Zimbabwe v New Zealand T20I, 5 talking points

Zimbabwe v New Zealand T20I, 5 talking points: After stunning New Zealand in the first ODI, Zimbabwe suffered back to back defeats and lost the opportunity of winning the series. After the ODI series, it was the time for T20I between Zimbabwe and New Zealand. Winning the toss, Zimbabwe opted to field first in the match. And as it happened, it was a swift performance from the kiwis and batting first, they did put up a thunderous total on the board and Zimbabwe failed to handle the pressure and fell well short of the target in their quota of twenty overs.

To grasp on to the match prospects, here are the Zimbabwe v New Zealand T20I, 5 talking points:

1. George Worker’s impressive debut:

Playing his inaugural International T20I, George Worker did make a stunning performance with the bat as he hammered 62 runs off 38 deliveries. Coming into bat at number 3, he took up the ante right from the start and struck a total of 3 fours and 4 sixes to take New Zealand to a marvelous total of 198 runs in their quota of 20 overs. He was bowled by Sean Williams in the 16^th

2. Great spell of bowling by Sean Williams:

The way New Zealand were into their innings, it seemed that they were heading up for a total of over 200 runs. But luckily, for the part of Zimbabwe, Sean Williams did manage to clinch breakthroughs for the team. He took the all-important wicket of George Williams just when his explosion seemed amplified. Williams clinched 3 wickets in his 4 overs and conceded 28 runs.

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3. Batting despair by Zimbabwe:

Coming into chase a total of 199 runs, the Zimbabweans got devoured by the excessive pressure and none of the batsmen managed to make the least of the impact for the team. In fact, 4 of the top 5 batsmen of the batting order were dismissed for a single digit score in the match. Zimbabwe were reduced to 5/64 in the 12^th over of the innings and went wayward for the chase right in the midway of the innings.

4. Stunning bowling performance by Kiwi pacers:

The Kiwi pacers did take up the opportunity to defend such a giant score decently well. Adam Milne and Mitchell McCleneghan managed to clinch 2 wickets each to bring New Zealand onto the hunt and ensure a sure victory for them in the match. Also, Neesham bowled well and managed to take a single wicket in his quota of 3 overs by conceding 21 runs. Adam Milne stood out to be the pick of the bowlers by conceding 10 runs in his 4 overs and took 2 wickets.

5. Kane Williamson’s captaincy:

Well, after restricting Zimbabwe to a total of 108/8 in the quota of 20 overs, Kane Williamson’s captaincy is indeed something to talk about in the match. Williamson did manage to utilize his troops properly and his field placements were indeed spot on. This led to inflict further amount of pressure upon the Zimbabwean batting and ultimately it ensured a swift victory for the Kiwis. Also, Williamson was brave enough to open the innings for his team.