ZIM vs NZ 2025, 1st Test Day 2 Review: Conway, Mitchell miss tons, but BlackCaps in command

Hosts Zimbabwe ended Day 2 of the ongoing first Test against New Zealand with the scorecard reading 31-2 in the second innings as they still trail by 127 runs. The day was all about Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell, as the duo helped the Kiwis take a massive 158-run lead after the first innings.

The action began with Blessing Muzarabani striking on the very first ball of the day to get rid of Will Young and in came Henry Nicholls, erecting a decent 66-run stand. Like Young, Nicholls also had to depart of a short-pitched one from Muzarabani. No. 4 batter Rachin Ravindra too made his way back without adding much to his tally. Just as everyone thought Conway would get to his hundred soon, he was dismissed by Tanaka Chivanga for 88 off 170.

Momentum had swung Zimbabwe's way, as Tom Blundell and Michael Bracewell made their way back to the pavillion, however, Mitchell held his end firmly. The seasoned all-rounder did bulk of the scoring in his partnerships with Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith (retired not out on 22). While the Kiwi opener had missed his century, Mitchell was on his way to get one, but he too, was left devoid, getting his defence broken on an attempted scoop after scoring 80 off 119. 

Smith could not come back to bat, as New Zealand innings was wrapped up for 307. For the hosts, Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers, picking three wickets on the day, while Chivanga also walked off with a couple. Newman Nyamhuri, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, and Vincent Masekesa had a wicket apiece against their names.

Zimbabwe's reply began on a promising note, but just when it seemed as if the openers were playing good enough to negotiate the new ball, Ben Curran (11 off 26) and Bennett (18 off 21) had departed to Matt Henry and Will O'Rourke, respectively. Bracewell was brought into the attack in just the ninth over of the innings. More spin was injected as skipper Santner got himself on in the subsequent over. Nick Welch (2* off 18) and Vincent Masekesa (0* off 13) kept the wickets' column of Zimbabwe to only two, but they are still 127 runs behind. 

The third day promises to be a mouthwatering clash between the 2021 WTC winners and a workhorse Zimbabwean side. While Zimbabwe would certainly fancy a strong lead and setting up a defendable target, the BlackCaps will look to bundle things up as quickly as possible and take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series.