Zimbabwe have now played five Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand and have improved their total each match. In the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup they were dismissed for just 84 and then in the first match during New Zealand's recent tour of Zimbabwe they scored 123 for eight off their twenty overs.
They then increased that to 154 all out off just 16.5 overs in the second match before scoring 159 for eight in their allotted twenty overs in Auckland. Finally they took the Black Caps to the wire when scoring 200 for two at Hamilton, a tremendous improvement on their previous efforts during the tour.
Zimbabwe are just the second country to reach the two hundred run mark against New Zealand. Australia have scored 214 twice including in the Black Caps inaugural T20 international in 2004-05.
The match in Hamilton was just the second occasion that New Zealand has passed two hundred having scored 214 at Christchurch in the tied match with Australia in 2009-10. It is the highest total that the BLACKCAPS have scored to win when batting second, easily passing the 166 they scored to beat India at Christchurch in 2008-09.
The match aggregate of 402 has only been beaten once, in the tied match with Australia mentioned above when 428 runs were scored prior to the eliminator over.
The 91 not out scored by Martin Guptill at Auckland is the second highest score for the BLACKCAPS after Brendon McCullum's 116 not out against the Australians. His half-century was brought up in 27 balls, the fifth fastest for New Zealand and the fastest against Zimbabwe.
Hamilton Masakadza's fifty in the Zimbabweans reply came in 26 balls and mirroring Guptill's stats was the fifth fastest against the BLACKCAPS and the fastest for Zimbabwe.
Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson recorded New Zealand's highest Twenty20 International partnership when adding 137 for the third wicket at Auckland.
Rob Nicol and James Franklin both recorded their highest Twenty20 scores while compiling their opening partnership of 103 in Hamilton. This was the fourth century opening partnership for the BLACKCAPS and their fifth for all wickets.
The Zimbabweans recorded their best first, second and third wicket partnerships against the BLACKCAPS while recording their record total at Hamilton. Hamilton Masakadza and Stuart Matsikenyeri added 76 for the first wicket while the 79 run unbeaten stand for the third wicket by Brendan Taylor and Elton Chigumbura was the best for all countries against the BLACKCAPS beating the 62 scored by Masakadza and Tatenda Taibu in Auckland three days earlier.
Hamilton Masakadza produced back-to-back fifties in the two match series bringing up his fifty in 33 balls in Auckland which was the fastest for Zimbabwe against New Zealand only to better it in Hamilton where he reached fifty in just 26 balls.
Brendan Taylor' innings of 74 not out in Hamilton is the highest for Zimbabwe against New Zealand and the fifth highest against the BLACKCAPS by all teams.
In five matches against the BLACKCAPS Zimbabwe have managed to take just twelve wickets, five of which came at Hamilton. Three wickets have fallen to run outs and Kyle Jarvis has taken six so it doesn't leave many for the rest of their bowlers.
Ray Price only managed his ODI first wicket against New Zealand in his sixth match. He now has a similar record in Twenty20 Internationals having yet to take a wicket in five matches and conceding 147 runs off 19.3 overs. Prosper Utseya is not far behind him also yet to take a wicket in five matches and giving up 111 runs off just 11 overs.
Michael Bates, Colin de Grandhomme, Roneel Hira and Andrew Ellis all made their Twenty20 debuts for the BLACKCAPS during the series to take to fifty four the number of players who have played Twenty20 Internationals for the BLACKCAPS.
New Zealand have now played forty seven Twenty20 Internationals winning twenty three and losing twenty one with three tied. Of the tied matches the BLACKCAPS won one in a bowl off and another in a one over eliminator while losing the other in the eliminator over.
