Cricket: Black Caps clinical in finishing off Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe batsman Neil Ferreira looks up as he is dismissed, caught behind by Brendon McCullum (centre) for 5 runs while Stephen Fleming and Scott Styris celebrate. Picture / Reuters

HARARE - New Zealand's dramatic surge to victory over Zimbabwe in Harare overnight was like no other day at the office for Stephen Fleming's team.

They declared on their overnight total of 452 for nine, and then reeled in all 20 Zimbabwe wickets to earn an emphatic victory by an innings and 294 runs.

It was New Zealand's largest margin of victory as well as Zimbabwe's biggest hiding, and the only other side in all of test history to bowl their opponents out twice in one day were England, who dismissed India for 58 and 82 in Manchester in 1952.

The central figure in this theatrical match was Daniel Vettori, whose swashbuckling 127 on Sunday was the fastest hundred by a New Zealander.

On Monday he returned to his day job and took match figures of six for 29 to join Sir Richard Hadlee and Chris Cairns as the only other Kiwis to take 200 test wickets. Vettori went into the match with 196 victims.

The Hollywood touch was delivered after lunch when Vettori, fielding at extra cover, caught Brendan Taylor in Zimbabwe's second innings to earn James Franklin one of his five wickets.

It was a routine grab, but it came with the very ball after Vettori returned to the field after being temporarily replaced by 12th-man Jacob Oram.

"Wouldn't it be nice if they were all like this," Vettori quipped after a tumultuous day's play.

Despite his success with the ball, Vettori, who made his comeback from injury in the match, said it had taken a while for him to settle into his rhythm.

"It started coming right when I had bowled six or seven overs in the second innings, it felt good to be pretty much hitting the mark."

The man-of-the-match was deservedly satisfied with his performance with both bat and ball. Was it time to label him a genuine allrounder?

"In the dressingroom, yeah, but I don't think I'll claim it in public just yet."

Vettori, a man well aware of cricket's history and its milestones, was honoured to be ushered into the elite club of which Hadlee and Cairns were the sole members.

"They've both been such huge stalwarts for New Zealand cricket and it's great to join them," he said.

Despite the rising murmurs about Zimbabwe's test status, Vettori's opinion was that a test victory remained just that. Particularly one in which New Zealand claimed all available wickets in just less than 80 overs.

"It's only been done once before, and we'll take some pride in that," he said.

Captain Stephen Fleming offered a more guarded analysis of what had unfolded at breakneck speed over the course of the two days.

"To be able to turn the game around so quickly was a good effort," Fleming said. "To get 20 wickets in a day you have to bowl well, and this was some of the best cricket I've seen this team play.

"It's good for us, but I'm not sure it's good for the game."

And it may well happen again when the teams meet in the second test in Bulawayo on August 15.

* Scoreboard at close of play on the second day in the first test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand:

New Zealand: 1st innings 452

Zimbabwe: 1st innings

N Ferreira c McCullum b Franklin 5
B Taylor run out 10
D Ebrahim lbw b Franklin 0
H Masakadza lbw b Franklin 0
C Wishart b Bond 0
S Carlisle not out 20
T Taibu lbw b Martin 5
H Streak c McCullum b Martin 0
B Mahwire lbw b Martin 4
G Cremer c Martin b Vettori 1
C Mpofu st McCullum b Vettori 0
Extras (lb6 nb7 w1) 14
Total (all out, 29.4 overs) 59

Fall: 9 9 10 11 28 46 46 51 53 59

Bowling: Bond 5-1-11-1, Franklin 5-0-11-3 (nb4), Martin 10-1-21-3 (nb2 w1), Styris 7-4-9-0, Vettori 2.4-2-1-2

Zimbabwe: 2nd innings

N Ferreira c Fleming b Franklin 16
B Taylor c Vettori b Franklin 0
D Ebrahim b Martin 8
H Masakadza c&b Vettori 42
C Wishart c Fleming b Bond 5
S Carlisle c Fleming b Bond 0
T Taibu c Fleming b Martin 4
H Streak lbw b Vettori 3
B Mahwire not out 4
G Cremer c J. Marshall b Vettori 3
C Mpofu st McCullum b Vettori 0
Extras (lb8 nb6) 14
Total (all out, 49.5 overs) 99

Fall: 5 14 53 76 80 84 90 90 99 99

Bowling: Bond 11-8-10-2, Franklin 10-2-19-2 (nb2), Styris 2-0-3-0, Martin 8-5-16-2 (nb2), Vettori 13.5-4-28-4 (nb2), Astle 5-0-15-0.

Result: New Zealand won by an innings and 294 runs

- REUTERS, NZPA