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Devon Conway, Matt Henry Shine as New Zealand Dominate Zimbabwe for Second Tri-Series Win
New Zealand Deliver Clinical Performance to Ease Past Zimbabwe
New Zealand continued their strong showing in the T20I Tri-Series with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Friday, July 18. Opting to bowl first, the Kiwis delivered a disciplined bowling performance, restricting the hosts to a modest 120/7 before chasing down the target with ease, finishing at 122/2 in just 13.5 overs.
The win marked New Zealand’s second consecutive victory in the tournament, following their opening triumph against South Africa. With this result, they further solidified their top position in the tri-nation series standings.
Henry and Spinners Stifle Zimbabwe’s Batting Effort
New Zealand’s bowlers, led by Matt Henry, maintained a stranglehold on the Zimbabwean batters throughout the innings. Henry finished with impressive figures of 3 for 26, claiming key scalps and setting the tone early.
Zimbabwe’s Stuttering Start and Middle-Order Collapse
Zimbabwe’s innings began with a brief flourish as Wessly Madhevere struck two early boundaries off Henry and Brian Bennett hit a six off Adam Milne. However, the momentum quickly dried up as the New Zealand seamers and spinners took control.
Bennett fell to a bouncer from Henry, and although Zimbabwe managed 39/1 in the powerplay, their scoring rate dipped significantly afterward. Madande received a reprieve when Mitchell Santner dropped a return catch, but he was soon stumped off Rachin Ravindra.
For a detailed look at New Zealand’s squad and match strategy, check out our New Zealand T20I analysis page.
Madhevere’s 36 off 32 balls was the top score for Zimbabwe, but his dismissal at a crucial juncture further dented their innings. Michael Bracewell removed Ryan Burl via a failed reverse sweep, and wickets continued to tumble — including Sikandar Raza, who miscued a shot off Santner, and Tashinga Musekiwa, who was undone by Henry’s short ball.
A late stand of 22 between Tony Munyonga and Tinotenda Maposa lifted Zimbabwe to 120/7, a total that never truly challenged the Kiwi batting line-up.
Conway’s Composed Knock Seals Comfortable Chase
New Zealand’s response with the bat was confident and clinical. Despite losing Tim Seifert early, caught by Blessing Muzarabani off Richard Ngarava, the visitors never looked in trouble during the chase.
Devon Conway Anchors the Innings
Devon Conway was the architect of New Zealand’s successful chase, scoring a fluent 59 not out off 40 deliveries. He built vital partnerships with Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, ensuring there were no hiccups in the pursuit of a small target.
Ravindra injected early momentum with three consecutive fours off Trevor Gwandu and later hit a six off Muzarabani, scoring a brisk 30 off 19 before being dismissed by Maposa thanks to a fine catch from Muzarabani.
Conway then switched gears, accelerating in the middle overs by dispatching Sikandar Raza and Ngarava over the boundary. He reached his half-century in 34 balls and finished the match with a boundary in the 14th over, sealing a dominant performance by the Blackcaps.
Mitchell played a supporting role with a steady knock and helped Conway take the team over the line with more than 6 overs to spare.
Match Summary
Zimbabwe: 120/7 in 20 overs
(Wessly Madhevere 36, Brian Bennett 21; Matt Henry 3-26, Rachin Ravindra 1-10)
New Zealand: 122/2 in 13.5 overs
(Devon Conway 59*, Rachin Ravindra 30; Blessing Muzarabani 1-27)
Result: New Zealand won by 8 wickets
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New Zealand T20I analysis page — to be linked to a related internal page on New Zealand’s T20 performances or tri-series tracker.
