Zimbabwe Neil before Wagner

New Zealand pacer claims 6-41 to skittle hosts for 164 despite frustrating 85-run 10th wicket stand

BULAWAYO: Left-arm seamer Neil Wagner used his raw pace and aggression to rip through the Zimbabwean middle-order as New Zealand took little time to impose themselves on the first Test at Queens Sports Club yesterday, despite being frustrated by some defiant batting by the tail.

On a surface offering little to the bowlers, Wagner bent his back and used the short ball to good effect as he took 6-41 to dismiss the hosts for 164.

The visiting openers then showed the hosts how it’s done with a calm unbeaten 32-run stand to see out a potentially tricky last 10 overs of the day, leaving New Zealand just 132 runs behind.



Zimbabwe had not played a Test since November 2014, and the hiatus showed in their inability to occupy the crease on a pitch that held no demons.

After opting to bat first, opener Brian Chari fell to the second ball of the day, and after Chamu Chibhabha and Hamilton Masakadza offered some stability with an hour-long stand, Wagner got stuck into the hosts.

In a 13-over spell either side of the lunch break, the 30-year-old removed Chibhabha and Sean Williams and then struck three times in one over to reduce the hosts to 72-8.



Four of Wagner’s dismissals came from short deliveries, as Zimbabwe's batsmen had no answer to the tactic.

Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner backed him up with the important wickets of Masakadza and Craig Ervine, registering figures of 2-16.

The only highlight for Zimbabwe was the defiant 85-run stand between Prince Masvaure (42) and Donald Tiripano (49) that gave the hosts’ total some semblance of respectability after coming together at 72-8.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2016.

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