ross taylor
Ross Taylor scored 173* in the first Test to take home the player of the match award Getty

Zimbabwe host New Zealand in the second Test match at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo on Saturday (6 August).

Where to watch live

Match starts at 9am BST. Live TV coverage is available on Willow TV.

Overview

New Zealand could not have asked for a better start to their cricketing summer, thrashing the hosts by an innings and 117 runs in the first Test at Bulawayo. The Kiwis registered their second biggest win in away Tests. Interestingly, their biggest win in away Tests was also against the same opposition, way back in 2005.

Skipper Kane Williamson would have been happy to see the way both his batsman and bowlers performed in the first Test. Tom Latham, Ross Taylor and BJ Watling scoring centuries while Neil Wagner and Trent Boult starred with the ball picking up eight and four wickets in the match respectively.

Williamson would be kicking himself for missing out on a ton, after losing his wicket for 91 runs while opener Martin Guptill will look to make full use of a weak Zimbabwe attack and score some runs. The Kiwis, are expected to field the same eleven players that played in the First Test last week.

Zimbabwe, as expected did not put up much of a fight losing their sixth consecutive game at Bulawayo, in fact, they have now lost eight of the last nine Tests at the venue. The only positive for the hosts was the performance of Sean Williams, who scored 119 in the second innings, his maiden Test ton, to show some fight against a team who were all over them.

The highlight of Williams' innings was the way he went about it, hitting 21 boundaries at a strike rate of 80.40. Craig Ervine was another who showed some sort of fight; scoring a fifty but other than them it was an abject performance by the hosts.

Zimbabwe are expected to make a number of changes, with off spinner John Nyumbu, Njabulo Ncube and seamer Chris Mpofu all expected to feature in order to beef up their bowling attack.

Prediction

New Zealand to win

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • Zimbabwe to win: 16
  • Draw: 15/2
  • New Zealand to win: 1/10

Team News

Zimbabwe

Possible XI: Brian Chari, Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Prince Masvaure, Regis Chakabva (wk), Graeme Cremer (c), Chris Mpofu, John Nyumbu, Njabulo Ncube.

New Zealand

Possible XI: Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, BJ Watling (wk), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult.

Zimbabwe New Zealand New Zealand cricket