We won’t be underestimating Zimbabwe: Mike Hesson

New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson said that his side will not be underestimating Zimbabwe in their own conditions. He also expressed his concern over his team picking up 20 wickets in the first Test at Bulawayo against Zimbabwe.

He said that the Bulawayo wicket is slow and hence will not offer much for the fast bowlers. Mike Hesson was quoted by Cricbuzz saying, “We’ve had a slow and steady build-up – we haven’t gone too hard too soon, which is a challenge. We trained at the Tuks University and it was a good chance for us to get used to conditions that we are likely to face here.”

“I think in Bulawayo we’re expecting something that’s going to be relatively slow and not a heck of a lot of bounce, so taking 20 wickets will be a challenge. The Zimbabwe bowling attack is very disciplined, so from a batting point of view it’s about committing to your plans for long periods of time,” he added.

The coach also pointed out that they don’t have a lot of footage of the Zimbabwe cricketers. “Some of the Zimbabwe players we don’t know very well,” Hesson said.

Also read – Andre Russell to face an anti-doping disciplinary panel in September

“We don’t have a lot of footage of them, so we are going to have to deal with that when we arrive. But we certainly won’t be underestimating Zimbabwe in their own conditions,” he added.

New Zealand will be playing a Test match in Zimbabwe after 5 years and the skipper Kane Williamson is not at all taking this series lightly. New Zealand is currently playing a practice match against Zimbabwe ‘A’.

“It’s a big series for us – we’ve got two Tests here and two in South Africa, and we certainly know Zimbabwe in their own conditions are a stiff challenge. It’s important that we’re looking to be smart. It might be a little different here, depending on what the surface presents,” said Williamson.

Also read – Andre Russell to face an anti-doping disciplinary panel in September