Williamson captains New Zealand in Zimbabwe
New Zealand's cricket team begins a fresh era under new captain Kane Williamson today (Thursday).
BULAWAYO (AFP) - New Zealand s Test cricket team begins a fresh era under new captain Kane Williamson on Thursday, when they start a two-match series against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club.
New Zealand s last Test assignment took place back in February, when former captain Brendon McCullum closed his international career with a typically buccaneering century as the Black Caps lost to Australia by seven wickets in Christchurch.
McCullum was credited with turning around New Zealand s fortunes and image over his last three years as captain, when he led them to the final of the 50-over World Cup and adopted a popular, attacking approach to all forms of the game.
His retirement has given Williamson, 25, the opportunity to create his own legacy as New Zealand s 29th Test captain, and his record as a batsman allied with a calm demeanour has suggested that he will be more than capable.
Last year he scored 2692 international runs across the three formats, the third highest of any player in a calendar year, and also became the sixth batsman to score 10 Test hundreds before the age of 25.
He was named as Wisden s Leading Cricketer of the Year for his efforts.
Williamson has the benefit of beginning his tenure against Test cricket s weakest nation, who have not played a Test match since losing 3-0 to Bangladesh in November 2014.
Nevertheless, New Zealand have not forgotten the last time that they played a Test in Zimbabwe, when the hosts threatened to chase down a target of 366 and lost by just 34 runs.
"The last time we played Test cricket in Bulawayo it was well fought, so we also expect a tough series in the Test matches this time around," New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said.
"We respect every opposition that we play against, that s something that we are very proud of, regardless of whether we are playing the number one team in the world or not."
New Zealand prepared for the tour with a week-long training camp at South Africa s High Performance Centre in Pretoria, where they were exposed to the dry mid-winter pitches that they will face both in Bulawayo and in a two-Test series against the Proteas next month.
The surface at Queens is often benign, which could present a challenge for the tourists in their bid for victory in the two Tests at the venue.
"I think the conditions will pose many challenges," said Hesson.
"Zimbabwe s players are obviously familiar with the nature of the surface, which I think is going to be relatively slow.
"Taking 20 wickets will be a challenge. Our bowling needs to be very disciplined."
Zimbabwe will be without strike bowlers Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara, while leg-spinner Graeme Cremer will captain for the first time in a Test.
