New Zealand Cricket

After a 2-1 series victory in the one-day internationals for New Zealand, their tour of Zimbabwe continues with a one-off Twenty20 international in Harare.

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare

Date: Sunday, August 9

Start time: 9 a.m. local time, 8 a.m. BST

Live on: Ten Sports

Weather: According to Weather.com, Harare will be sunny, with temperatures peaking at around 25 degrees Celsius.

Overview

New Zealand come into this game on the back of a 2-1 series victory in the ODIs, having won the third and final match by 38 runs.

The Black Caps batted first and reached 273-6 from their 50 overs, thanks to 90 from Kane Williamson, 42 from Martin Guptill and late cameos from Grant Elliott and Jimmy Neesham.

For Zimbabwe, Graeme Cremer impressed with three wickets, while John Nyumbu chipped in with two.

In reply, the hosts looked good as Hamilton Masakadza made 57 and Sean Williams made 63, but their response fell away and they were bowled out for 235.

Mitchell McClenaghan was the star for the Black Caps with 3-36, while Ish Sodhi played a good supporting role with two of his own.

Attention now shifts to the one-off T20I, the last game of New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe before they head to South Africa.

The visitors have again named a strong squad, while Zimbabwe have kept largely the same players, including star batsman Craig Ervine.

It will certainly be an interesting game, and one the hosts will be hopeful of winning, especially given the short format.

Team News

Zimbabwe (from): Elton Chigumbura (capt), Sikandar Raza Butt, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Neville Madziva, Hamilton Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Taurai Muzarabani, John Nyumbu, Donald Tiripano, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller.

New Zealand (from): Kane Williamson (capt), Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Ish Sodhi, Ben Wheeler, George Worker.

Key Players

Hamilton Masakadza

Last time out, Hamilton Masakadza again looked decent with the bat for Zimbabwe as he scored 57 from 71 balls.

He will need to do more of the same if the home side are to be victorious, and he needs to shrug off some of the inconsistency that has dogged him in the past.

Kane Williamson

He remains one of the best batsmen in the world in all forms of the game, and if Kane Williamson can maintain his form, New Zealand will be hopeful of victory.

Williamson scored 90 last time out to anchor the Black Caps’ innings, and he proved once again why he is one of the best No. 3 batsmen around.

New Zealand will play a one-day game in Zimbabwe for the first time since 2011 when the two nations meet  in Harare on Sunday.

The Black Caps are led by Kane Williamson on a tour that will see them play a three-match ODI series and a one-off Twenty20 fixture.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will be hoping an understrength touring squad gives them a chance to reverse a miserable recent run of form—they have lost their last nine completed 50-over matches.

Date: Sunday, August 2, 2015

Start time: 9 a.m. local time/8 a.m. BST

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe

Live stream and TV info: Ten Sports 

Weather: Per AccuWeather, the conditions should be good for cricket on Sunday. Temperatures are expected to get up to 21 degrees with no rain predicted to fall throughout the day.

Overview

With Brendon McCullum and Tim Southee staying at home, and both Corey Anderson and Trent Boult sidelined by back injuries, New Zealand will be without several key players during the series.

However, coach Mike Hesson insists the absence of some familiar faces only offers opportunities to others to come in and make a name for themselves, per ESPN Cricinfo:

This is a team which has built up an impressive record on the international circuit in recent times and the expectation is that we continue to perform, regardless of who might be missing.

We were also without some key players on last summer's away series against Pakistan, and still managed to win 3-2 thanks to other players stepping up.

Our focus is on continuing to produce strong team performances, rather than be distracted by the presence or absence of specific individuals.

Williamson is the heir apparent to captain McCullum, who has been given the chance to rest after a busy first half of the year that included a Cricket World Cup campaign, a stint in the Indian Premier League and a tour of England.

Per Mark Geenty of Stuff.co.nz, Todd Latham will take over from McCullum at the top of the order.

Martin Guptill will be the other opener—he struck a century on New Zealand's last appearance at the Harare Sports Club, in the process helping his team seal a 3-0 series triumph four years ago.

Uncapped leg-spinner Ish Sodhi has been selected in the squad for the series, while paceman Adam Milne could make his first appearance since the quarter-final win over New Zealand at the World Cup.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will want to improve on a miserable record against New Zealand in Harare—they have won just once against the Black Caps in seven meetings at the venue.

The home side have named a 15-man squad for the first two matches in the series, per ESPN Cricinfo.

They have reacted to the 3-0 series defeat against India on home soil by bringing in four players. They are batsman Craig Ervine, all-rounder Luke Jongwe, spinner John Nyumbu and seam bowler Chris Mpofu.

Key players

Zimbabwe

Captain Elton Chigumbura's century in the first ODI against India last month was one of the few highlights for Zimbabwe in a disappointing series.

The right-hander is now the key wicket in his side's middle order after Brendan Taylor retired from international action to continue his career playing county cricket in England.

New Zealand

With McCullum missing, extra responsibility is passed on to the shoulders of Martin Guptill at the top of the Kiwi batting order.

He threatened in the series with England without ever delivering a big score, hitting three half-centuries but finishing the five matches with a highest score of 67.

Squads

Zimbabwe

Elton Chigumbura (captain), Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Regis Chakabva (wicketkeeper), Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya, Tinashe Panyangara, Christopher Mpofu, John Nyumbu, Vusi Sibanda, Luke Jongwe, Neville Madziva

New Zealand

Kane Williamson (captain), Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi (wicketkeeper), Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Ben Wheeler, George Worker

All stats used in the preview are from ESPN Cricinfo

The tour to England did not quite go according to plan for New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.

His team, despite providing plenty of excitement and playing aggressive cricket throughout, failed to win a series.

After a 1-1 draw in the Tests, they surrendered a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 in the one-dayers.

A one-off Twenty20 fixture at Old Trafford offered them the chance to finish with a flourish. It also offered McCullum the batsman one last opportunity to record an innings of note before the trip was over.

Alas, just like his side, New Zealand's skipper promised much but failed to go on and deliver.

He crashed his way to 35 in a hurry, slamming four sixes in the process, but then deflected a Mark Wood yorker off the toe-end of his bat and into off stump.

New Zealand went on to lose their last five wickets for four runs, gifting England the victory. The final margin of 56 runs was convincing, but it had been a much-closer game than the scores might suggest.

McCullum's unfortunate dismissal in Manchester meant that in 10 innings on English soil, the right-hander registered just the one half-century.

That solitary 50 came in the second Test at Headingley, and by McCullum's usual standards was snail-like (he faced 98 deliveries to make 55). It was, though, crucial in helping set up a winning position for the tourists, allowing them to square the series on the final day in Leeds. 

There were starts for McCullum in the 50-over fixtures that followed but no big score. In fact, only in the fourth ODI at Trent Bridge did he last beyond the initial power-play period.

But, despite his disappointing numbers, his reputation as a leader has only been enhanced.

Actor John Cleese went so far as to suggest that the 33-year-old deserves to be honoured by the Queen in the near future, tweeting:

While Sir Brendon McCullum may be going a touch too far, the man from Dunedin does deserve a lot of credit, not only for the way his team has played but also the ripple effect that has spread across to the opposing changing room. 

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then McCullum should soak up the adulation.

England has watched the way New Zealand go about limited-overs cricket in particular and decided to follow suit. Few could have imagined it would go so well so quickly, but such is the power of positive thinking.

Eoin Morgan and McCullum are very much alike. England's skipper is also at his best when playing with complete freedom, when he's allowed to demonstrate his destructive batting abilities without worrying about the consequences of getting out.

Handed the one-day captaincy just prior to the Cricket World Cup, Morgan struggled for form as he found himself steering a sinking ship. The iceberg arrived in the form of a defeat to Bangladesh in Adelaide, meaning an earlier-than-expected flight home and a long debrief into how things went so badly wrong. 

Coach Peter Moores paid the price, but Morgan remained at the helm.

When they had faced New Zealand earlier in the tournament, McCullum had some kind words to say about his good friend, per the Guardian: “He’s going through a bit of a tough time. Tough times don’t last, but tough blokes do. Hopefully at some point he’ll come out of it.”

Morgan could say the very same thing to his mate now, with the tour over.

Yet while McCullum the batsman has not been at his best, McCullum the captain has been outstanding.

His aggression with the bat is matched by his desire to take wickets with the ball. Funky fields are becoming his trademark, but they're not just for show. 

At times when Morgan was at the crease, for instance, McCullum would station up to four men in and around the point area, knowing the left-hander loved to hit through that region off the quicker bowlers. 

Containment is not McCullum's modus operandi. He knows the easiest way to stop opposing sides prospering is taking wickets, no matter what format you are playing.

England has entered into the spirit of things and, in the process, lifted the entire mood of their supporters. The focus has been switched away from the corridors of power at the England and Wales Cricket Board and back to what is happening on the field.

Facing New Zealand has been the perfect appetiser for the Ashes, but the main course may not be so palatable.

Australia, unlike their trans-Tasman rivals, will want to win more than just friends during their stay in England. If the early part of the summer was a friendly fight, the next will be more like a grudge match.

What is the best word to describe the first two games of the ODI series between England and New Zealand: Exciting, perhaps? How about exhilarating, or entertaining?

It has certainly been engrossing for those watching, whether in the grounds or on television, particularly at the Oval as the Kiwis levelled the series in a ridiculously high-scoring encounter.

If you’re one of the poor bowlers who has been involved so far, however, the word that might sum things up perfectly is "exposed."

The two teams have combined to plunder 1,369 runs already.

It must be remembered that New Zealand only batted 31.1 overs in defeat at Edgbaston on Tuesday, while rain cut short England’s brave chase by 24 balls on Friday.

While batsmen on both sides have filled their boots, seamers and spinners alike have struggled to stem the flow of runs.

The scoreboards have not so much been ticking over as spinning at a nonstop rate. A total of 42 sixes have been struck, making it feel at times like a home-run derby you’d be more accustomed to seeing in baseball.

Despite the carnage, one bowler has come through relatively unscathed—Trent Boult.

No bowler on either side has an economy rate under six an over other than Boult (5.40), while his six wickets see him sit as the leading wicket-taker from either team.

The left-armer picked up four for 55 in the first match at Edgbaston, astonishing figures considering his side conceded 408 in 50 overs:

At the Oval, Boult was just as impressive.

It was the 25-year-old who Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum turned to when England were flying along with Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler at the crease and the required rate steadily dropping.

Needing just the 399 for victory, the hosts were beginning to make the seemingly impossible look seriously probable until Boult dismissed Buttler for 41.

He also removed Sam Billings for 12 as he ended with two for 53. His 10 overs included 36 dot balls, and bowling him out so early seemed a gamble that could backfire on McCullum until the heavens opened to shorten the contest.

It might seem odd considering the batting feats during the day-nighter, but you could seriously argue that Boult should have been man of the match instead of team-mate Ross Taylor.

Charlie Reynolds certainly felt it should have gone to the bowler, per his tweet: 

To wrap up a fine personal performance, Boult combined with new-ball partner Tim Southee to pull off a superb catch in the deep, seeing off Adil Rashid as England's last remaining hope of victory disappeared:

Best bowling ... and fielding ... combination in world cricket! ;) https://t.co/sPlFNrOp2a @trent_boult @BLACKCAPS #EngvNZ

— Jess (@BlackCapsNo1Fan) June 12, 2015

Boult has carried over his form from the Cricket World Cup earlier this year, having finished that tournament level with Australia’s Mitchell Starc at the top of the wicket-taking charts (they both took 22).

The seamer sat in fifth in the ICC player rankings in ODI cricket at the end of May, and he could rise even higher by the time the current series is over.

The key to Boult’s success is not speed but swing. Nick Compton, an opening batsman who scored two Test centuries for England during their last tour in New Zealand in 2013, was full of praise for the man from Rotura, telling the Daily Mail:

Everyone’s talking about Australia’s Mitchells - Johnson and Starc - but England have Boult to worry about first, and he is up there with the best. 

He’s not as quick as the two Aussies but he has so much discipline — he hardly bowls a bad ball. Plus, he swings it both ways — a bit like a left-arm version of Jimmy Anderson — and if you can do that in England you’re always going to be a handful.

Johnson and Starc deal more with fear, while Boult is more about testing your technique and wearing you down. He’s the kind of bowler who makes you play so your defence has to be really tight.

Whether it is in Test or one-day cricket, Boult is now the spearhead of New Zealand’s attack.

He has stood out like a sore thumb in the two 50-over games against England to date, and it was no surprise that his colleagues rushed to congratulate him after he had completed his final over at the Oval.

Without him, New Zealand may well have been heading to the Ageas Bowl on Sunday for the third ODI in a must-win situation. Instead, the series is all square with everything to play for.

New Zealand beat England by 199 runs to win the second Test at Headingley and draw the series 1-1.

The hosts were dismissed for 255 in their second innings and missed the chance to climb to third in the ICC Test rankings.

England began the final day in Leeds on 44-0 but lost five wickets in the morning session.

Adam Lyth had not added to his overnight 24 when he was caught behind off Trent Boult in the fourth over of the morning.

Boult then bowled Gary Ballance for six, via the back pad, before spinner Mark Craig took two wickets in the space of three balls.

Ian Bell’s poor run of form continued as he pushed Craig straight to Kane Williamson at leg slip, and then Tom Latham took a blinder at short leg to snaffle Joe Root for a duck.

On the brink of lunch, part-time spinner Williamson got in on the act with Ben Stokes (29), getting a thin outside edge through to Luke Ronchi behind the stumps.

Captain Alastair Cook had stood firm, adding just 22 runs in the morning session, and he brought up his 50 from 158 balls after lunch before becoming the youngest man to reach 9000 Test runs.

However, he too fell to Williamson, trapped lbw for 56, and when Moeen Ali (2) shouldered arms to Matt Henry, the Kiwis knew they were on the brink of just their fifth Test win in England.

Williamson took a third when Stuart Broad (23) dragged on, and the home side went to tea on 206-8.

Mark Wood stuck around for 40 balls, but he was caught at slip off Tim Southee for 17, and when Jos Buttler was trapped lbw by Craig for 73, New Zealand had completed their first Test win in England in 16 years.

The result means New Zealand stay above fifth-placed England in the ICC Test rankings by one position.

New Zealand must have known from the moment they picked a side including four wicketkeepers that they were in safe hands at Headingley. 

Tom Latham, Brendon McCullum, Luke Ronchi and BJ Watling have all worn the gloves in Test cricket, though, only Ronchi has done so in the second and final Test against England in Leeds.

However, the Black Caps’ quartet of glovemen have still all played key roles in putting their side in a strong position to level the series. 

By the close of play on the third day, New Zealand had reached 338 for six in their second innings, meaning a lead of exactly the same amount.

Watling was undoubtedly their star turn on Sunday.

He reached his fifth Test century just before the close of play, showing why the Kiwis had opted to select him even though he wasn’t fit enough to fulfill his usual role of keeping wicket.

Freed from his other duties, Watling proved his worth as a front-line batsman. In doing so, the right-hander made a little piece of cricketing history, as Yorkshire Cricket Club pointed out:

Watling combined with another of his keeping brethren, skipper McCullum, in putting on a fifth-wicket stand worth 121. Slowly, they shut the door on England on a see-saw day that must have warmed the crowd watching on in the cold.

For once, McCullum was circumspect in his approach. There was still the odd moment of aggression, for it is simply not possible for him to go completely into his shell.

However, the tourists’ skipper worked hard to make 55 from 98 balls. It will not be an innings that makes his top 10, but it should be one that sets up a series-levelling win his squad richly deserve.

McCullum also reached a landmark moment during his half-century, as the ICC pointed out on their official Twitter account:

Ronchi actually batted more in the usual style of McCullum than the man himself. After replacing his captain at the crease, he hit 31 in a hurry to further demoralise the home bowlers.

His second innings was a building block to a big lead. His first, though, laid the foundations for his (second) country in their bid for success.

In his maiden knock on Day 1, the right-hander dashed his way to 88. It took him just 70 deliveries to make his runs too, frustrating England after they had won the toss and opted to bowl first.

The opportunity to play Test cricket had been a long time coming for Ronchi.

Although born in Manawatu, New Zealand, he was raised in Australia and represented them in four one-day matches and a Twenty20 fixture. He didn't too badly either, but he was only ever there as a stand-in for Brad Haddin.

There was one more T20 appearance for the Aussies; then he opted to head back home. The move has been vindicated with his performances in limited-overs cricket for the Kiwis, even though his Test career may not stretch beyond one game.

Brydon Coverdale revealed on Twitter that Ronchi's debut saw him break a long-standing record:

Ronchi had already teamed up with the other wicketkeeper, Latham, to put on a stand worth 120 on the Friday. The latter had been needed to take over with the gloves at Lord’s in the opening Test, as Watling was forced off the field through injury.

Yet his main role is to give his side a solid start with the bat at the top of the order.

He did just that in testing conditions, making 84. That, too, after he had seen both Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson depart with the score stuck on two.

Latham, like Watling, is not a batsman who is going to draw in the crowds. They are both solid, choosing to leave the spectacular to players like McCullum and Ronchi.

But combined, they have been New Zealand’s version of the fantastic four in the second Test.