TOP STORIES
ZIM vs NZ 1st Test: All you need to know, head to head, playing XI

The first Test of the two-match series between Zimbabwe and New Zealand is set to start on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Both tests will be held at the historic Queens Sports Club. Zimbabwe will host New Zealand in what is not a part of the current World Test Championship cycle, giving teams the freedom to play with less pressure.
Zimbabwe, who will be led by Craig Ervine, have a very solid lineup boasting the likes of Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, and Brian Bennett and emerging talents such as Ben Curran, and Tanaka Chivanga. New Zealand's team will be captained by Mitchell Santner in the absence of regular captain Tom Latham, who has been ruled out of the first Test with a shoulder injury.
The Black Caps will have support from players like Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra. Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway. Notably, Glenn Phillips, part of New Zealand’s T20 squad in Zimbabwe, has been sidelined due to a groin injury. Michael Bracewell has been named as his replacement in the Test side. Both teams will look to play high-octane cricket and gain an upper hand in the series.
Head-to-head
Matches - 17
ZIM won - 0
NZ won - 11
Drawn - 6
Zimbabwe likely XI: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (c), Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Newman Nyamhuri, Blessing Muzarabani, Tanaka Chivanga
New Zealand likely XI: Will Young, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke, Matt Fisher
Tags
More News

"His contributions are no less than Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma": R Ashwin on Cheteshwar Pujara
India star batter Cheteshwar Pujara on Sunday retired from all forms of cricket, putting an end to a more than decade-long career. He represented India in 103 test matches, scoring 7,195 runs, including 19 centuries and 35 half centuries. He ended his Test career as India’s eighth-highest run-scorer. In his white-ball career, Pujara played

Netherlands call up 17-year-old Cedric de Lange for Bangladesh T20Is
Netherlands have made three changes to their squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Bangladesh beginning August 30. They have handed a maiden call-up to 17-year-old batter Cedric de Lange, who has earned his place on the back of impressive performances at the Under-19 level and in domestic T20s. Netherlands have also recalled Se...

Mohammed Siraj talks about aggression, credits Virat Kohli
Despite Virat Kohli not being part of India's recently concluded five-match Test series against England, there was no dearth of aggression throughout the series, with fired-up Mohammed Siraj keeping the intensity high. Siraj played a massive role in helping India level the five-match series 2-2 following a spectacular six-run win in the final Test. He was remar...

Zimbabwe confirm squad for Sri Lanka ODIs, Brendan Taylor makes comeback
Zimbabwe have announced their squad for the upcoming two-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, slated to be played on August 29 and 31 at the Harare Sports Club. Craig Ervine will lead the side that also includes experienced players Johnathan Campbell, Sikandar Raza, and Sean Williams. Most notably, wicketkeeper-batter Br...

Asia Cup 2025: Oman reveal squad for maiden international outing
Oman have revealed a 17-member squad for next month's Asia Cup, where they are set to make their maiden international appearance. Jatinder Singh will lead the squad that features four new players – Sufyan Yousuf, Zikriya Islam, Faisal Shah and Nadeem Khan – who are in line for their international debut.
The Asia Cup is se...