Zimbabwe v New Zealand 1st ODI, 5 talking points

Zimbabwe v New Zealand 1st ODI, 5 talking points: The first ODI between Zimbabwe and New Zealand was indeed a nail biting one and tons of runs were scored in the game. After putting into bat first, the Kiwis looked a bit dismantled at the start but the middle order capitalised and brought them back to the game. Finally, they ended up in putting a total of 303/4 at the end of 50 overs. In reply, the Zimbabwean’s looked to be fully up for the chase and never looked down. Also, they kept wickets in hand and played sensibly. Eventually, Zimbabwe sealed a genuine victory by a margin of 7 wickets. Here are the five talking points of the Zimbabwe v New Zealand 1st ODI: 1. Williamson’s glamorous knock: Kane Williamson. (Photo Source: Associated Press) After losing the first two wickets early on, the New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson did provide New Zealand with a brilliant support. He scored a total of 97 runs off 102 deliveries which consisted of 11 fours and a six. But sadly, for the fifth time, Williamson was dismissed on the nineties and missed his century by inches. Still, his innings did provide the required basement for the New Zealand innings. 2. Centurion partnership between Williamson and Taylor: Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson have framed the golden batting pair for New Zealand and these two have been pretty much consistent in maintaining their role as the support system of the New Zealand batting. The partnership contributed a total of 137 runs for the team when Williamson was dismissed at the score of 97 runs. This marked the 10th centurion stand between Williamson and Taylor in 38 innings and the 5th one in this year. Taylor remained unbeaten till the end and scored 112 runs. 3. Partnership between Masakadza and Ervine: Craig Ervine. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Well, in a high scoring game, partnerships do make the differences between the teams. And indeed, the partnership between Masakadza and Craig Ervine cemented Zimbabwe’s stature in the chase. Masakadza scored a total of 84 runs while Ervine served his role till the end. That very partnership of 120 runs was extremely vital from the context of the game and Zimbabwe managed to hold an upper hand with it. 4. Craig Ervine’s anchoring role: Craig Ervine. (Photo Source: Associated Press) It was indeed one man who set the difference between the teams and it was Craig Ervine. Coming in to bat at number 3, he remained unbeaten till the end and played an instrumental role in Zimbabwe’s emphatic win over the Kiwis. He remained unbeaten at the score of 130 runs off 108 deliveries which involved 11 fours and 5 sixes. Also, he finished the game with a six against McCullum and Zimbabwe were home with an over to spare. 5. New Zealand’s poor bowling: New Zealand’s poor bowling. (Photo Source: Associated Press) The Kiwis did not manage to put up any pressure upon the Zimbabwean batsmen and failed considerably. Matt Henry, Mitchell McCleneghan and James Neesham were unable to leave a mark and went wicket-less. Only Nathan McCullum impressed with his bowling and he managed to strike in 3 wickets but there was no one else to support his cause. Also, in the death overs, the Kiwis conceded too many runs and failed to maintain some amount of pressure.