Black Caps on course to win second Test

New Zealand needs seven Zimbabwe wickets on the final day of the second Test after setting its host an unlikely victory target of 387 runs on Tuesday. Zimbabwe closed day four at the Queens Sports Club in desperate trouble on 58 for three.

Published : Aug 09, 2016 22:40 IST , Harare

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor scored 68 runs in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 140 with Kane Williamson in the second innings.
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor scored 68 runs in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 140 with Kane Williamson in the second innings.
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New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor scored 68 runs in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 140 with Kane Williamson in the second innings.

Seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee struck late to leave New Zealand needing seven Zimbabwe wickets on the final day of the second Test after setting its host an unlikely victory target of 387 runs on Tuesday.

> Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Zimbabwe closed day four at the Queens Sports Club in desperate trouble on 58 for three after New Zealand had smashed a quick-fire 166 for two declared in 36 overs in its second innings.

Craig Ervine and nightwatchman Donald Tiripano will resume in the morning having yet to get off the mark after Zimbabwe lost its top three before the close. Chamu Chibhabha (21) edged seamer Neil Wagner to Martin Guptill at third slip before Tino Mawoyo (35) was trapped lbw by Boult in the penultimate over.

It got worse for the host when two balls later Southee produced a superb in-swinger to have Sikandar Raza (0) leg before as well.

Survival will be top of the agenda for Zimbabwe on an excellent batting wicket but it must find a way to counter the prodigious swing of the New Zealand seamers.

Zimbabwe was 305 for six overnight in its first innings and lost the remaining four wickets for 57, including anchor Ervine for 146, as he picked out Wagner at long-off off the bowling of spinner Ish Sodhi.

The latter was the pick of Kiwi attack with 4-60 as New Zealand chose not to enforce the follow-on having been in the field for 143.4 overs.

It rather pushed for quick runs in its second innings but slipped to 26 for two before captain Kane Williamson (67 not out) and Ross Taylor (68 not out) shared an unbeaten third wicket-wicket stand of 140.

The declaration came four overs after tea, leaving the touring team a minimum of 116 overs to bowl out the host.

New Zealand leads the two-match series 1-0 after an innings and 117-run victory in the first Test.

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