BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe — New Zealand’s fast bowler Matt Henry delivered a compelling performance that propelled the team into a promising position at the start of their test match against Zimbabwe, marking nearly a decade since their last encounter in this format.
Henry’s aggressive opening spell spanned seven overs and was pivotal in destabilizing Zimbabwe’s innings, claiming the wickets of Brian Bennett for 6 and Ben Curran for 13. Just before lunch, he managed to extract an edge from Nick Welch, who was on 27, placing Zimbabwe in a precarious situation at 67 for 4 on the scoreboard.
Nathan Smith’s pace bowling compounded Zimbabwe’s challenges early on by reducing them to 31 for 3. Smith managed to dismiss the dangerous Sean Williams for just 2, who misjudged a short-pitched delivery, playing it onto his stumps. Captain Craig Ervine, alongside Welch, managed to hit some boundaries against the spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell.
Ervine took his time to settle, eventually getting off the mark with a boundary after 23 balls, finishing the session unbeaten on 13. Santner, assuming captaincy duties for the first time due to Tom Latham’s injury absence, anticipated his fast bowlers to leverage a pitch that offered assistance despite losing the toss.
The day saw Henry living up to expectations, with Bennett and Curran succumbing to his precise deliveries, both caught by Will Young in the third slip. Welch and Ervine attempted to stabilize the innings, employing sweeps and reverse sweeps against spinners, until Henry’s return resulted in Welch’s dismissal at the second slip.
Historically, New Zealand holds a significant advantage over Zimbabwe in test matches, having secured victories in 11 out of their 17 encounters, with the remaining six ending in draws. Their last test match against each other occurred in 2016. Zimbabwe hopes to turn the tide on their home ground where they last achieved a test win in 2013 against Pakistan.
Operating without several first-choice players like Latham, recovering from a shoulder injury, and Glenn Phillips, out due to a groin strain, New Zealand still remains formidable. Kane Williamson is absent from the series, and Kyle Jamieson is in New Zealand to be with his family for the birth of his child.
In the interim, Santner has stepped up as the 32nd test captain for New Zealand. His leadership previously guided the team to a tri-series victory in Harare, where they triumphed over South Africa in the white-ball format.
Though this test series does not contribute towards the World Test Championship, it holds significance for both teams. Zimbabwe, having played seven test matches this year, seeks improvement with six losses and one victory. They will benefit from the return of Sikandar Raza and Ben Curran, both of whom were absent during their last home series against South Africa, which resulted in a 2-0 defeat.