Zimbabwe vs. New Zealand: Winners and Losers from Only T20
New Zealand’s one-off Twenty20 International away to Zimbabwe finished with a resounding win for the visitors by 80 runs in a game they dominated.
It marks the end of the Black Caps’ time in the country, as they now make the short trip to South Africa for games against the Proteas.
However, before they move forward with that, let’s look back at this T20I and see which players impressed, and which players did not.
Read on for some winners and losers from this game.
Winner: George Worker
Black Caps No. 3 George Worker came in for his debut in this game, and looked hugely impressive as he made 62 from 38 balls.
It was an innings that included three fours and four sixes as he took the attack to the Zimbabwe bowlers and put New Zealand right on track for victory.
Loser: Prosper Utseya
One bowler to struggle in the face of New Zealand’s aggression with the bat was Prosper Utseya, who bowled just two overs and saw them disappear for 30.
The off-spinner was handed the new ball by captain Elton Chigumbura, but he could not get the control necessary to stop the Black Caps’ charge.
Winner: Martin Guptill
Opener Martin Guptill continues to look in good touch for New Zealand, and he got them off to a strong start with 33 from 24 balls at the top of the order.
He enjoyed an enterprising partnership of 49 with Worker in just 5.3 overs, and ensured the visitors’ run rate stayed very high throughout his time at the crease.
Loser: Taurai Muzarabani
Taurai Muzarabani took the crucial wicket of Kane Williamson for Zimbabwe, but that was a good as it got as he finished with figures of 1-34 from three overs.
The seamer could not contain a rampant Black Caps batting unit as he saw six deliveries disappear for fours and finished with an economy rate of 11.33 runs per over.
Winner: Adam Milne
New Zealand seamer Adam Milne looked in fine fettle on his return to the team as he strangled Zimbabwe’s batsmen and finished with figures of 2-10 from four overs.
Milne got things going early with the crucial wicket of Hamilton Masakadza. He then returned to remove Regis Chakabva and ensure the hosts’ chase never got going.
Loser: Sikandar Raza
A final Zimbabwe bowler to see his figures treated harshly by the New Zealand batsmen was Sikandar Raza, who finished with 0-32 from just three overs.
Like many of his colleagues, the off-spinner could not find much assistance from the pitch and saw the opposition players take a distinct liking to his offerings.