Zimbabwe test New Zealand

Zimbabwe have not played any Test cricket since then and will still be buoyed by how close they came. New Zealand, however, have a bigger cloud to float on — victory over Australia in Hobart.
The Zimbabwe series is a curtain raiser to South Africa’s arrival in New Zealand later in the summer and the hosts will want to use what is effectively a warm-up tour to fine-tune their plans.
They have question marks over who the best wicketkeeper in the country is, how many all-rounders to play and which of their four quick bowlers will edge ahead if they have to pick between them. One Test may not be enough to clarify all of these issues but it will go some way to guiding New Zealand in the immediate future.

Zimbabwe have a far more daunting mission to accomplish. For the first time since making their Test comeback in August last year, they will play away from the comfort of Harare or Bulawayo. While still finding their feet in the longest form of the game, they will also have to quickly assess and understand the ground beneath it as they adapt to foreign conditions. Their captain, Brendan Taylor, has already spent time in New Zealand playing in the HRV Cup and his insights will be valuable.

Under Alan Butcher, Zimbabwe have formed a close-knit and increasingly confident unit but this match will test those bonds and other aspects of their game. The result matters less for them than the manner in which it is achieved and how they perform in this match will provide a good yardstick for measuring Zimbabwe’s progress.

Players to watch

After just three Test matches in which he has scored three fifties, Dean Brownlie has already earned a promotion up the order. He will bat at No. 5 and will act as the fifth seamer in an attack that will contain four quicks and the spotlight will fall on whether he can convert a start.
Like most of their squad, Zimbabwe’s new-ball pair of Kyle Jarvis and Brian Vitori will experience Test cricket on foreign soil for the first time.
On a pitch in Harare that offered only early assistance for the quicks, the pair took 10 wickets between them and will be able to push themselves on a surface offering more assistance.

Pitch and conditions
Talk in New Zealand is that the hosts have ordered a green top as they look to pick from where they left off in Hobart. Although Napier has traditionally been a batsmen’s pitch, with the last match between New Zealand and Pakistan playing out to a high-scoring draw in 2009.
A wetter summer than normal should provide for bowler-friendly conditions. Napier is expected to be mild and sunny with the only possibility of rain forecast for the second afternoon.

Stats and trivia

New Zealand have never won a Test match in Napier. Of the nine matches played there, seven have been draws with only England and Sri Lanka registering Test wins at McLean Park.

New Zealand and Zimbabwe have played against each other 14 times, with New Zealand winning eight and six draws. Three of the victories were by more than an innings.