MATT Henry, William O’Rourke and Mitchell Santner starred with the ball as New Zealand completed a nine-wicket victory on Day 3 of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Santner bagged four wickets while Henry and O’Rourke picked up three apiece to bowl the hosts out for 165 in their second innings. Needing only 8 to win, New Zealand lost one wicket before getting over the line in 2.2 overs.
Starting the day at 31/2 in their second innings, Zimbabwe suffered early setbacks as the overnight pair of Nick Welch and Vincent Masekesa fell in quick succession.
William O’Rourke found the outside edge of Welch’s bat as he was caught behind attempting a drive. O’Rourke bagged his third wicket of the innings with one that was short and quick, hitting the splice of Masekesa’s bat en route to forward short leg.
The experienced pair of Sean Williams and skipper Craig Ervine tried to steady the ship, as they raised a half-century partnership, striking nine fours between them. However, their stand ended just before Lunch as both the set batters fell in successive overs.
Williams fell one short of a fifty as he was caught down the leg-side off Mitch Santner, and Matt Henry got one to move away sharply from Ervine, taking the outside edge, as Zimbabwe went into the break at 114/6, still 44 away from making New Zealand bat again.
Tafadzwa Tsiga was dropped by Michael Bracewell at slip off Henry early in the second session but the bowler had Sikandar Raza walking back to the pavilion a short while later, getting him to top-edge a pull. Newman Nyamhuri was then bowled by Santner as Zimbabwe slipped to 126/8.
Tsiga and Blessing Muzarabani kept New Zealand waiting with a stubborn partnership, and it didn’t help that the visitors missed a few chances. Ajaz Patel put down a catch at deep midwicket when Muzarabani played a slog off Santner while Tsiga was well short of the crease when a wild throw gave him a reprieve.
Meanwhile, Muzarabani and Tsiga struck a few fours off Bracewell as they took Zimbabwe into the lead. The partnership, though, ended on 36 as Muzarabani fell to Santner on 19. A few overs later, the stand-in captain bagged a four-fer, dismissing Tsiga for 27 as the teams went into Tea with New Zealand needing 8 to win the match.
Devon Conway, who struck a fine 88 in the first innings, got going with a boundary Newman Nyamhuri before falling to the same bowler, playing on to the stumps. Williams bowled a maiden to Will Young before Henry Nicholls finished it off with a four off Nyamhuri to seal a victory inside three days to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. (Cricbuzz)
