New Zealand kickstarted their tour of Zimbabwe in dominant fashion, courtesy of a searing spell from Matt Henry that saw the hosts bundled out for a paltry 149 on Day 1 of the first Test at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. The Kiwis then strengthened their grip on the game with a solid opening stand, finishing the day at 92 without loss, trailing by just 57 runs.
It was Matt Henry’s day through and through. The right-arm pacer delivered his third-best bowling figures in Test cricket—6 for 39—as he tore through Zimbabwe’s batting line-up with pace, bounce, and precision. Supported ably by Nathan Smith, who chipped in with 3 for 20, the visitors made the most of a slightly green pitch and disciplined lines to dismantle the hosts well inside three sessions.
Zimbabwe, electing to bat first under bright skies, never really got going. Henry struck in just the third over of the morning, dismissing opener Brian Bennett for a low score. Bennett, who looked uncomfortable from the start, edged one to third slip as Henry varied his length smartly to extract a false shot. His opening partner, Ben Curran, didn’t last much longer—falling in similar fashion after Henry angled one across to draw an outside edge.
With both openers gone cheaply, pressure mounted on Zimbabwe’s experienced campaigners, including skipper Craig Ervine and middle-order stalwart Sean Williams. But just as Williams was beginning to settle, he chopped a delivery from Nathan Smith onto his stumps, managing only two runs. At 31/3, Zimbabwe looked in deep trouble, and the signs of collapse were all too familiar.
Nick Welch and Craig Ervine attempted to rebuild with a short, yet promising, partnership. Welch looked positive during his brief stay, finding the boundary a few times and rotating the strike efficiently. However, just when it seemed Zimbabwe might claw their way back, Henry struck again—Welch was caught at second slip after being squared up by a delivery that straightened off the seam.
The hosts were rocked further when Sikandar Raza gloved a steep bouncer from Henry to keeper Tom Blundell, ending a brief stay at the crease. These two dismissals, on either side of the Lunch break, left Zimbabwe reeling at 91/5.
Captain Craig Ervine, who had shown patience and good technique, partnered with wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga to add 54 valuable runs for the sixth wicket. The duo attempted to stabilize the innings with gritty batting and intelligent shot selection. But Smith returned to trap Ervine lbw for 30, a decision that snuffed out any momentum Zimbabwe were building.
Once that crucial partnership was broken, Zimbabwe’s lower order crumbled quickly. Matt Henry came back to finish the job—first unleashing a sharp bouncer that dismissed Newman Nyamhuri, then wrapping up the innings by having Blessing Muzarabani caught at mid-off by stand-in skipper Mitchell Santner.
With a commanding performance in the field, New Zealand walked off with smiles and full control of the match. But the job wasn’t done—they still had to negotiate the tricky evening session. Devon Conway and Will Young ensured there were no hiccups, putting together a fluent and confident opening stand.
Conway, in particular, was in sublime touch. Driving through the covers, cutting anything short, and using his feet to spinners with ease, the left-hander reached his half-century with a boundary—his eighth of the innings. Young played the perfect foil, mixing caution with aggression as he moved to 41* by Stumps. The duo’s unbroken 92-run stand not only wiped out a significant portion of the deficit but also put New Zealand in a prime position to build a strong first-innings lead.
This dominant opening day has given New Zealand the upper hand in the match. With a deep batting line-up still to come and plenty of time left in the game, the Kiwis will look to bat Zimbabwe out of the contest on Day 2. For the hosts, early wickets on the second morning are their only hope to claw back into the match.
Brief Scores:
Zimbabwe 149 all out (Craig Ervine 30, Tafadzwa Tsiga 30; Matt Henry 6/39, Nathan Smith 3/20)
New Zealand 92/0 at Stumps (Devon Conway 51*, Will Young 41*)
New Zealand trail by 57 runs with all 10 wickets in hand.