 There surely will be no love lost when New Zealand come head-to-head with
Zimbabwe in the 2nd T20 International on Tuesday.
Despite it being Valentine's Day, the home side is in no mood to offer any
let offs keeping in mind the challenge that awaits them in the coming weeks.
For Zimbabwe, the tour could not have been worse as they have been humbled
across all formats of the game.
Click for Live Score Card of New Zealand Vs Zimbabwe
The home side won the first match in clinical fashion, chasing down 159 with
more than three overs to spare. The management will be impressed by the consistent
form displayed by Martin Guptill who anchored the run-chase with a 54-ball
91 runs innings.
Kane Williamson also applied himself with a well-composed 48. The worry though
is captain Brendon McCullum form who fell first-ball in the previous
match. He will be keen on spending time in the middle ahead of the South African
series. Michael Bates looked good on debut with three wickets while Kyle
Mills also picked up two. Colin de Grandhomme will be looking for
more opportunity than the two-ball chance he got on his debut.
Zimbabwe have been given a tough reality check on their first real testing tour
away from home soil. While they did reasonably well to post 159-8 in their quota
of overs, their bowling left much to be desired with no bowler conceding runs
below 8.5 runs per over.
Elton Chigumbura proved how T20 is a format suited for him with 48 runs off 24
balls, studded with three fours and four towering sixes. Other batsmen will seek
inspiration from his effort while the bowlers will be wary of how they can overcome
a similar counterattack.
Hamilton will host the match on Tuesday that is likely to be interrupted by rains,
with showers predicted for the week. The home side has remained unbeaten in three
previous T20 matches at this ground.
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