New Zealand thrash Zimbabwe to win first Test
AFP - Dominant New Zealand wrapped up an emphatic innings victory against Zimbabwe in the first Test in Bulawayo yesterday despite a maiden Test century from Sean Williams, finally giving the hosts something to smile about.
New Zealand bowled Zimbabwe out for 295 to win the game by an innings and 117 runs, with left-arm seamer Neil Wagner finishing with eight wickets in the one-sided match at Queens Sports Club.
The second and final Test gets underway at the same venue on Saturday.
After three days of brutal domination at the hands of the Kiwis, Williams rose from his sick bed to hit the fastest Test century by a Zimbabwean as he reached three figures in just 106 deliveries.
The left-hander spent the past two days off the field due to illness as New Zealand racked up a first-innings lead of 412, and came to the crease early on the fourth morning with Zimbabwe tottering on 124 for six, still needing 288 runs to make the Black Caps bat again.
Williams added 118 for the seventh wicket with Captain Graeme Cremer, who made 33, and went on to make 119 before succumbing to the left-arm spin of Mitchell Santner.
Wagner claimed the final wicket to fall, which gave him a match haul of eight for 103, but Ross Taylor scooped the man of the match award for his unbeaten 173 in New Zealand’s innings.
Wagner used the short ball to especially good effect in the first innings when he returned figures of 6 for 41, bowling Zimbabwe out for 164 to set the game up for the tourists.
“Neil and Trent (Boult) have shown how good they can be, and Neil was showing us he can be pretty creative with the older ball,” said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
“It’s useful on surfaces that are not offering swing. That first innings put us ahead of the game, where he showed some hostile bowling on a surface that didn’t offer much.”