New Zealand crushes Zimbabwe by nine wickets in three-day first test

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Rampant New Zealand had to go to tea before crushing Zimbabwe by nine wickets on Friday in the first test between the two countries after a break of almost nine years.

Zimbabwe avoided an innings defeat with some resistance from its tailenders as the home team was bowled out for 165 in its second innings, setting New Zealand a tiny target of eight runs.

After the interval, fast bowler Newman Nyamhuri bowled Devon Conway before New Zealand reached 8-1 and finished the game inside three days at the Queens Sports Club. It is the same venue where both teams met last time in the longer format in 2016 and New Zealand won by 254 runs.

The series was not part of the World Test Championship but Zimbabwe’s batting woes have continued in red-ball cricket in 2005 as it lost seven out of eight test matches.

After being dismissed for 149 in the first innings and later conceding a 158-run lead, Zimbabwe batters once again failed despite New Zealand fast bowler Nathan Smith being ruled out with an abdominal tear he picked up while batting on Thursday.

Matt Henry followed his superb 6-39 in the first innings with 3-51 but was denied his first test match haul of 10 wickets when Michael Bracewell spilt a catch of Tafadzwa Tsiga in the slips. Ajaz Patel, substituting for Smith, dropped Blessing Muzarabani and also missed a runout of Tsiga before Zimbabwe had wiped out the deficit.

Captain Mitchell Santner (4-27) was the standout bowler in the second innings.

Earlier, Zimbabwe slumped to 114-6 by lunch after resuming on a wobbly 31-2.

Sean Williams (49) and captain Craig Ervine (22) showed some resilience Friday and combined in a half-century stand before both left-handers perished late in the first session.

Williams was brilliantly snapped by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell down the leg side off captain Santner’s delivery that slanted into the batter and Williams got a big tickle of the bat.

Henry beat the batters with wobble seam and was finally rewarded when he found the edge of Ervine’s bat in the penultimate over of the first session. Will O’Rourke (3-28) struck twice and removed Nick Welch (4) and Vincent Masekesa (2) as Zimbabwe slipped to 53-4.

Sikandar Raza (5) disappointed in his comeback test match when he top-edged a pull to Henry soon after lunch.

The second test begins at the same venue on Thursday.

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