Zimbabwe v New Zealand 2nd ODI: 5 talking points

Zimbabwe v New Zealand 2nd ODI: 5 talking points: One of Zimbabwe’s biggest drawback has been their inconsistency. And that came back to bite them in the 2^nd ODI of the three match series against New Zealand. Zimbabwe were hoping to seal the series with a win but could not back up their intentions with on field execution. Deciding to bat on what seemed a tricky Harare wicket, the African side got to a respectable 235 courtsey some great batting by Sikandar Raza who went on to score a hundred after the top order collapsed badly. The Kiwis however had no difficulty in chasing down the target and did so with all 10 wickets intact with Martin Guptill and Tom Latham making unbeaten centuries.

Here are the five talking points of the Zimbabwe v New Zealand 2nd ODI:

1. The unbeaten opening partnership for New Zealand: The innings interval was all about Sikandar Raza and his exquisite knock. And there was a sense of belief in the Zimbabwe camp considering the slow pitch and the cracks on it. But Martin Guptill and Tom Latham had different ideas. Guptill and Latham stitched the highest ever opening stand against Zimbabwe, both registered their hundreds and chased down the target with no discomfort whatsoever. Their partnership was also the highest opening stand in Harare.

2. Sikandar Raza’s brilliance under pressure:

After the hosts lost five wickets with just over 80 on the board, Sikandar Raza decided to take centrestage. He showed the much required application which the other batsmen lacked. Raza eventually went on to make a memorable century in the final over of the Zimbabwe innings. Along with Sean Williams, he put up a 60-run stand for the sixth wicket before Williams was sent back by a smart run out. Raza carried on and played sensibly to eventually complete his third ODI ton.

3. The Pitch:

The Harare surface was the centre of much debate and discussion before the game. Almost every expert thought it was a bat first pitch and so we can not fault Elton Chigumbara for going with that opinion. But much to the expert’s amusement and Zimbabwe’s disappointment, the cracks did not quite open up in the second innings which was contrary to expectation. This made batting a lot easier and New Zealand took full advantage of that.

Also Read – Twitter Reactions: Zimbabwe v New Zealand 2nd ODI

4. Early breakthroughs for New Zealand:

Masakadza had a brilliant start to the series with 84 in the last match but succumbed early this time. After being 42/1 at one stage, Zimbabwe  collapsed to 54/4, all credit to some shoddy and irresponsible batting. The wickets going down at regular intervals meant they had no impetus going into the second half of their innings. Though Raza resurrected the innings with a 60 run stand with Williams it was never going to be enough.

5. Ineffective and toothless Zimbabwe bowling:

The initial overs raised some hopes but the Zimbabwe bowling performance was a sorry show when looked in totality. Mpofu looked the best of the lot but the rest of the attack lacked penetration. The lack of assistance from the pitch and the application of the Kiwi openers made life more and more difficult and at no stage they seemed to have an answer. That ensured that New Zealand got the total without any fuss.