Islamabad, Aug 8, 2025: A five-wicket haul by Matt Henry in his sixth Test game in the first innings overcast the disappointments of Zimbabwe, and senior batsman Brendan Taylor made his international comeback as concerns linger over the long format Zimbabwe batting lineup. Zimbabwe were bowled out in only their second-lowest total in nine innings with Taylor (44) and Tafadzwa Tsiga (33) the only men to offer a challenge.
The absence of alliances, not even among Taylor and Tsiga, augmented the vulnerability of the Zimbabwean batsmen in a pitch where it opted to bat first. Henry led the New Zealand seam bowling with accuracy and restraint, with debut Zakary Foulkes, Jacob Duffy and Matthew Fisher adding to the effort with special bowling.
Hitting back with both New Zealand and Australia openers Devon Conway and Will Young hit back with a dominant partnership as New Zealand gained the initiative. Taylor came back after a three-and-a-half year suspension to open the batting, something he had rarely done in his career before, and was in good form, displaying good technique and patience before succumbing to Henry after over two hours at the crease.
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The top order of Zimbabwe was unlucky in selection of shots, and the middle order itself could not salvage the innings.
On his comeback, Taylor said it felt like a debut and he was grateful to Zimbabwe Cricket administrators and his support circle that assisted him in getting through personal issues and a cooling off period related to corruption claims. His commitment to the game underlines his desire to help the future of Zimbabwe cricket and not necessarily his own performance levels.
