New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor scored an unbeaten century to help lift the New Zealand Blackcaps at the close of play in their one off test match against Zimbabwe being played in Napier.
Zimbabwe skipper Brendan Taylor won the toss and elected to field first on the McLean Park pitch which was expected to offer plenty to bowlers, however it was the opening pair of Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill who made the most of conditions early on their way to an opening partnership stand of 124.
Despite the ball swinging early, partnered by some movement off the pitch, Brendon McCullum and inform batsmen Martin Guptill continued to play their shot early to try and stamp their dominance early in the contest between the two teams in which both sides are desperate to win.
It took the pair just fifty-eight balls to bring up their fifty-run partnership midway through the morning session with Brendon McCullum scoring 23, with Martin Guptill adding 19 to the partnership.
The pair continued to score their runs, despite Zimbabwe fighting back in the second hour of play in the opening day with Zimbabwe restricting the Blackcaps opening pair to just 98 before the lunch break was called. McCullum had fought his way to an unbeaten 44 while Martin Guptill had struck his way to 42.
Immediately after the lunch break both of the opening batsmen brought up their half centuries with Brendon McCullum the first coming of 86 deliveries and including six boundaries. Martin Guptill followed suit in the next over with his half century coming off 99 deliveries and including seven boundaries.
Against the run of play Zimbabwe scored a double breakthrough when Martin Guptill attempted to drive a delivery from Shingi Masakadza off the back foot and edged a ball to wicket keeper Tatenda Taibu to bring an end his innings of 51 and Zimbabwe the first wicket with the score on 124.
Kane Williamson looked shaky at the crease as both he and McCullum looked to be trying to force the issue and when the pair had a mix up in the middle which resulted in the run out of Williamson it wasn’t that much of a surprise with Williamson on his way back to the pavilion adding just four.
Despite the double break through the Zimbabwean skipper Brendan Taylor failed to capitalize as Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor went about adding to the scoreboard with relative ease the pair adding 64 for the third wicket before Zimbabwe once again made a double break after the tea break.
Brendon McCullum was the first to depart with only his seventh test match century in sight when he was trapped in front of his stumps from a Kyle Jarvis delivery. The former Blackcaps wicket keeper dismissed for 83 from 158 deliveries an innings that included eight boundaries and two towering sixes.
Dean Brownlie, who was the star for the Blackcaps in their recent tour of Australia, failed to live up to public expectation when he was dismissed for a seven ball duck by Hamilton Masakadza as New Zealand were reduced to four for 196.
However it was a case of the old and the new, as Daniel Vettori, the old New Zealand captain, and Ross Taylor, the new New Zealand skipper, joined forces in the centre of the McLean Park pitch as they looked to cement their sides standing in the match against a Zimbabwean bowling attack who seemed to struggle on the batsmens pitch.
Vettori and Taylor added 82 to the score to push the New Zealand towards three hundred before Vettori who had scored 38 from 46 was dismissed by going for one shot too many being stumped by Taibu to be Graeme Cremmer’s first wicket of the match.
Taylor continued his run scoring feat bringing up his century from 154 deliveries which included twelve boundaries and two sixes. While at stumps BJ Waitling was not out on 15.
New Zealand at stumps were five for 331.
“Every captain wants to lead from the front and I want to score hundreds. I’ve scored a lot of 50s and my conversion rate hasn’t been great. That was extra special to go on and convert that.” Taylor said at the completion of the opening days play.
“I find on New Zealand and Australian wickets, driving early on I get myself in trouble. I tried to get myself in that first 20-30 balls and felt like I did that. I just played off the back foot and cut as much as possible and left the driving until it was really full.”
“It [pitch] has still got a bit of drying out to do. The sprigs still go in quite easily. Day three will probably be the best day for batting.”
“It’s a pretty fast-scoring outfield and they [Zimbabwe] set some defensive fields. We’ll need to see through the new ball tomorrow morning, and if we are still batting after lunch, we’ll be around that 400-450 mark,” Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, said. “A score of 450 will probably not be enough [to bat once]. We’ll have to bowl them out for under 250 then.”
Tagged with: Blackcaps, Brendon Mccullum, Close Of Play, Crease, Deliveries, Dominance, Eight Balls, Guptill, Hour Of Play, Kane, Lunch Break, Mclean Park, Morning Session, Napier New Zealand, Opening Day, Ross Taylor, Skipper, Test Match, Unbeaten Century, Wicket Keeper