New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry grabbed five wickets on the opening day of the second Test against Zimbabwe, helping skittle the hosts for just 125 runs in Bulawayo. (Also read: Zakary Foulkes Takes 4 Wickets on Test Debut as Zimbabwe Crumble in Bulawayo)
Bowling first at Queens Sports Club, New Zealand made early inroads. Henry set the tone by removing Brian Bennett in just the second over. Zimbabwe were 1 for 1 before most fans had settled in.
By the 15th over, Henry struck again, dismissing Nick Welch for 11. That left Zimbabwe teetering at 30 for 2. From there, Zakary Foulkes, making his Test debut, joined in. He took two quick wickets, applying more pressure before Henry returned to remove the experienced Brendan Taylor for 44.
Zimbabwe’s tail offered little fight. Henry ended the innings with the dismissals of tailenders Vincent Masekesa and Blessing Muzarabani. His last stats read: 15-3-40-5.
New Zealand bowled Zimbabwe for a mere 48.5 overs.
This is Henry’s sixth five-wicket haul in Tests. In 32 matches, he has 134 wickets at an average of 27.69. His tally in this series alone comprises 14 wickets across three innings, at the paltry average of 9.28.
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This wasn’t his only standout performance in Zimbabwe. In the first Test, Henry took match figures of 9 for 90. The 5 for 40 in Bulawayo marks his second five-for of the series.
Looking beyond Tests, Henry now owns 516 First-Class wickets, according to ESPNcricinfo. That includes 27 five-wicket hauls and 38 instances of taking four wickets in an innings.
And you have to give a nod to the debutant, Foulkes. He looked like he belonged, grabbing four wickets and bowling with real discipline. Still, this was Henry’s day, hands down.
You have to wonder if Zimbabwe can pull themselves together after a start like this.
