Rama: "No mention of Guptil's 1000 Test runs mark..." Ah I forgot in the midst of all the activity.

50.1

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, good length on off stump, defended on the off side

50.2

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, driven back to the bowler on the front foot

50.3

Mpofu to Guptill, FOUR, width offered outside off stump and Guptill drives the ball on the up through cover for four

50.4

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, slower ball and much straighter, defended on the front foot

50.5

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, short of a length with width outside off, played off the back foot towards point

50.6

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, driven on the front foot towards mid on

Follow the outcome of the spot-fixing trial.

51.1

Price to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot on the leg side

51.2

Price to Taylor, 1 run, Taylor sweeps behind square leg

51.3

Price to Guptill, 2 byes, that's so wide outside leg, a negative line, the batsman lets it go and the keeper can't collect

51.4

Price to Guptill, 1 run, driven off the front foot towards long-on

51.5

Price to Taylor, no run, played off the back foot towards midwicket

51.6

Price to Taylor, no run, tossed up from over the wicket, defended on the front foot

52.1

Mpofu to Guptill, 1 run, full ball on middle stump, driven to mid-on for a quick single

52.2

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, tight line and length, defended on the front foot towards the bowler

52.3

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, fuller length on off stump, the batsman defends back to Mpofu

52.4

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, driven to mid-off

52.5

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, full ball on middle stump, played to midwicket

52.6

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, full and straight once again, Taylor stays in his crease and closes the face of the bat to play on the leg side

Masakadza to bowl gentle medium-pace from over the wicket ...

53.1

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, good length and straight, defended to the fielder at silly mid-on

53.2

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, full toss, driven towards the bowler on the front foot

53.3

Masakadza to Guptill, 1 run, full ball on the pads, flicked behind square from the crease

53.4

Masakadza to Taylor, no run, good length on off stump, Taylor moves forward to block

53.5

Masakadza to Taylor, no run, there's an appeal for lbw after Taylor moves forward to defend but there was an inside edge

53.6

Masakadza to Taylor, 1 run, driven towards wide mid-off

54.1

Mpofu to Taylor, FOUR, Taylor uses the width outside off stump to cut the ball hard through point

54.2

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, good length outside off stump, defended on the front foot

54.3

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, tight line and length around off stump, defended on the front foot towards the off side

54.4

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, Taylor moves forward to play a punchy drive to cover

54.5

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, slower ball around off stump, blocked off the front foot

54.6

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, pushed off the front foot towards mid-on

55.1

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, good length outside off, punched off the back foot towards the off side

55.2

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, Guptill pushes forward to defend but gets an outside edge that falls short of slip

55.3

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, defended on the leg side

55.4

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, played off the pads from the crease on the leg side

55.5

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, short of a length outside off, cut off the back foot to point

55.6

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, played back to the bowler

56.1

Mpofu to Taylor, FOUR, a half-volley outside off stump and Taylor leans on to the front foot and drives it between mid-off and extra cover

56.2

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, good length outside off, defended off the front foot, there's a silly mid-off in place now

56.3

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, Taylor moves forward once again and plays towards point

56.4

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, punched off the front foot towards cover

56.5

Mpofu to Taylor, 1 run, full ball on a wicket-to-wicket line, the batsman drives past the bowler and sets off

56.6

Mpofu to Guptill, FOUR, short and wide outside off, easy for Guptill who simply slaps it through cover

57.1

Masakadza to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot on the leg side

57.2

Masakadza to Taylor, 1 run, a bit of width outside off and Taylor uses it to cut behind point

57.3

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot towards cover

57.4

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, short of a length outside off, Guptill moves back and punches towards cover

57.5

Masakadza to Guptill, 1 run, Guptill moves back and punches the ball through the legs of the fielder at silly mid-on, the ball went uppishly to Price, who was standing too tall and couldn't get down low quickly enough

57.6

Masakadza to Taylor, no run, played to the fielder at mid-on

Malcolm Waller to bowl offbreaks from over the wicket ...

58.1

Waller to Guptill, 1 run, driven towards wide mid-off for a single

58.2

Waller to Taylor, no run, nudged off the front foot towards the leg side

58.3

Waller to Taylor, 1 run, that's a long hop and Taylor stays in his crease and works it off his pads

58.4

Waller to Guptill, 2 runs, tossed up on middle stump, driven from the crease towards midwicket

58.5

Waller to Guptill, no run, punched off the back foot towards cover point

58.6

Waller to Guptill, 1 run, played off the back foot to long-on, the length is a bit short from Waller

Solomon Mugadza: "Dear Zimbabwean bowlers. Greetings from Harare. Your bowling has been good in my book. Keep it up. Just wondering, when can we expect another wicket???"

59.1

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, played off the back foot to the bowler

59.2

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, good length outside off, Guptill begins to try and cut but then stops his shot

59.3

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, good length angling into the right-hander, defended on the front foot

59.4

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, punched off the back foot to the fielder on the edge of the circle at cover

59.5

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, defended from the crease, Masakadza is bowling a tight line

59.6

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, Guptill moves back and cuts the ball to point

Ben: "In honour of the two captains, how is this for an international test 11: Mark Taylor (Aus), Scotch Taylor (SA), Herbie Taylor (SA), Ross Taylor (NZ), Johnny Taylor (Aus), Johnny Taylor (Aus), Brendan Taylor (Zim), Bob Taylor (Eng), Bruce Taylor (NZ), Peter Taylor (Aus), Jerome Taylor (WI), Les Taylor (Eng)." Wonderful effort.

60.1

Waller to Taylor, no run, the batsman lunges forward to defend

60.2

Waller to Taylor, 1 run, short ball, played from the crease to long-on

60.3

Waller to Guptill, no run, blocked off the front foot with bat and pad close together

60.4

Waller to Guptill, no run, bowled full outside off, driven off the front foot to cover

60.5

Waller to Guptill, no run, Guptill reaches forward and defends on the off side

60.6

Waller to Guptill, no run, driven firmly off the front foot to mid-off

61.1

Masakadza to Taylor, no run, good length on off stump, defended on the front

61.2

Masakadza to Taylor, no run, blocked off the front foot on the off side

61.3

Masakadza to Taylor, no run, played towards mid-on

61.4

Masakadza to Taylor, no run, good length and straight, defended from the crease

61.5

Masakadza to Taylor, 1 run, full ball on middle and leg, worked off the pads for a single

61.6

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, pushed off the front foot towards cover

62.1

Waller to Taylor, no run, played off the pads from the crease towards midwicket

62.2

Waller to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot on the off side

62.3

Waller to Taylor, 1 run, played off the pads through square

Here's a ghastly pun from Pete: "That team from Ben looks Taylored to any conditions!"

62.4

Waller to Guptill, 1 run, short ball, Guptill goes back and muscles it past midwicket towards long on

62.5

Waller to Taylor, no run, flat ball down leg side, glanced off the pads to short fine leg

62.6

Waller to Taylor, no run, played off the back foot on the leg side and that will be tea

2.45 pm New Zealand have made solid progress in the second session, scoring 81 runs for the loss of Kane Williamson, who was dismissed by a freakish run out. The pitch remains as lousy as ever for bowling. I'll be back in 20 minutes.

The tea break is almost over, it isn't long enough for a power nap. Following Ben's spectacular effort with the Taylor XI, can you think of any others? A Smith XI, perhaps? Or a Mohammad XI?

63.1

Price to Guptill, no run, tossed up from over the wicket on leg stump, defended on the back foot

Michael: "The Botham XI: 1. Botham ... all you need. He's a one man team."

63.2

Price to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot this time

63.3

Price to Guptill, no run, Price appeals for another run out after he gets a finger on a Guptill drive and the ball uproots middle stump at the bowler's end. Replays show that Taylor is safe

63.4

Price to Guptill, 2 runs, played off the back foot through square leg

63.5

Price to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot

63.6

Price to Guptill, no run, Guptill lunges forward and defends Price's line outside leg stump

Jarvis to open from the other end after tea ...

64.1

Jarvis to Taylor, FOUR, full and straight, Taylor leans forward and drives the half-volley between the bowler and silly mid-on and past the fielder at mid-on as well

64.2

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, this time Jarvis appeals for a run out after he gets a touch on Taylor's firm drive and the ball cannons into middle stump at the bowler's end, Guptill is also safe

64.3

Jarvis to Taylor, FOUR, length ball outside off, Taylor uses the width and drives on the up through cover, splendid timing

64.4

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, good length and straight, defended on the off side

John has sent in a Match Fixers XI, which I cannot publish.

64.5

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot on the off side

64.6

Jarvis to Taylor, FOUR, width offered outside off stump and Taylor hits his third boundary after tea with a powerful cut behind point

65.1

Price to Guptill, 1 run, Guptill steps out of his crease to take Price on the full and plays to midwicket

65.2

Price to Taylor, no run, round the wicket to Taylor who defends the ball angling into him on the front foot

65.3

Price to Taylor, no run, blocked off the front foot once again

65.4

Price to Taylor, no run, delivered from wide of the crease and Taylor uses the angle to nudge towards midwicket

65.5

Price to Taylor, no run, defended with bat and pad close together on the front foot

65.6

Price to Taylor, no run, played off the front foot on the leg side

This is from Sachin: "Mohammed XI: Mohd Hafeez (Pak), Mohd Nabi (Afg), Mohd Shahzad(Afg), Mohd Azharrudin (Ind), Mohd Yusuf (Pak), Mohd Kaif (India), Mohd Salman W.k (Pak), Mohd Ameer (Pak), Mohd Akram (Pak), Dave Mohd (WI), Mohd Asif (Pak).."

66.1

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, short of a length and straight, defended on the back foot

66.2

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, Jarvis appeals confidently for lbw but there was an inside edge as Guptill moved across his crease to play across the line

66.3

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, short of a length outside off, left alone by the batsman

Major Hammad: "A Smith's X1: Graeme Smith (SA), Greg Smith (SA), Ian Smith (NZ), Dwayne Smith (WI), Devon Smith (WI), Steven Smith (Aus), Daniel Smith (Aus), Robin Smith (Eng), Chris Smith (Eng), Ed Smith (Eng), Will Smith (Eng)."

66.4

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length but a bit too wide outside off, left alone once again

66.5

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length around off stump, punched off the back foot on the off side

66.6

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, left alone outside off stump

This is picking up steam now. Naushad has a Khan XI, though including Irfan Pathan is cheating. "Khan's XI : Majid Khan (PAK), Mohsin Khan (PAK), Younis Khan (PAK), Imran Khan (Capt. PAK), Sohail Khan (PAK), Zaheer Khan (IND), Irfan Khan Pathan (IND), Imran Khan (SA), Bazid Khan (PAK), M Jahangir Khan (PAK), Moin Khan (WK, PAK)"

67.1

Price to Taylor, no run, a touch short outside off, cut off the back foot to point

67.2

Price to Taylor, no run, Taylor plays a loose slog sweep to one wide outside off and drags his back foot outside the crease, he misses the shot but gets back in before Chakabva can break the stumps

67.3

Price to Taylor, 3 runs, another loose shot, he tries to slog across the line and mis-hits it in the air past a diving Taibu at midwicket

67.4

Price to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot

67.5

Price to Guptill, 1 run, driven in the air towards long on for a single

67.6

Price to Taylor, no run, defended on the off side on the front foot

68.1

Jarvis to Guptill, 1 run, short of a length around off stump, played off the back foot towards point

68.2

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, full ball around off stump, played off the front foot to mid-off

68.3

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, Tino Mawoyo dives to his left at cover to stop a firm cover drive

68.4

Jarvis to Taylor, 2 runs, Taylor leans forward and pushes a length ball through point with superb timing, Taylor reaches his half-century as well

68.5

Jarvis to Taylor, 1 run, full and straight, the batsman moves across and plays towards midwicket

Good effort Phil, but Brandon, Brendon and Brendan aren't the same!

68.6

Jarvis to Guptill, 1 leg bye, played off the pads behind square

69.1

Price to Guptill, no run, Price delivers outside leg from over the wicket, the batsman goes back to try and defend

69.2

Price to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot after the ball pitches outside leg

69.3

Price to Guptill, no run, Price pitches far outside leg stump, the batsman goes back and defends

69.4

Price to Guptill, FOUR, that's a long hop, Guptill goes right back and pulls it into the gap on the deep midwicket boundary

69.5

Price to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot

69.6

Price to Guptill, 1 run, Guptill moves back and forces the ball in the air but safely past the fielder at short midwicket, shouts of 'catch' from Zimbabwe's players. Sibanda was the fielder at short midwicket

Tejas: "India's Singh 11 - Navjot Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Bisen Singh, Robin Singh, R.P.Singh, Maninder Singh, sarandeep singh, v r v singh, amar singh, harvinder singh"

70.1

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, short of a length and wide outside off, the batsman lets it go

70.2

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, played off the back foot towards point

70.3

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, full ball on off stump, driven off the front foot to mid-off

70.4

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, played from the crease towards silly mid on

70.5

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length on off stump, driven firmly off the front foot to mid-off

70.6

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, defended from the crease on the leg side

Abhishek: "how about a chris 11...chris cairns(nz),chris harris(nz),chris gayle(wi), chris nash(eng), chris lewis(eng),chris broad(eng),chris martin(nz),chris tavare(eng),chris woakes(eng),chris rogers(aus),chris taylor(eng)...sub kris srikkanth". That batting order is all wrong.

71.1

Price to Taylor, no run, played off the back foot towards point

71.2

Price to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot towards the bowler

71.3

Price to Taylor, no run, Taylor goes back and plays the ball on the on side

71.4

Price to Taylor, no run, driven back to the bowler

71.5

Price to Taylor, no run, Taylor moves forward and defends towards Price

71.6

Price to Taylor, FOUR, Taylor sizes up the ball and lofts through the line, hitting it flat over the bowler towards the long-on boundary

Ncube is back for another spell ...

72.1

Ncube to Guptill, no run, played off the back foot on the leg side

72.2

Ncube to Guptill, FOUR, width offered outside off and Guptill plays the square drive to the boundary to bring up the 100 partnership

72.3

Ncube to Guptill, no run, defended off the back foot towards the off side

Pete: "Nickname XI - Corpse with Pads and Tubby to open 1&2, Alfie at 3, The Wall at 4, Tugga at 5(C), Beefy at 6, Boom Boom at 7, Dizzy at 8, The King of Spain at 9, White Lightning at 10 and Pigeon at 11 Wall or Alfie to keep." Lovely. I got most of those nicknames.

72.4

Ncube to Guptill, no run, Guptill punches off the back foot towards short cover

72.5

Ncube to Guptill, no run, good length around off stump, Guptill moves forward to block

72.6

Ncube to Guptill, no run, driven off the back foot towards teh fielder at mid-off

Ganesan: "How can we not have this - A Patel XI. Parthiv Patel ( IND), Ashish Patel ( Canada), Hiral Patel ( Canada), Samit Patel ( England), Dipak Patel ( New Zealand), Brijesh Patel (India), Jeetan Patel ( New Zealand), Munaf Patel (India), Brijal Patel (Kenya), Min Patel ( England), and finally Malhar Patel (Kenya) and I know that the order is all wrong but phew." That XI isn't too strong.

73.1

Price to Taylor, no run, played off the back foot to midwicket

73.2

Price to Taylor, 1 run, pushed towards long-on for a single

73.3

Price to Guptill, 1 run, Guptill goes back to play the ball on the leg side but it turns across him and so he dabs behind point

73.4

Price to Taylor, 1 run, Taylor gets down on one knee and sweeps behind square

73.5

Price to Guptill, no run, tossed up outside leg stump, padded away off the front foot

73.6

Price to Guptill, no run, defended on the back foot towards the off side

Jamie: "Trying to put together a Richards/Richardson XI (no "Richard" as a first name allowed!). Top 7 sorted, but I can't find any bowlers!! Barry Richards; Mark Richardson; Richie Richardson; Sir Viv Richards; Vic Richardson (Aus, Grandfather of the Cahppells); DW Richardson (Eng); Dave Richardson (Wk) (SA). Help!!"

74.1

Ncube to Taylor, no run, full and straight, Taylor moves forward and drives to mid-on

74.2

Ncube to Taylor, 1 run, that's shorter and Taylor swivels to pull through square leg

74.3

Ncube to Guptill, 2 runs, driven off the front foot through backward point, third man runs to his right to field

74.4

Ncube to Guptill, no run, played off the back foot to midwicket

74.5

Ncube to Guptill, no run, Guptill plays a firm cover drive off the front foot but can't beat the infield

74.6

Ncube to Guptill, no run, defended on the back foot

Rahul, send me your Michael XI again, it got lost somewhere.

Tejas: "ALI 11 -- S Nazir Ali (Ind), S Wazir Ali (Ind), S Mushtaq Ali (Ind), S Abid Ali (Ind), Naushad Ali (Pak), Talat Ali (Pak), Liaqat Ali (Pak), Ashraf Ali (Pak), Basit Ali (Pak), Yasir Ali (Pak), Azhar Ali (Pak)" You had help for this one didn't you, Tejas?

75.1

Price to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot, Price persists from over the wicket

75.2

Price to Taylor, no run, swept behind square

75.3

Price to Taylor, 1 run, played off the pads towards square leg

75.4

Price to Guptill, no run, Guptill steps out of his crease and then defends as he isn't to the pitch of the ball

75.5

Price to Guptill, no run, Guptill goes back and plays the ball from outside leg to square leg

75.6

Price to Guptill, no run, tossed up on leg stump, driven back to the bowler

76.1

Ncube to Taylor, no run, good length angling into the right-hander, played on the leg side

76.2

Ncube to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot

76.3

Ncube to Taylor, 1 run, slightly wide outside off stump, Taylor cuts to third man

76.4

Ncube to Guptill, no run, driven off the front foot towards mid-off

76.5

Ncube to Guptill, no run, full with width outside off, Guptill cover drives but straight to the fielder

76.6

Ncube to Guptill, no run, fuller length just outside off, defended on the back foot towards the off side

Mandar: "The Mark XI - Mark Waugh, Mark Taylor, Mark Ramprakash, Mark Butcher, Mark Richardson, Mark Boucher, Mark Ealham, Mark Benson, Mark Nicholas, Mark Bailey, Mark Vermeulen". I haven't heard of a couple of those - Mark Bailey?

Meanwhile, Price continues his hard labour from over the wicket to the right-handers, pitching outside leg stump, with no hope at all of an lbw.

77.1

Price to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot

77.2

Price to Taylor, no run, Taylor tries to sweep but misses and gets hit on the pad

77.3

Price to Taylor, 1 run, this time he connects with the sweep and hits it to deep backward square leg

77.4

Price to Guptill, no run, Guptill steps out of his crease and defends

77.5

Price to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot

77.6

Price to Guptill, 1 run, driven off the front foot to long-on

Drinks break time. Can't have an Andy XI with Andre in it, Steven. I wonder if anyone has ever called Symonds, Andy Symonds.

Rahul: "Here you go.. My Michael's XI - Michael Lumb(Eng),Michael Slater(Aus), Michael Atherton(Eng),Michael Vaughan(Eng),Michael Clarke(Aus),Michael Bevan(Aus),Michael Hussey(Aus),Michael Johnson(Aus - WK),Michael Holding(WI), Michael Beer(Aus),Michael Kasprowicz(Aus). Strongest of all.."

Rehan's been creative and come up with this - "A Debut-Before-18 XI: Imran Nazir, Hamilton Masakadza, Hanif Mohammad, Sachin Tendulkar, Garry Sobers, Mushtaq Mohammad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad Amir, Aaqib Javed, Waqar Younis."

Simon: "Re: Mark Bailey, he was one in a long line of not really quite good enough top order batsmen NZ tried in the 90s and early 2000s - similar to Darren Murray and Blair Hartland!"

Meanwhile, Mpofu is back for another spell. The new ball is available in two overs, if Brendan Taylor wants it.

78.1

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, flicked off the pads to midwicket, a bit too straight from Mpofu

78.2

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, defended on the off side

78.3

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, good length outside off, Guptill stays in his crease and plays on the off side

78.4

Mpofu to Guptill, 1 run, played off the front foot behind point for a single

78.5

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, defended from the crease on the leg side

Ok, I've overdone the XIs and can't do it anymore. Top efforts though. Moving on ...

78.6

Mpofu to Taylor, 1 run, played off the front foot past midwicket to Taibu's right at mid-on

79.1

Price to Taylor, 1 run, Price bowls flat outside leg stump, Taylor goes back to play the ball

79.2

Price to Guptill, no run, tossed up outside leg from over the wicket - is there a more tedious line than this in cricket? - Guptill blocks

79.3

Price to Guptill, SIX, that's a huge six! Guptill moves forward and outside leg stump to create room and launches the ball into orbit over the long-off boundary, he moves to 99 in some style

79.4

Price to Guptill, no run, Guptill moves forward again but pads the ball away from outside leg

79.5

Price to Guptill, FOUR, what a lovely delivery to get when you're on 99, the shortest of long hops and Guptill pulls powerfully to the square leg boundary. He takes off his helmet to celebrate, he's had a fantastic time in Zimbabwe

79.6

Price to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot

The new ball is now available to Zimbabwe.

The new ball hasn't been taken though.

80.1

Mpofu to Taylor, 1 run, played with a close face behind square

80.2

Mpofu to Guptill, 1 run, short of a length outside off, cut off the back foot through backward point

80.3

Mpofu to Taylor, 1 run, Taylor cuts off the back foot this time through point

80.4

Mpofu to Guptill, 1 run, pushed off the front foot for another single in the point region

80.5

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, played towards cover

80.6

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, Taylor moves forward and plays to cover

I know I said no more XIs but this is too good to pass up, from Andy Rowlett: "1. Valmer Batty (Aus) 2. Peg Batty (NZ) 3. Jonathan Batty (Eng) 4. Jeremy Batty (Eng) 5. Gareth Batty (Eng) 6. Arthur Fielder (Eng) 7. Walter Fielder (Eng) 8. Jake Seamer (Eng) 9. Ian Quick (Aus) 10. Peter Bowler (Eng) 11. Thomas Bowler (Eng)"

Henry: "Guptill is getting a bit of a reputation as a minnow basher. Will be interesting to see how he goes against some of the better teams when he next plays them."

Masakadza is back for some more dibbly-dobblers.

81.1

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, defended on the front foot to silly mid-on

81.2

Masakadza to Guptill, no run, takes a solid stride forward and plays to mid off

81.3

Masakadza to Guptill, FOUR, driven firmly off the front foot and Ncube can't cut it off at mid-off

81.4

Masakadza to Guptill, OUT, caught at midwicket, would you believe it! Masakadza pitched the ball in the middle of the pitch and it sat up for Guptill to smash anywhere. He went back and pulled it flat but hit it straight to Taibu in the circle. A fortunate wicket for Zimbabwe

MJ Guptill c Taibu b Masakadza 109 (323m 236b 11x4 2x6) SR: 46.18

BJ Watling is the new batsman.

81.5

Masakadza to Watling, FOUR, Watling's first ball is wide outside off stump and he tries to cut, the ball goes off the bottom edge past the keeper to the boundary

81.6

Masakadza to Watling, no run, defended on the front foot

Midge: "Minnow basher is a bit rough on Guppy, he has hardly any big scores. Always chips in with a few runs though, hopefully he can start to kick on more often."

82.1

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, full ball down leg side, Taylor misses the glance

More people rushing to Guptill's defence. Simon: "Henry, granted Marty's centuries have come against 'minnows' , but scores of 50,60 and 73 v Pakistan, 58 v Australia and 85 v India in his few tests suggests the term 'minnow basher' might be a tad harsh?"

82.2

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, Taylor pushes forward too early and ends up chipping the ball uppishly towards cover, that ball stopped on the batsman

82.3

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, short of a length ball outside off, Taylor lets it go

82.4

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, wide outside off stump, Taylor lets it go again

82.5

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, a bouncer of sorts this time, Taylor ducks and lets it pass

82.6

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot towards cover

83.1

Masakadza to Watling, no run, wide ball outside off, cut off the back foot to point

83.2

Masakadza to Watling, no run, good length outside off, left alone by the batsman

83.3

Masakadza to Watling, no run, good length and straight, defended from the crease towards the bowler

83.4

Masakadza to Watling, no run, defended on the off side

83.5

Masakadza to Watling, no run, defended on the front foot towards cover

83.6

Masakadza to Watling, no run, Watling strides forward and defends on the off side

Jarvis will have first use of the second new ball.

84.1

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, loose shot from Taylor, he stays in his crease without moving his feet and lunges at a wide one outside off stump, he gets beaten

84.2

Jarvis to Taylor, 1 run, short of a length just outside off, Taylor moves back, plays the ball towards point and runs

84.3

Jarvis to Watling, no run, Watling stays in his crease and plays a length ball off his body on the leg side

84.4

Jarvis to Watling, no run, good length but the line is a bit wide outside off, Watling lets it go

84.5

Jarvis to Watling, no run, played off the back foot towards gully

84.6

Jarvis to Watling, no run, good length on a tight line outside of stump, Watling shoulders arms

Elphas: "l can smell a wicket in my office." What does one smell like?

Mpofu will share the new ball.

85.1

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, short of a length and wide outside off, left alone by the batsman

85.2

Mpofu to Taylor, 2 runs, full ball outside off, driven off the front foot to the fielder on the sweeper boundary

85.3

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, full ball down leg side, Taylor tries to glance the ball and it looked like he got a bit of bat on that. Chakabva dived to his left but couldn't hold on. So that's a drop, but a tough chance

85.4

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, good length outside off stump, left alone by the batsman

85.5

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, Taylor shoulders arms once again as the ball is wide outside off

85.6

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, good length closer to off, left alone once again

86.1

Jarvis to Watling, FOUR, short and wide outside off stump, Watling cracks it off the back foot through point, poor ball

James: "Elphas, you may be able to smell a wicket in your office, but are you sure it's coming from Bulawayo? Pretty rare smell anywhere near that pitch."

86.2

Jarvis to Watling, no run, a short ball outside off stump doesn't rise so much, Watling bends his knees and lets it go

86.3

Jarvis to Watling, no run, a good length ball moves off the seam away from the right-hander, the batsman lets it go

86.4

Jarvis to Watling, no run, good length and straight, defended towards the bowler

86.5

Jarvis to Watling, no run, short of a length and straight, defended on the back foot towards cover

86.6

Jarvis to Watling, no run, good length outside off with some seam movement away from Watling, who pushes forward and shoulders arms

Three overs left in the day. Zimbabwe have been good with their over-rate.

87.1

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, wide outside off stump, Taylor would have to be silly to play that

87.2

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, another extremely wide ball outside off, Taylor lets it go again

87.3

Mpofu to Taylor, FOUR, short of a length closer to off and Taylor pushes at it, getting a thick edge that goes between second slip and gully to the boundary

"This is boring! Pitches like this should not be allowed. Or is that just an excuse for our bowlers not being able to do the job?" asks Tambudzai. No, this pitch is terrible to bowl on, that edge notwithstanding.

87.4

Mpofu to Taylor, 2 runs, Taylor cuts off the back foot towards third man

87.5

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, Taylor prods outside off stump once again on the front foot and gets beaten by one that keeps low

87.6

Mpofu to Taylor, 2 runs, short and wide outside off, Taylor cuts the ball hard through point and Mawoyo dives on the boundary to save two runs

88.1

Jarvis to Watling, 2 runs, full ball on the pads and Watling clips it through square leg

88.2

Jarvis to Watling, FOUR, dropped! Watling pokes tentatively at one that pitches on a great length outside off, the edge flies between the keeper and first slip. Both Chakabva and Price don't attempt the catch, Jarvis looks on in anguish. Price was too wide at first slip and moved too slowly

88.3

Jarvis to Watling, 1 run, defended on the leg side

88.4

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, good length and straight, defended on the off side

88.5

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, Taylor tries to pull a short of a length ball from wide outside off stump and gets beaten, bizarre shot

88.6

Jarvis to Taylor, no run, played from the crease on the leg side

Final over of the day coming up. New Zealand have been jittery in the previous few minutes.

89.1

Mpofu to Watling, no run, good length just outside off, Watling defends from the crease and gets an inside edge on to the pad

89.2

Mpofu to Watling, no run, full ball outside off, Watling strides forward and pushes towards cover

89.3

Mpofu to Watling, no run, Watling defends another good length ball tentatively outside off, he leaves a large gap between bat and pad while defending

89.4

Mpofu to Watling, no run, Watling lets the ball pass outside off towards Chakabva

89.5

Mpofu to Watling, 1 run, short of a length ball punched off the back foot through point

Last ball of the day ...

89.6

Mpofu to Taylor, 1 wide, a wide one outside off, Taylor lets it go, and the umpire calls it wide ... so we'll have one more

89.6

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot towards the off side, and that will be that for today

5.05 pm New Zealand have had a satisfactory first day, finishing on 275 for 3. The pitch had nothing in it so maybe they could have scored quicker, but they won't worry too much about that. Zimbabwe's bowlers had struggled to dismiss New Zealand in the limited-overs games and on such a flat surface they had little chance. They took three wickets and all of them were a bit fortunate. Abhishek Purohit will update his bulletin shortly.

That's it from me for today. Thank you for all your emails. Cheers.

"I believe Zimbabwes own David Houghton was captain on his debut and made 121 which by itself is impressive to begin your Test career as captain and become a centurion in his first innings' On that note from Bilent we are all but ready to resume. Zimbabwe are in their huddle. Jarvis will resume proceedings

10.35am All right I can confirm now that we are expecting a resumption at 10.45am. It is overcast in Bulawayo but the covers are all off

10.30am Apparently the game might start at 10.45am. As we await the start of the match, here's a question that I'd love to answer. "Does anyone know what the highest score is by a captain in his first test innings as captain?" asks Matt. "Whatever the record is, Taylor has an opportunity here to double it. What a great way to ease yourself in as test captain than against Zimbabwe! Much better than say the Aussie or SA who they have later this summer."

The record, Matt, belongs to another Kiwi, Graham Dowling. I didn't know he held that record but he told me in this interview. Here: "I think Shivnarine Chanderpaul was only the second player to score a double-century in his first Test as captain, but my 239 is still the highest. Like all records, it will be broken before long. That's the way the game is, isn't it?" The other thing about Dowling that we all know is he never retired from the game. He says he didn't bother about "making a big fuss and bother about retiring and that sort of thing. That's it. Had a wonderful time. Cricket had been great for me. Seen the world, very lucky to do so. Happy as Larry. Just left it there."

10am We have a delayed start. Delayed by how much, I am not quite sure now. "Its good news for zim l guess,maybe bad news for New zealand. l assume ther will be a bit of swing in the morning for zim and also it increases the ODDS for a draw for Zim hippy..." Elphas doesn't mind the delay.

"Got a carton of Red Bull and hope to stay awake until at least lunch-time! Watch for Taylor to cut loose after about 30 mins this morning. Thanks to all of you guys who do a great job for us." Stu Williams has got the wings but nowhere to fly to

9.50am Oh I have some news that isn't great. It has rained in the morning, with the sun just peeking out. The covers are coming off, we might just be in for a delayed start. "I have seen a lot of criticism of NZ's batting and I think it is unjustified," says Rene. "Zimbabwe bowled tight lines and set defensive fields alongside of cautious batting. If NZ had of taken on the field and lost two more wickets then they would have been criticised for throwing their wickets away on a featherbed. I seem to remember once hearing that you can't win a test on day one but you can go a long way to losing one...''

9.40am We've had a change of commentators midway during the Test. This is Sidharth Monga, welcoming you to day two. I hear the Kiwi batsmen didn't help folks back home stay awake last night. The rate seems fine, though, at three an over. Not as if they had to set up a declaration last night

90.1

Jarvis to Watling, no run, pitched up on off, defended off the front foot

90.2

Jarvis to Watling, no run, tries the bouncer, gentle pace, outside off, sways out of the line

90.3

Jarvis to Watling, no run, Edge. Length ball on off, holds its line, squares him up, but the edge doesn't carry to first slip. Good start for Zimbabwe

90.4

Jarvis to Watling, no run, half-volley outside off, tires to drive but doesn't time it. Finds cover

90.5

Jarvis to Watling, no run, goes too straight, Watling fails to make contact, is hit on the pad

90.6

Jarvis to Watling, no run, this leave could have been dicey. The ball shapes back in from short of a length, but not enough to hit the exposed stumps

Ncube from the other end then. 'What about ducks on captaincy debut?" asks Gav. I can't think of any right now. I'd bet on Courtney Walsh, though

91.1

Ncube to Taylor, no run, some swing away, but it starts too wide outside off

91.2

Ncube to Taylor, no run, short of a length, on off, holds its line, Taylor is squared up in defence

91.3

Ncube to Taylor, no run, left alone well outside off

91.4

Ncube to Taylor, no run, length ball outside off, defended with an open face

91.5

Ncube to Taylor, OUT, what a gift from Taylor. Ncube will take it. It is his maiden Test wicket, and he dives in celebration like a footballer would after scoring a goal. This is a wide half-volley, if he was playing snooker, he would need the "rest cue" to reach it. Taylor, though, goes after it, and the best he manages after reaching out is an edge

LRPL Taylor c †Chakabva b Ncube 76 (227m 165b 9x4 0x6) SR: 46.06

Dean Brownlie is the new batsman

91.6

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, wide outside off, more restraint from the batsman now

92.1

Jarvis to Watling, 1 run, tips and runs for the first run of the morning. Soft hands, just bunts this to the left of cover and hares through

92.2

Jarvis to Brownlie, no run, bouncer, well outside off, no need to play at it

"Mark Taylor made a pair on captaincy debut against Pakistan in 1994." Henry, I am astonished. Somehow I don't seem to remember it

92.3

Jarvis to Brownlie, no run, short of a length, just outside off, defended square

92.4

Jarvis to Brownlie, no run, length ball, just outside off, presses forward to defend

92.5

Jarvis to Brownlie, no run, a better bouncer, over the stumps, with some muscle behind it. Brownlie (and I am resisting all jokes about white lies) sways out of the line

92.6

Jarvis to Brownlie, no run, this one moves away big time, but it also starts well outside off, and is left alone

"Bob Willis is usually a safe answer to any question about scoring ducks but, remarkably, he hit his highest Test score in his debut as captain (v India in 1982) and only had 2 ducks in 18 Tests as captain. Not bad for a batting rabbit." Mark Kidger, evidently he wanted to lead from the front

93.1

Ncube to Watling, no run, short of a length, well outside off, left alone

"Cricket, you funny old game you! Throw in the odd bad ball, and you never know what happens!" Daniel I would be playing Tests too if I bowled just the odd bad ball

93.2

Ncube to Watling, no run, length ball, angling in towards off, defended solidly

"Ah, not quite right on the Mark Taylor comment, might pay to use Cricinfo stats first!" Thanks Lawrence. I hope you understand I don't have the time to verify stats. I trust the correspondents here

93.3

Ncube to Watling, no run, defended off the front foot, towards cover

93.4

Ncube to Watling, no run, wide again, doesn't play at it

93.5

Ncube to Watling, 2 runs, nicely driven through the covers. This is a half-volley, not too wide, he leans into it and places it wide of cover

93.6

Ncube to Watling, 1 run, picked away off the hip for a single

"I want to see the Phantom bat! I'm picking this is a great chance for him to get a test high score!" Mark, I want to see him captain Un Zid

94.1

Jarvis to Watling, no run, presses forward, and has to take the bottom hand, which suggests this might have kicked at him. It was outside off, and his head fell back when he defended. Hits the shoulder of the bat but doesn't carry to gully

94.2

Jarvis to Watling, no run, this one nips in to him, defended off the front foot

94.3

Jarvis to Watling, 1 no ball, length ball, outside off, defended to cover. Overstepped while bowling this

"Apologies! I humbly submit to the other readers comments, I was too quick in my response." Whoa, Lawrence, how about using Cricinfo stats and now finally tell me if M Taylor did or did not score a pair on captaincy debut?

94.3

Jarvis to Watling, FOUR, short and wide, cut away past the diving point for the first boundary of the morning

94.4

Jarvis to Watling, no run, length ball outside off, gets a good stride in to defend

94.5

Jarvis to Watling, no run, starts outside off, swings away, left alone

94.6

Jarvis to Watling, no run, wide outside off again, left alone

95.1

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, defended to cover, well forward to do so

95.2

Ncube to Brownlie, 3 runs, Brownlie is on the board in Test cricket. Short of a length, outside off, he moves across, close to the line, and then punches this past cover

95.3

Ncube to Watling, no run, fuller, outside off, gets a stride in to defend

95.4

Ncube to Watling, no run, wide length ball, shoulders arms to it

95.5

Ncube to Watling, no run, length ball, on the pads, pushed to square leg

95.6

Ncube to Watling, no run, gets a big stride in to defend a lenght ball outside off

Priyashrav: "Mark Taylor did score a pair on his captaincy debut! I also found that the player who scored most number of ducks as Captain was New Zealand's own Stephen Fleming!" I know it is embarrassing, Lawrence, but you can come back to Cricinfo

96.1

Jarvis to Brownlie, no run, short of a length, playes with an open face, towards gully

96.2

Jarvis to Brownlie, no run, slight seam away from him after the ball pitches short of a length and just outside off. Defended with an open face

96.3

Jarvis to Brownlie, 3 runs, Streaky, streaky. Punches this away from the body, uppish and square on the off side. Waller at point puts in a full-length dive to his right, but can't get there

96.4

Jarvis to Watling, no run, defended off the front foot this time

96.5

Jarvis to Watling, no run, short of a length, outside off, slight extra bounce, but Watling isn't playing at it anyway

"Not quite the same point, but Graham Gooch famously made a pair on test debut. So it shouldn't stop a career." Not at all, James. If that was the case, Marvan Atapattu was a goner

96.6

Jarvis to Watling, no run, big appeal for lbw as he beats the inside edge of the bat, but this is a length ball clearly nipping down leg

97.1

Ncube to Brownlie, 2 runs, wide half-volley, handsomely driven wide of cover, the outfield is a bit heavy

97.2

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, short and wide, but he can't beat backward point with the cut

97.3

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, short of a length, on off, punched back to the bowler

97.4

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, short of a length, on off and middle, punched down to mid-on

97.5

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, punched away, but can't beat a diving cover

97.6

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, length ball outside off, driven solidly, straight to cover

98.1

Jarvis to Watling, 2 runs, length ball, on off, punched down the ground. No mid-off in place, and he takes a couple

98.2

Jarvis to Watling, no run, length ball on the pads, flicks it, but can't beat square leg

98.3

Jarvis to Watling, no run, length ball outside off, left alone

98.4

Jarvis to Watling, no run, lovely delivery, a true peach. Short of a length, just outside off, and then kicks and seams away. It spat at him. Jarvis unlucky to not get an edge for this

98.5

Jarvis to Watling, no run, this is slightly fuller, he presses forward and defends

98.6

Jarvis to Watling, no run, an outswinger, not too wide, but he judges the line well and shoulders arms to it

99.1

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, short of a length, just outside off, punched to mid-off

99.2

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, short and wide, doesn't time the cut well, straight to point

"Fair to say that, in the second innings of their debuts, both Gooch and Atapattu were out to good bowlers. Gooch to Thommo and Marvan to Kapil. Can't argue with that." James, another surprise for me today. Did Kapil stretch his career so far as to be playing with Marvan? Srinath and others would have hated that

99.3

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, short of a length, into the pads, can't beat square leg

99.4

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, punched down the ground this time, straight to mid-on

99.5

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, this is pitched up wider outside off, he plays a strange little dab to a fullish delivery. Gets a bottom edge but it is too wide to successfully play it on

99.6

Ncube to Brownlie, no run, cut away, straight to cover