Two quick wickets shortly before the close left Zimbabwe staring into the abyss in the second Test against New Zealand.
The day ended with Zimbabwe on 58-3, chasing 387 to win.
They had fought a good fight in their first innings, being bowled out for 362, 220 behind New Zealand’s 582-4 declared. It was enough to persuade the tourists to bat again, and they ran up a rapid 116-2, scoring at more than 4.5 an over before they declared.
The target is largely academic, but Zimbabwe might well have hoped to put up a resistance equal to that of the first innings, when the openers put on 65 and the middle order held the Kiwis at bay for 143 overs.
New Zealand knew they had to get Zimbabwe in early, and after losing Tom Latham (10) and Martin Guptill (11) with 26 on the board, Kane Williamson (68) and Ross Taylor (67) hammered 140 in 30 overs, giving them the cushion they needed.
The fightback was severely undermined when at 58-1 in the 25th over, having lost Chamu Chibhaba (21), two wickets went down in three balls: Tino Mawoyo lbw for 35 and Sikandar Raza (0) in the last over.
Having won the first Test by an innings and 117, New Zealand will be looking to make it 2-0 before they head to South Africa with confidence for what should prove a sterner examination, playing two Tests, starting in Durban on 19 August.
Photo: AFP
