It was deja vu for the Black Caps on day one of the second test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
At the same venue as their nine-wicket triumph last week, the same captain won the toss and made the same decision to bat first, before the same Kiwi bowler ran through Zimbabwe to have New Zealand in a position at the end of the first day which all but guarantees victory.
Having taken 6/39 to bowl Zimbabwe out for 149 in the series opener, Matt Henry claimed another 5/40 at Queen’s Sports Club, only this time limited the hosts to 125.
Then, unlike in the first test, the opening pair of Will Young (74) and Devon Conway (79 not out) didn’t just eat into Zimbabwe’s lead – they erased it altogether.
For the loss of Young, out in the final overs of the day, the Black Caps reached the close of play at 174/1, in front by 49 runs, with nine wickets still in hand.
Henry was ably supported by debutant Zak Foulkes (4/38), who ripped the heart out of Zimbabwe’s middle order, after only arriving for the second test after Nathan Smith’s withdrawal for an abdominal injury.
As one of three debutants in the fast bowling ranks, alongside Jacob Duffy and Matt Fisher, Foulkes was by far the standout.
The 23-year-old was able to beat the bat of both the right and left handers, and showcased a tactful use of the short ball, not seen in his burgeoning white ball career.
For Zimbabwe, 39-year-old Brendan Taylor stood out on his return, after a three-year ban from international cricket for breaching the ICC’s corruption code, making 44 runs on his first test appearance since 2021.
However, after that, only one other Zimbabwe batter passed 30, with just four reaching double figures.
The Black Caps have never been beaten by Zimbabwe in test cricket. And after day one, it would take a serious implosion from New Zealand if that’s going to change.
Fresh from a man-of-the-match nine-wicket haul in the first test, Henry made a mockery of Zimbabwe’s decision to bat first, and took just nine balls to claim his first wicket when Brian Bennett was caught at second slip by Young.
That should have been two wickets in as many balls, only for Young to put down Nick Welch and deny Henry his second. Welch couldn’t make the most of that reprieve, though, and was trapped LBW by Henry for 11 with the final ball of the first hour, to leave Zimbabwe 30/2 at drinks.
Young, meanwhile, atoned for his earlier drop and gave Foulkes his maiden test wickets, as Zimbabwe limped into lunch at 67/4. A spectacular effort diving in front of first slip sent Sean Williams on his way for 11, and then another from the final ball of the morning removed captain Craig Ervine for seven.
Amid the fall of the rest of his top order, Taylor pressed on, and looked comfortable against the entirety of New Zealand’s five-pronged attack. But in sight of a first test fifty since 2021, Taylor fell for 44, when he spooned a catch to Santner at cover to give Henry his third.
Taylor’s exit quickly broke the back of Zimbabwe’s batting.
Foulkes struck in the next over with a perfectly executed leg-side trap that saw Sikandar Raza give Rachin Ravindra a catch at leg slip, and then claimed a fourth by trapping Trevor Gwandu LBW for a duck.
Not to be outdone by his junior teammate, Henry hit Vincent Masekesa’s off-stump at 94/8, and then rearranged Blessing Muzarabani’s altogether to claim a successive five-wicket haul, as the hosts limped past 100.
And while Foulkes may have been denied a five-wicket haul of his own, fellow debutant Fisher (1/16) completed Zimbabwe’s first-up effort, when he had Tanaka Chivanga caught at mid-off by Santner to wrap the innings up.
In reply, Young and Conway flew out of the blocks to overhaul Zimbabwe’s total before the end of play.
The pair added a 50-run stand in exactly 50 balls, and took another 64 to turn it into a century partnership.
Young needed only 49 balls to make his 50, finding the boundary nine times in the process.
At the other end, Conway was the more circumspect of the two, and needed 81 balls to reach his half-century, with six boundaries.
Once the individual milestones were reached, Young and Conway not only passed Zimbabwe’s total without loss, but raised their 150-run partnership.
However, as stumps drew nearer, Young dragged Trevor Gwandu back onto his stumps for 74 to break the opening stand for 162, and continues his wait for a maiden test century, now with 11 half-centuries without converting.
Conway, though, was not out at the close, and will resume on day two in the hope of passing three figures in test cricket for the first time since January 2023.
He’s joined by Duffy, who despite not taking a wicket on test debut, finished with an unbeaten eight runs, courtesy of two genuine shots, after coming to the crease as nightwatchman in the final overs of the day.
Zimbabwe 125 (Taylor 44; Henry 5/40, Foulkes 4/38)
New Zealand 174/1 (Conway 79 not out, Young 74; Gwandu 1/31)