    6.6 The bouncer does the trick and Henry's wicket-taking spree continues. Curran never looked to be in. He was forever expecting the short ball this innings and defending those unconvincingly. Now looks to take on the pull shot and top edges it towards fine leg. O'Rourke runs to his left, has his eyes on the ball and pouches it safely. Zimbabwe lose one early and are still 133 behind 25/1
    17.5 nicked and gone! The full ball does it for Welch! O'Rourke finally goes full and immediately reaps the rewards. Welch, having watched several shortish and back of a length deliveries go, thinks this is there for the drive through extra cover, given the slight width. He goes at it with his hands (and without much footwork) and all he manages is a nick through to the keeper. Welch walks back disappointed, and NZ are on the board relatively early on day three! 34/3
    21.5 off the glove, and into the palms of short leg! Well, there is variable bounce on display now, and this one rears up off a shortish length on middle and leg. Masekesa does not know what to do with it and does not have much time to react either. Fends at it in hope, and the ball lobs up for Ravindra to complete the grab rather comfortably. The night-watcher departs as well, and O'Rourke has two wickets to show for his morning toil! 53/4
    39.1 what an unfortunate way to be dismissed! It's the tickle down leg that has accounted for Williams with a half-century looming. Santner fires this quickly into middle and leg, there's some bite off the pitch, he looks to nudge it to fine leg and gets a faint tickle through to the keeper. Super catch that. 110/5
    40.3 an absolute corker! As a batter, you just pray you don't get too many of those. And when they come, you're somehow able to keep them out. Unfortunately, Ervine hasn't been able to this time. This is full, hits the seam and nips away late from middle-and-off to have him get the thinnest of nicks through to the keeper. 110/6
    46.5 goes straight up, and that will be that for Raza today! Oh dear - Raza will not want to look back on that. This is just the trap that had been laid, and Raza has walked willingly into it. Dug in outside off and Raza thinks he can slam this over mid wicket. The ball gets onto him much quicker than he anticipates, though, and all he manages is a tame splice that Ravindra gobbles up with glee at mid wicket. Zimbabwe seven down now! 119/7
    67.1 the top-edge has been taken at point! Santner threw this up generously, Tsiga looks to slog-sweep this time, the slice descends on Conway who fumbles briefly but holds onto it off the second attempt. New Zealand need eight runs to win, and guess what? That'll be tea. 165/10
    49.3 off stump flattened, and that is an absolute corker! Tossed up beautifully on a length on off stump and this drifts in before gripping in the surface and straightening. Nyamhuri plays for the angle (or the original line) and misses the ball by a fair distance as it spins away. Off stump is left in a heap soon after, and Santner has his second in the second innings! 126/8
    63.3 the skier has been taken this time, and the irritating 36-run stand from NZ's point of view is over! Couldn't resist temptation as Muzarabani goes after this flighted delivery, ends up slicing it to Ajaz who takes it well at cover. 162/9
    not out
    0
    13
    14
    0
    0
    0
    Extras
    7 (b 6, lb 1)
    TOTAL
    165 all out (67.1 Overs, RR: 2.45)
    Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Ben Curran, 6.6 ov), 2-29 (Brian Bennett, 7.5 ov), 3-34 (Nick Welch, 17.5 ov), 4-53 (Vincent Masekesa, 21.5 ov), 5-110 (Sean Williams, 39.1 ov), 6-110 (Craig Ervine, 40.3 ov), 7-119 (Sikandar Raza, 46.5 ov), 8-126 (Newman Nyamhuri, 49.3 ov), 9-162 (Blessing Muzarabani, 63.3 ov), 10-165 (Tafadzwa Tsiga, 67.1 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    MJ Henry2155132.4200
    W O'Rourke1042832.800
    MG Bracewell1524202.800
    MJ Santner17.162741.5700
    DJ Mitchell411002.500

Close of Play

  • Wed, 30 Jul - day 1 - New Zealand 1st innings 92/0 (WA Young 41*, DP Conway 51*, 26 ov)
  • Thu, 31 Jul - day 2 - Zimbabwe 2nd innings 31/2 (NR Welch 2*, V Masekesa 0*, 13 ov)
  • Fri, 1 Aug - day 3 - New Zealand 2nd innings 8/1 (2.2 ov) - end of match

Match Notes