New Zealand cruise to victory after Cairns burst

Cairns’s morning contrasted sharply with that of Zimbabwe left-arm spinner Grant Flower who was called for throwing by Australian umpire Darrell Hair.

Zimbabwe, resuming their second innings on 100 for five, were dismissed for 119 just 10.5 overs into the day’s play, Cairns taking his his four wickets in a spell of 5.5 overs. He finished with five for 31.

New Zealand, set a modest victory target of 132, made light of their task. Matthew Sinclair anchored the innings with a patient, unbeaten 43 off 119 balls and Craig Mcmillan ended the game with a flourish by hitting two sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 31.

Flower was no-balled by square leg umpire Hair in the eighth over of New Zealand’s innings. He ruled Flower threw the second, fourth and sixth deliveries of his second over.

Under Test match playing conditions, Flower was suspended from bowling for the rest of the innings.

Zimbabwe (1st innings): 350

New Zealand (1st innings): 338

Zimbabwe (IInd innings):

G Flower c Parore b O’connor 3, G Rennie b Cairns 2, S Carlisle b Wiseman 15, A Campbell lbw b Cairns 45, A Flower lbw b Astle 22, C Wishart c Richardson b Wiseman 1, H Streak c Mcmillan b Wiseman 15, M Nkala c Sinclair b Cairns 0, P Strang not out 8, B Strang b Cairns 5, D Mutendera c Parore b Cairns 0, Extras: (lb-1, nb-1, w-1) 3, Total (all out in 67.5 overs) 119

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-23, 3-23, 4-75, 5-86, 6-100, 7-100, 8-110, 9-119

Bowling: Cairns 14.5-5-31-5 (nb-1, W-1), O’connor 9-5-8-1, Wiseman 25-8-54-3, Richardson 1-0-1-0, Astle 18-10-24-1

New Zealand (2nd innings): M Richardson lbw b Rennie 13, M Sinclair not out 43, S Fleming lbw P Strang 12, N Astle c Nkala b P Strang 27, C Mcmillan not out 31; Extras: (lb-2, nb-3, w-1) 6. Total (for three wickets in 45.4 overs) 132

Fall of wickets:

1-27, 2-43, 3-93

Bowling: Streak 5-0-21-0, Nkala 2-1-2-0, P Strang 20.4-3-49-2, G Flower 1.3-0-5-0), Rennie 13.3-0-40-1, Campbell 1-0-3-0, B Strang 2-0-10-0

Result: New Zealand won by seven wickets.

Man-of-the-Match: Paul Wiseman (New Zealand).