New Zealand take charge of Test with 412-run lead

Zimbabwe 164 and 121 for 5 (Ervine 49*, Raza 37) trail New Zealand 576 for 6 dec (Taylor 173*, Watling 107, Latham 105) by 291 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details

Ross Taylor and BJ Watling took 299 and 172 deliveries respectively to rack up 173* and 107 – their second hundreds against Zimbabwe – and build an advantage New Zealand may have considered unassailable. Tim Southee and Trent Boult took four Zimbabwean wickets for 10 runs in the space of 18 balls, and likely ensure the 412-run lead is more than enough.

Zimbabwe’s top order were blown away by swing and teetered on 17 for 4. Given their first-innings collapse, a three-day finish seemed imminent. But Craig Ervine equalled his highest Test score – 49 – and formed partnerships with Sikandar Raza and Graeme Cremer to allow the hosts to live to fight another day.

Taking the match into the fourth day was Zimbabwe’s second small success after they removed nightwatchman Ish Sodhi in the second over of the day. They did not see the back of another New Zealand batsman until 15 minutes after tea, when Watling dragged Raza to deep square leg. By then, the New Zealand wicketkeeper had a century, Taylor had 173* and their partnership – a chanceless stand headlined by crisp cuts, powerful pulls and careful strike rotation – had reached 253.

On its own, it was worth 89 runs more than Zimbabwe’s first-innings total. Combined with the 79-run opening stand, the 156 runs Tom Latham and Kane Williamson added for the second …

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