Test cricket is back in Zimbabwe as the hosts take on the visitors, New Zealand, in the 1st Test starting today at 1:30 PM IST at the Queen Sports Club, Bulawayo. New Zealand are having a successful tour of Zimbabwe, having recently won the tri-series final against South Africa. For this Test, Mitchell Santner steps in as captain, replacing Tom Latham in the leadership role.
Meanwhile, it’s another big challenge for Zimbabwe as they face a full-strength Kiwi side. Top fantasy picks for this match include Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway, and Matt Henry from New Zealand, along with Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, and Blessing Muzarabani from Zimbabwe.
Check out the rest of the fantasy team, pitch report, and predicted playing XI for the 1st Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand.
Zimbabwe vs New Zealand: Where to Watch Live?
Date | 30/07/2025 - 03/08/2025 |
Time | 1:30 PM IST |
Venue | Queen Sports Club in Bulawayo |
Streaming OTT | Fancode, Sony Liv |
Zimbabwe vs New Zealand: Queens Sports Club Pitch Report
The surface in Queens is known to be on the balanced side. The livelier surface helps batters score some runs with the new ball in play; however, bowlers can use the same advantage to trap the batter by tempting them with a setup. Meanwhile, spinners play a handy role on the dry surface, especially when the ball gets softer. Being a typical Test match pitch, the surface becomes harder to bat on as the days progress. The average first-innings total is 374 runs, and the team winning the toss would opt to bat first and try to pile up the runs on the freshly rolled surface.
Zimbabwe vs New Zealand: Predicted Playing 11
Zimbabwe
TE Tsiga (wk), CR Ervine (C), NR Welch, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza, BJ Curran, N Nyamhuri, WP Masakadza, Tanaka Chivanga, B Muzarabani, SC Williams
New Zealand
Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, WA Young, HM Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, DJ Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), MJ Henry, JA Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Michael Bracewell
Zimbabwe vs New Zealand: Dream11 Top 5 Players
Zimbabwe | New Zealand |
Sikander Raza | Devon Conway |
Craig Ervine | Will Young |
Sean Williams | Mitchell Santner |
Brain Bennett | Ajaz Patel |
Blessing Muzarbani | Matt henry |
Zimbabwe vs New Zealand: Dream11 Fantasy team
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