New Zealand took the lead in the Zimbabwe T20I tri-series points table after a second successive win, this time over the hosts. After New Zealand’s bowling attack kept Zimbabwe to 120, the lowest first-innings total of the tournament so far, their batters polished off the required runs inside 14 overs, which helped their net run rate balloon to 1.919.

Zimbabwe remain without a point, and with much work to do to avoid being knocked out of their own competition. They need to win both of their next two games, against South Africa and New Zealand, to progress to the final, and will need a major improvement in their batting to get there.

Although Zimbabwe played more aggressively than in their opening match – according to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, 27.5% of their shots were attacking in this innings compared with 20.83% in their previous game, against South Africa – they hit the same number of fours (11), two fewer sixes (one in this innings, three on Monday), and scored lesser runs overall on Friday than against South Africa.

Zimbabwe’s highest partnership against New Zealand was the opening stand of 37, which could not stand up to New Zealand’s two half-century stands. After the loss of Tim Seifert in the second over of the chase, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra put on 59 off 44 balls before Conway and Daryl Mitchell combined for 58 off 32 deliveries to ease New Zealand to a win.

New Zealand will also be satisfied with the performance of their bowling attack. Matt Henry followed up his 3 for 34 against South Africa with 3 for 26 against Zimbabwe, and used the short ball to good effect. On a surface that turned substantially, New Zealand’s spinners Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell and Ravindra claimed a wicket each, and conceded just 43 runs in nine overs collectively.

Zimbabwe had no one to match either that wicket-taking or that economy. Blessing Muzarabani took a wicket, and conceded only at 6.75 runs an over. But that was good as it got for Zimbabwe. Their decision to leave out a spinner in Wellington Masakadza for seamer Tinotenda Maposa will also cause questions over their team balance.

Wesley Madhevere flicked the first ball off his pads and past Seifert to start Zimbabwe off with a boundary. Three balls later, he used his wrists to whip Henry behind square for four more. Zimbabwe had 11 runs from the opening over, more than double they scored against South Africa – and all of them belonged to Madheve. He came into this match under pressure – with only one score over 20 in his last 11 innings – and showed that he was willing to take things on, even if he didn’t always get it right.

In the second over, Madhevere advanced towards Jacob Duffy, swung hard but missed, and then tried to scoop. Together with Brian Bennett, Madhevere got Zimbabwe to 36 runs from the first five overs, and then with Clive Madande to 61 for 2 at the halfway stage. But his ambition got the better of him when he backed away and was too late on a shot off Adam Milne to be bowled for 36. At least, it was his highest score in 14 innings since his 43 against India a year ago.

Madhevere’s dismissal came 14 balls after Madande was deceived in flight from Ravindra, and stumped in the middle of a collapse of 5 for 37 that put the breaks on Zimbabwe. Ryan Burl struck two fours before he tried to reverse sweep against Bracewell and was caught at backward point. Sikandar Raza played across the line, and got a leading edge off Santner to be caught at extra cover. Tashinga Musekiwa tried to pull a short ball from Henry but top edged, and was well caught by Duffy at fine leg.

Zimbabwe were 98 for 6 in the 17th over, and lost the middle order in the space of 43 balls. They scored just 21 runs off the last three overs, and could not finish with any kind of flourish.

After reducing South Africa to 17 for 2 earlier this week, Richard Ngarava could have had a wicket with his first ball against New Zealand. He went on a back of a length, and got an outside edge off Seifert, but the chance fell short of Burl at slip. Four balls later, Conway, on 1 at the time, reached out for a wider delivery, and edged to short third but Blessing Muzarabani fluffed the chance.

Muzarabani made up for that when he removed Seifert with his first ball, albeit not his best one. He went short and wide outside off, and Seifert hit in the air to Musekiwa at cover. Ngarava was not quite as lucky, though. In his next over, Ravindra was beaten by a ball that moved away late, and then Ngarava thought he had Conway out caught behind but the umpire was unmoved.

Muzarabani got Conway to miscue a pull, and then hit the ball in the air towards mid-off. But both chances landed safely. New Zealand were 19 for 1 after four overs, and had only hit one boundary until then, which showed Zimbabwe’s ability to put them under pressure. But a hat-trick of boundaries from Ravindra off Trevor Gwandu meant Zimbabwe could not keep them there.

While Ravindra settled in the powerplay, Conway’s stay at the crease was streaky. He top-edged Muzarabani for his first boundary, and Maposa for his second. Maposa almost dismissed Conway off another top edge when he rushed Conway into a pull, but the chance fell short of fine leg. Immediately after that, Conway was nearly down on his haunches, and appeared to be struggling with his health.

But later in the over, he sliced Maposa over backward point. Still, he was nearly run-out two overs later when Mitchell called him through for a quick single, and he was not in the frame when the throw came in at the striker’s end. It was only when Conway smashed Ngarava over the deep-midwicket boundary for six that he looked like he was in control. He went on to send Raza over long-on for a second six, and brought up his fifty off 34 balls. It was Conway’s highest score in six T20I innings dating back to last year’s T20 World Cup, and his second half-century in his last 15 T20I innings.

Brief scores:
New Zealand 122 for 2 in 13.5 overs (Devon Conway 59*, Rachin  Ravindra 30,  Daryl Mitchell 26*; Blessing Muzarabani 1-27, Tinotenda Maposa 1-17) beat Zimbabwe 120 for 7 in 20 overs (Wessley Madhevere 36, Brian Benett 21, Sikander Raza 12, Ryan Burl 12, Tony Munyonga 13; Matt Henry 3-26, Adam Milne 1-30, Mitchell Santner 1-18, Michael Bracewell 1-15, Rachin Ravindra 1-10) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]