ZIM vs NZ Dream11 Prediction, 1st Test, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing 11, Pitch report & Injury Updates

New Zealand’s return to red-ball cricket after their dominant tri‑series T20 campaign in Harare.

By CricTracker Staff

Updated - 30 Jul 2025, 10:37 IST

1 Min Read

Table Of Contents

Preview

The opening Test of the New Zealand (NZ) tour of Zimbabwe (ZIM) begins on July 30, 2025, at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo. The match is scheduled for 1:30 PM IST.  New Zealand and Zimbabwe kick off a two‑Test series, marking New Zealand’s return to red-ball cricket after their dominant tri‑series T20 campaign in Harare.

Their last Test series encounter between these two sides was in 2016, when New Zealand completed a 2–0 clean sweep in Bulawayo. Despite the gap between series, the Blackcaps remain overwhelming favourites on paper. New Zealand won the previous series 3-0 in India. In contrast, Zimbabwe have suffered a string of heavy defeats in 2025, including innings losses to South Africa and Bangladesh, with their only recent win coming against Bangladesh in April. Tom Latham will miss this match due to injury. 

Match Information

Zimbabwe vs New Zealand, 1st Test

New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe, 30 Jul 2025, Wed, 1:30 PM IST ,Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

Broadcast

Fancode

Live Stream

Fancode

Weather Report

Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

Clear

8.5°C

41% (Humidity)

Team Form (Last 5 matches)

Zimbabwe

L
L
L
L
L

New Zealand

W
W
W
W
W

Probable Playing XI

Zimbabwe

TE Tsiga (wk), CR Ervine (C), NR Welch, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza, BJ Curran, N Nyamhuri, WP Masakadza, Tanaka Chivanga, B Muzarabani, SC Williams

Bench : Clive Madande, R Kaia, T Makoni, Vincent Masekesa, Trevor Gwandu

New Zealand

Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, WA Young, HM Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, DJ Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), MJ Henry, JA Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Michael Bracewell

Bench : Tom Latham, Nathan Smith, William O’Rourke, AY Patel

Injury and availability news

(will be added when there is an update)

Pitch Report

Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo is known for its slow, dry surfaces that tend to be batting-friendly in the first two days, before gradually assisting spinners and reverse swing as the Test progresses

50%

Pace Bowling

50%

Spin Bowling

45%

Batting Pitch

230

Average Score

55%

Bowling Pitch

Player Picks

8.5
C

Matt Henry NZ | BOWL

He will lead the Kiwi pace attack and has 72 wickets in 22 Tests. He’s lethal with the new ball and could exploit any early moisture in the Bulawayo surface.

7.5
VC

Mitchell Santner NZ | ALL

Mitchell Santner is a strong candidate for vice-captaincy roles in fantasy teams. His consistent contribution with both bat and ball make him a valuable choice for fantasy teams.

9

Will Young NZ | BAT

Will Young is coming off a strong series against India, is a technically sound top-order batter with nearly 1,000 runs in Tests. Against Zimbabwe’s bowling, he has a great chance to convert his form into a big score

9

Sikandar Raza ZIM | ALL

He is their most complete red-ball player. With over 1,100 runs and 35 wickets, he contributes in both departments and will be key with the bat and ball on a wearing pitch

8.5

Sean Williams ZIM | ALL

Williams is a key all-rounder for Zimbabwe, known for his dynamic left-hand batting and useful left-arm spin

8.5

Ben Curran ZIM | BAT

He will open the batting and is returning to the Zimbabwe team. He will be a budget pick.

Avoid Having These Players In Your Fantasy Sports Team

8

Nathan Smith

NZ | BAT

8.5

Trevor Gwandu

ZIM | ALL

Last Updated On - Jul 30 2025 10:37 AM

Players
11/11

Team 1

ZIM

4 : 7

NZ

Credits Left
9.5/100

Head To Head
Devon Conway

8

Will Young

9

Sean Williams

8.5

Mitchell Santner
VC

7.5

Rachin Ravindra

7

Brian Bennett

9

Sikandar Raza

9

Michael Bracewell

8

Jacob Duffy

8

Matt Henry
C

8.5

Blessing Muzarabani

8

Players
11/11

Team 1

ZIM

5 : 6

NZ

Credits Left
9/100

Mega League
Henry Nicholls

9

Will Young

9

Sean Williams

8.5

Mitchell Santner

7.5

Rachin Ravindra
VC

7

Brian Bennett

9

Sikandar Raza
C

9

Michael Bracewell

8

Matt Henry

8.5

Wellington Masakadza

7.5

Blessing Muzarabani

8

This is an app-only feature

Get the Crictracker app to view this team

Download App

More Match Details

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

Note

Updated Fantasy teams and Playing XIs of every match will be provided in our Telegram channel if the information is available.

Disclaimer

This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store