5 things to watch out for in the Zimbabwe - New Zealand series
New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe, comprising of 3 ODIs and 1 T20I is set to commence today. With both the teams undergoing some significant changes, it would be interesting to see how they fare.Though Zimbabwe were lacklustre in their home series against India earlier, a few players have grabbed the attention with their individual performances. Meanwhile, the New Zealand squad consists of a predominantly young brigade this time, and it would be worthwhile to follow the performances of these youngsters under the new captain.
#1 Kane Williamson\'s Captaincy
With the hard-hitting Brendon McCullum and one of New Zealand’s frontline bowlers Tim Southee being rested for the tour of Zimbabwe, Kane Williamson has been handed the captaincy baton. While the Black Caps are sure to miss the early fireworks from Brendon, it is rather a good move to give the 24-year-old the responsibility at the helm in order to adequately equip him for the future.
Kane is a strong contender to become New Zealand’s full-time captain in the near future especially since Brendon recently hinted at an early retirement from ODI cricket and this series would serve as a testing ground to measure his expertise in marshalling the troops.
Since Brendon has been rested for the tour of South Africa too, captaining the side against both a mediocre Zimbabwe and a talent heavy South Africa is sure to pose a tough test for Williamson and give him a rich and valuable experience as a captain.