Stuttering Zimbabwe limp to 31-2 after New Zealand take big lead in 1st Test

Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell missed out on centuries but New Zealand was still in command after Day 2 of the first cricket test against Zimbabwe on Thursday.

Conway made 88 and Mitchell was the last man out for 80 as the Black Caps were bowled out for 307 in their first innings.

New Zealand’s fast bowlers then made early inroads by removing Ben Curran (11) and Brian Bennett (18) as Zimbabwe reached 31-2 at stumps, still trailing by 127 runs.

Tall paceman Blessing Muzarabani was the stand-out bowler for Zimbabwe with 3-73, and Tanaka Chivanga ignited a middle-order collapse with 2-51 before Mitchell batted well with the tail-enders to give New Zealand a clear advantage.

No. 9 batter Nathan Smith braved several body blows against Muzarabani’s short deliveries before he finally retired hurt for 22 due to an abdominal tear.

It is highly unlikely that Smith will bowl in Zimbabwe’s second innings as he walked off in pain after being struck on the body by Muzarabani.

Earlier, Zimbabwe couldn’t have asked for a better start when Muzarabani had Will Young (41) caught at forward short leg off the first ball.

Nick Welch moved timely to his left and grabbed a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Young before Henry Nicholls (34) and Conway produced a 66-run stand.

Both left-handed batters were briefly troubled by pace bowler Newman Nyamhuri, when edges fell short of the fielders behind the wicket, before Conway lifted New Zealand past Zimbabwe’s first-innings score of 149 with a straight-driven boundary off Nyamhuri.

Nicholls, playing his first test since Dec. 2023, completed 3,000 test runs when he reached 27 but gifted his wicket when he slashed Muzarabani straight to Bennett at gully. Sikandar Raza got some turn from the pitch and accounted for Rachin Ravindra (2), when captain Craig Ervine caught him at the second attempt as the lone slip.

Conway was fluent with his driving, especially on the off side, bisecting the fielders against anything over-pitched by Zimbabwe’s fast bowlers.

But Conway, who hit a dozen boundaries, fell soon after lunch when Chivanga’s short ball got big on him and Bennett took a smart head-high catch at gully. The fast bowler followed up with the wicket of Tom Blundell (2), who holed out at deep square leg.

Nyamhuri (1-64) finally ended New Zealand’s innings when Mitchell went for an over-ambitious ramp shot and got his middle stump uprooted off a full pitched delivery.

Agencies