END OF OVER:79 | 4 Runs 1 Wkt | ZIM: 295/10
- Michael Chinouya0 (18b)
- Neil Wagner17-1-62-2
- Mitchell Santner17-6-32-1
2.06pm: Williams struck the fastest Test ton by a Zimbabwe player, Ervine reached his maiden Test fifty, Cremer had a long stubborn stint at the crease, taking several blows on his body. But, it wasn't enough to make NZ bat again. The hosts, however, showed good application and dug deep after folding for 164 in their first innings.
NZ's quicks will be pleased with the strong outing. Boult bagged four wickets while Wagner three to finish with a match haul of eight wickets. Southee found early swing and then reverse swing with the old ball. All three seamers contributed to the short-ball barrage, with Wagner generating greater pace and bounce on a benign surface. Sodhi and Santner supported them well enough. So, Williamson wins big on Test captaincy debut. In fact, this is NZ's second-biggest win away from home.
Cremer, Zimbabwe captain: I am feeling a little bit stiff. Not too bad [the blows on the body]. The fight was excellent. After the first innings, I thought we were soft. Williams stuck in. But, we din't learn quick enough after the first innings. We probably have ten guys sick in the change room. We may go in for an extra seamer in the next Test. I don't see it [the composition] changing so much.
Williamson, New Zealand captain: Zimbabwe fought very hard with the bat, credit to them. For us the first-innings bowling effort after losing the toss was outstanding, and it put us ahead in the game. The boys enjoyed themselves and they applied themselves.To get the score we did and put Zimbabwe under pressure was outstanding. Looking forward to the next match
Taylor, Man of the Match: I am not quite sure if I deserve it. The bowlers bowled well to put us in this position. Winning Tests, ODIs, and T20s are rewarding. I know Zimbabwe will come at us hard in the second Test. There is definitely room to improve. Going to Heath Streak's farm next.
That is all we have for you from this match. Firdose Moonda's report will sum up the day. Thanks for reading. This is Deivarayan Muthu, signing off on the behalf of Venkat Raghav and Shashank Kishore. Do come back for the second Test, which starts on August 6 at the same venue. Ciao
Vipin: "So, a hundred for Sean but no fifer for Trent"
Gustav Brink: "So each of the last 6 partnerships worth more than the biggest of the top 4! Maybe they should switch the batting order around!"
Praneeth: "If Zimbabwe batted like this in the first innings and bowled a bit better, we could have watched a tighter contest."
zimcricketforum: "It was always going to end this way, but credit to the way Williams (and Cremer) batted for at least not making it a formality in the first session."
DT Tiripano c †Watling b Wagner 14 (39m 33b 3x4 0x6) SR: 42.42
END OF OVER:78 | 1 Run | ZIM: 291/9
- Michael Chinouya0 (18b)
- Donald Tiripano10 (27b)
- Mitchell Santner17-6-32-1
- Neil Wagner16-1-58-1
END OF OVER:77 | 1 Run | ZIM: 290/9
- Michael Chinouya0 (14b)
- Donald Tiripano9 (25b)
- Neil Wagner16-1-58-1
- Mitchell Santner16-6-31-1
END OF OVER:76 | (maiden) | ZIM: 289/9
- Michael Chinouya0 (11b)
- Donald Tiripano8 (22b)
- Mitchell Santner16-6-31-1
- Neil Wagner15-1-57-1