admincautious approach against restricting lines and fielders in run-saving positions limited their first day of Test cricket since January 2011 to a good one at Queens yesterday.
With the bowling mostly as flat as the pitch, a gifted wicket in each session – including that of centurion Martin Guptill – let Zimbabwe escape from having a fruitless day, though they didn’t help themselves by not taking the rare tough chances.
That New Zealand were three men down was due to Brendon McCullum’s impatience, Kane Williamson’s slowness in getting back into his crease and Guptill finding midwicket off a long hop.
Ross Taylor and BJ Watling survived some close moments against the second new ball – the only time Zimbabwe’s seamers created any sort of pressure – to end a solid, if unspectacular, day for their side.
Guptill and Taylor did not look like getting dislodged as they worked the bowling around in a 132-run stand for the third wicket, both men unwilling to do anything extravagant.
Guptill batted with care, going without runs for prolonged periods as the Zimbabwe seamers bowled straight with either a short mid-off or short mid-on in place after lunch.
With Ray Price bowling a leg-stump line from over the wicket, the onus was on New Zealand to either unsettle the bowling or make a mistake. They did neither, waiting for loose deliveries and putting them away.
After a quiet period, Guptill skipped out of the crease to loft Price inside-out over long-off for six to move to 99.
A pulled boundary off a long hop gave him his second Test hundred but he was out soon after, pulling a similar one from Hamilton Masakadza straight to midwicket.
Guptill’s dismissal was similar to the way his two team-mates had fallen before him.
After Taylor opted to bat in friendly conditions, McCullum threw away the opportunity to make a big score when he dragged an attempted pull off Kyle Jarvis onto his stumps.
Williamson and Guptill carried on unfettered but Zimbabwe had another gift coming their way when Williamson was run-out after lunch in freakish fashion.
He tried to avoid a throw to the wicketkeeper from the bowler Ray Price but ended up being just short of his crease as he dragged his foot back.
The placidity of the wicket was on display as early as the second over when consecutive deliveries from Njabulo Ncube – one of five debutants in the game – bounced in front of Regis Chakabva, keeping wicket as Tatenda Taibu played as a specialist batsman.
Guptill soon warmed up with three fours in Jarvis’ third over, the second of which flew on the up between backward point and gully.
Zimbabwe had a couple of chances against Guptill; once when a powerful drive off Price went through the bowler’s hands at head height just before lunch. – Cricinfo.com.
Online Reporter