Brendan Taylor Returns as Zimbabwe Bat First in Second Test Against New Zealand

Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor marked a remarkable return to international cricket on Thursday, making his first Test appearance in nearly four years after completing a suspension for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code. The 39-year-old was named in Zimbabwe’s XI for the second Test against New Zealand at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo and was immediately thrust into a new role — opening the batting.

Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine won the toss and chose to bat first on what appeared to be a dry, batsman-friendly surface. The home side trails 0-1 in the two-match series, and are seeking their first Test win at home since 2017, and their first in Bulawayo since 2001.

Taylor, whose last Test was in September 2021, returned to the squad last week after his three-and-a-half-year ban ended on July 25. He replaced Ben Curran at the top of the order, despite Taylor having opened only six times in Tests. While his most prolific form has traditionally come at No. 4, Zimbabwe chose to preserve the experience of Sean Williams, Craig Ervine, and Sikandar Raza in the middle order, opting instead to test Taylor’s resilience against the new ball.

Zimbabwe made one other change to their line-up from the first Test defeat. Nineteen-year-old fast bowler Newman Nyamhuri was left out, with Trevor Gwandu brought in for his third Test appearance.

New Zealand Field Three Debutants Amid Injury Woes

New Zealand, meanwhile, were forced to reshuffle their bowling attack after suffering multiple injury setbacks. Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke were ruled out, and Michael Bracewell remained unavailable due to commitments in The Hundred. In their place, seamers Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, and Zakary Foulkes were all handed their Test debuts, marking a significant transition for the Black Caps’ pace unit.

Despite the changes, New Zealand retained the same batting line-up that featured in the first Test. Tom Latham continued to be sidelined with a shoulder injury, meaning Will Young and Devon Conway remained the opening pair. Mitchell Santner once again captained the side in Latham’s absence.

New Zealand will look to maintain their winning momentum and secure a series sweep, while Zimbabwe are eager to stage a comeback, with the focus firmly on Taylor’s emotional return and a chance to rewrite the narrative of his international career.

Playing XIs:

Zimbabwe:

Brian Bennett, 2. Brendan Taylor, 3. Nick Welch, 4. Sean Williams, 5. Craig Ervine (capt), 6. Sikandar Raza, 7. Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), 8. Vincent Masekesa, 9. Blessing Muzarabani, 10. Trevor Gwandu, 11. Tanaka Chivanga

New Zealand:

Will Young, 2. Devon Conway, 3. Henry Nicholls, 4. Rachin Ravindra, 5. Daryl Mitchell, 6. Tom Blundell (wk), 7. Mitchell Santner (capt), 8. Jacob Duffy, 9. Zakary Foulkes, 10. Matt Henry, 11. Matthew Fisher

Series Status:
New Zealand lead 1-0 in the two-match series.