New Zealand v Zimbabwe, 2011-12

Test match (1): New Zealand 1, Zimbabwe 0 One-day internationals (3): New Zealand 3, Zimbabwe 0 Twenty20 internationals (2): New Zealand 2, Zimbabwe 0

	Martin Guptill: 374 runs in five innings across the three formats © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links Series/Tournaments: Zimbabwe tour of New Zealand Teams: New Zealand | Zimbabwe

The teams started with vastly different expectations. Zimbabwe were looking to prove that their performance against New Zealand the previous October - when they won a one-day international and came close to pulling off a surprise Test victory - was no fluke. New Zealand's conundrum, meanwhile, was to blend the need to dominate with the desire to try out new players. In the end, it was all very one-sided: the New Zealanders won all six international matches.

Zimbabwe tried hard, but all their moves were countered by a confident team buoyed by a rare Test victory over Australia, in December. The tourists' calamitous collapse to 51 all out in the one-off Test at Napier presaged a run of defeats which hindered Zimbabwe's quest for credibility after resuming Test cricket in 2011 following a six-year hiatus. Players such as batsman Malcolm Waller and pace bowler Kyle Jarvis, who had done well for Zimbabwe at home, struggled to reproduce that form on New Zealand pitches which had more pace and bounce. Even the long-serving slow left-armer Ray Price could not conjure up any magic.

Just before the tour, Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe's captain, had gleaned some valuable local experience with Wellington in the domestic Twenty20 competition, and this paid off with some consistent performances in the one-day games. He was given a smattering of support by Elton Chigumbura and Hamilton Masakadza, but the limited penetration of the bowling left Zimbabwe impotent, and their fielding repeatedly let them down.

New Zealand simply flexed their muscles. Martin Guptill, strong on the pull and the drive, crafted 374 runs in five innings across the three formats, becoming the first to make five consecutive international half-centuries for New Zealand since Roger Twose in 2000 (he soon added a sixth, against South Africa, to break the national record). Chris Martin produced the bowling performance of the series with a career-best six for 26 in the second innings of the Test. His final strike put him level with Chris Cairns in third place on New Zealand's all-time list, with 218 Test wickets. Brendon McCullum stepped in as captain after Ross Taylor sustained a calf injury in the Test and had to miss the limited-overs games. McCullum offered some characteristically aggressive leadership - in the field, catchers regularly outnumbered sweepers - and his bowlers responded. New Zealand's dominance afforded coach and selector John Wright the chance to try out new ideas and players. Debate surrounded the promotion of part-time wicketkeeper B-J. Watling to take the gloves in the Test, but he responded with a tidy display, holding four catches in the second innings and conceding only four byes; he also made his maiden Test century.

The home side's bench strength was then underlined in the limited-overs matches. Tom Latham from Canterbury, a 19-year-old left-hander (and son of the former international Rod), provided solidity in the middle order; Central Districts' Tarun Nethula, born in India, became the first specialist leg-spinner to play for New Zealand for ten years; and Auckland's Roneel Hira looked a capable slow left-armer in the Twenty20 games. New Zealand's camaraderie was highlighted by the Test victory, achieved inside three days. Riffs from tunes such as "Why does love do this to me?" - from the local band The Exponents - floated up from the dressing-room, and the team gathered in the middle once the crowds had gone, for their traditional toast and chant.

Match reports for

Tour Match: New Zealand XI v Zimbabweans at Gisborne, Jan 21-23, 2012
Scorecard

Only Test: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Napier, Jan 26-28, 2012
Report | Scorecard

1st ODI: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Dunedin, Feb 3, 2012
Report | Scorecard

2nd ODI: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Whangarei, Feb 6, 2012
Report | Scorecard

3rd ODI: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Napier, Feb 9, 2012
Report | Scorecard

1st T20I: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Auckland, Feb 11, 2012
Report | Scorecard

2nd T20I: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Hamilton, Feb 14, 2012
Report | Scorecard