Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum to open the batting. Kyle Jarvis has the new ball, bowling from over the wicket. Three slips in place.

9.50 am It's a lovely, sunny day in Bulawayo by the way. It's such a pretty venue too, the Queens Sports Club, trees all around the ground. Chris Harris gave the two New Zealand debutants their black caps.

Kepler Wessels, on Ten Sports, said the pitch is hard and has a small covering of grass. There are cracks that may open up. He reckons it will be good to bat on for the first three days, so New Zealand will be pleased. "Pretty flat wicket," Ross Taylor had said after he won the toss.

Marcus: "@Glenn- Given how Bulawayo pitches have played of late, I would not hold high hopes for the pitch to break up. Given the state of Zimbabwe's infrastructure, it may well be the flattest piece of road in the country."

Brendan Taylor wanted to bat as well, obviously. "Where is Lamb?" asks Michael. He wasn't in Zimbabwe's squad.

Toss, 9.30 am Ross Taylor has won the toss and New Zealand are going to bat.

Tatenda Taibu is in Zimbabwe's XI, which is a bit of a surprise considering he was not named in their 15-man squad because of an injury. He will play as a batsman while Regis Chakabva keeps wicket. Chakabva is one of three debutants for Zimbabwe, the other two being allrounder Malcolm Waller and fast bowler Njabulo Ncube.

Marcus: "I presume this means that Taibu's injury is only to his finger, so he can still hold a bat but not keep?" That would be right.

New Zealand are also playing two debutants - Dean Brownlie and Doug Bracewell. They are playing two spinners in Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel.

"Interesting line up for the Black Caps with only two seamers! Hopefully the pitch breaks up early," says Glenn. Andy McKay had a stomach bug, so might not have been fit.

9.15 am Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball coverage of the one-off Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand, which begins in Bulawayo today. New Zealand won the Twenty20 series 2-0 and the ODIs 2-1, with ease really. Zimbabwe, however, pulled off a record chase of 329 in the third ODI in Bulawayo to cheer themselves up ahead of the Test.

Both teams have been hit by injuries in the lead-up to the Test. There's news of that and more in our preview of the match. Jesse Ryder won't be playing for New Zealand today and Ross Taylor has said that Ryder might have to give up bowling to stay injury free in the now runner-less world of international cricket.

0.1

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, Jarvis hits a good length outside off stump and gets the ball to shape away from Guptill, who lets it go

0.2

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, this time the line is a bit too wide outside off, there is some early outswing for Jarvis, Guptill plays no shot

0.3

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length but the line is outside off and Guptill shoulders arms for the third time in a row

0.4

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length outside off, Guptill stays in his crease and lets it go through to the keeper

0.5

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, bat on ball for the first time, Guptill moves forward and plays a good length ball on the off side

"Greg Lamb has had an operation on his shoulder and is still recovering," says John Ward. Thanks for that John.

0.6

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, left alone once again outside off

Njabulo Ncube will share the new ball. It's his Test debut. Good luck. He runs in from over the wicket ...

1.1

Ncube to McCullum, no run, good length outside off, McCullum lets it go. Not much pace in this pitch, and the bounce isn't too high either

1.2

Ncube to McCullum, no run, good length pitching outside off stump and angling into McCullum, who moves back and blocks, skiddy delivery

1.3

Ncube to McCullum, 2 runs, a touch short outside off, McCullum moves back and cuts the ball hard through cover point, he hasn't timed it well though

1.4

Ncube to McCullum, no run, that kept low and bounced a second time before reaching the keeper after McCullum let it go outside off

1.5

Ncube to McCullum, 1 bye, too wide outside off and once again the keeper fumbles as the ball bounces before him, awkward take. The carry is rather poor

1.6

Ncube to Guptill, 2 runs, full ball outside off stump, in the slot for the cover drive and Guptill eases on to the front foot to play it through the infield

Glenn: "@Marcus: Money on the draw then. Surprised Aldridge didn't get a crack although 33 is a bit late for Test debut. When is Wagner eligible?"

2.1

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, good length and straight, making the batsman play, which is what Jarvis must do with the new ball. McCullum defends

2.2

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, good length and straight once again, the ball stops on McCullum as he defends and it lobs up in the air but falls well short of the bowler

2.3

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, wider outside the off stump this time and McCullum can let it go again

2.4

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, McCullum strides forward and defends on the off side

2.5

Jarvis to McCullum, 1 run, McCullum tries to slap the ball a bit too hard through cover on a pitch where the ball isn't coming on, he mis-times it

2.6

Jarvis to Guptill, 1 run, Guptill pushes the ball off the front foot towards point to keep strike

3.1

Ncube to Guptill, no run, short and wide outside off, Guptil tries to cut but misses the ball, I think he played that shot too soon. The bounce and pace is slow

3.2

Ncube to Guptill, no run, half-volley outside off stump and Guptill drives to the fielder at cover

3.3

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

3.4

Ncube to Guptill, no run, short of a length just outside off, Guptill punches off the back foot to Sibanda at point

Wonder how soon it will be before Ray Price takes the stage.

3.5

Ncube to Guptill, no run, Guptill decides to let the ball go after it pitched outside off and cut back into him, close to off stump that was

3.6

Ncube to Guptill, 1 run, fuller and straighter delivery, Guptill drives off his pads towards midwicket

4.1

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length outside off stump, Guptill moves forward and drives to mid-off

4.2

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, short of a length delivery rises into Guptill's chest, he plays it down behind point

Scott: "Is 'Nc' the weirdest combination of letters in a cricketers name? Very rare..."

4.3

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length on middle stump, Guptill gets behind the line and blocks

4.4

Jarvis to Guptill, (no ball) FOUR, too full on the pads, a no-ball as well, Guptill moves across and whips it through midwicket for the innings' first boundary

4.4

Jarvis to Guptill, FOUR, in the air, through the gap, and four! Guptill drives at one away from his body. He was early on the shot and the outside edge flew through the gap between gully and point. The ball wasn't full enough to drive

4.5

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

4.6

Jarvis to Guptill, FOUR, shot! Too full and Guptill drills it past the fielder at mid-on with a straight drive. Well timed stroke

5.1

Ncube to McCullum, FOUR, too short and McCullum rocks back and pulls over the infield at midwicket, can't bowl that length on this pitch

5.2

Ncube to McCullum, 1 run, played off the back foot at point

Dickson: "@ Glenn, Wagner should finally be eligible at some point in April 2012. That day cannot come soon enough, I hope Milne beefs up slightly before then too so that along with Southee we'll actually have a threatening pace attack for the first time in ages that hopefully won't fall apart like a certain speedster we used to have." I assume this exchange is about Neil Wagner.

5.3

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

5.4

Ncube to Guptill, no run, good length and straight, Guptill gets behind the line and defends

5.5

Ncube to Guptill, 4 byes, Ncube pitches the ball on a good length outside off and seams the ball in towards the right-hander, Guptill strides forward and shoulders arms, letting the ball pass close to off stump, it swings towards leg side after passing the batsman and beats the keeper too

5.6

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

6.1

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, full ball on middle and leg, played from the crease towards square leg

Greg: "I would like to see New Zealand bringing young Adam Milne through. Saw him bowl over 150km vs Pakistan in a 20/20 game last year at age 18. Milne, Southee and Wagner could be an exciting attack in years to come."

6.2

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, good length and straight, McCullum moves forward and defends to the bowler

Andrew: "Forget Nc in Ncube's name, I recon the wierdest combination of letters in a cricket name is in Netherlands' Eric Szwarczynski's name!"

6.3

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, a bit too full on the pads, some inswing for Jarvis, McCullum flicks but can't beat midwicket

6.4

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, McCulum gets behind the line of a sharper delivery and defends on the leg side

6.5

Jarvis to McCullum, 2 runs, McCullum lines up a length ball outside off and tries to launch it down the ground, he gets a thick outside edge that flies high over cover point. Not where he wanted it to go

6.6

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, defended this time, from the crease on the leg side

Dickson: "You assumed correctly George, we kiwis don't have many players that are exciting prospects to follow, but Neil Wagner is certainly one of the few."

7.1

Ncube to Guptill, no run, full delivery with some swing into the right-hander, Guptill moves forward and drives on the off side

Glenn: "Thanks @Dickson. Hopefully he can replicate his FC performances in Tests. Throw in Bracewell (who looks useful) and all of a sudden we've got some real potential. Shock horror!"

7.2

Ncube to Guptill, 1 run, Ncube strays on to the pads and Guptill taps the ball towards midwicket

7.3

Ncube to McCullum, no run, McCullum is trying to blast the ball through extra cover but mis-times it on the leg side, was a full delivery outside off stump

7.4

Ncube to McCullum, FOUR, this time he succeeds! There's width outside off stump for McCullum to free his arms and swing hard and he launches the ball over extra cover

7.5

Ncube to McCullum, no run, defended on the back foot towards the bowler

7.6

Ncube to McCullum, no run

8.1

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, Driven off the front foot towards cover

8.2

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, Defended from the crease towards backward point

8.3

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, Fuller ball outside off, Guptill moves forward and drives to mid-off

8.4

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, Defended on the front foot towards cover

8.5

Jarvis to Guptill, 1 run, a short of a length ball rises on Guptill, who rides the bounce and fends behind square

8.6

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, defended on the back foot on the leg side

Dickson: "@Greg, yes Milne will be good to watch, the main concern though is how thin he is, there is the worry that if he isn't managed well that he will be our next Bond, in more ways than one. If he can add a little more muscle then hopefully that will aid his durability. @ Greg, I agree on Bracewell too. He looks like a handy seamer, a good foil for the quicker bowlers. Shock horror indeed!"

9.1

Ncube to Guptill, no run, good length delivery on of and middle, played on the leg side

9.2

Ncube to Guptill, no run, Guptill strides forward and shoulders arms to a good length ball outside off stump

9.3

Ncube to Guptill, no run, a bit too wide outside off stump for Guptill to want to play at it

Greg: "Personally I think there is some real talent coming through in New Zealand as far as fast bowling is concerned, It is the lack of quality spinners in FC cricket to back up/replace Vettori that is worrying." Where are all the Zimbabwean readers?

9.4

Ncube to Guptill, no run, tight line and length around off stump, defended on the back foot

9.5

Ncube to Guptill, no run, short of a length with width outside off, Guptill stands on the back foot and hits to cover

9.6

Ncube to Guptill, 2 runs, fuller length outside off, Guptil plays an elegant cover drive and a fumble in the infield allows runs

Scott: "Just out of curiosity, does anyone else record all their published Cricinfo comments in a Microsoft Word document like me?" Now there's one I haven't heard before.

10.1

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, good length on off and middle, McCullum defends towards mid-off

10.2

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, McCullum moves back to play a good length ball on the leg side

10.3

Jarvis to McCullum, no run, full and straight, McCullum times the drive well but can't place it past mid-on

10.4

Jarvis to McCullum, OUT, Bowled him! McCullum has played on. The length was short and the line was outside off stump, McCullum wanted to pull it and in trying to drag the ball towards the leg side from wide outside off, he got a bottom edge on to his stumps. He has thrown away an opportunity to score big on a flat batting pitch

BB McCullum b Jarvis 14 (44m 27b 2x4 0x6) SR: 51.85

10.5

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

10.6

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, Good length outside off stump, the batsman strides forward and defends towards cover

11.1

Ncube to Guptill, no run, tight line and length outside off, Guptill defends on the front foot

11.2

Ncube to Guptill, no run, Guptill tries to punch through the off side but Ncube nips the ball back off the seam and goes between the bat and body, Chakabva fumbles the take

11.3

Ncube to Guptill, no run, played from the crease to midwicket

11.4

Ncube to Guptill, 1 run, Guptill moves forward to defend but gets an inside edge behind square on the leg side

Learnfirst: "Zimbabwean readers, we are here. We are good gentlemen- we usualy want to let the visitors talk first (ladies first). How thin is this Milne? Is he 'stump thin' or 'thigh pad' thin?"

11.5

Ncube to Williamson, 1 run, played into the gap at cover for a quick single

11.6

Ncube to Guptill, no run, good length and line, angling into off stump, defended on the back foot

Jambe: "Zimbabwean fans! We are here following the action and perhaps that wicket has just given us a voice, George!"

12.1

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, short of a length at the batsman, with some extra pace, Williamson moves back and plays it down on the leg side

12.2

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, Jarvis is pushing Williamson back with his length and pace, defended on the leg side again

12.3

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, the slower ball bowled full and outside off after two short, sharp deliveries, Williamson shows restraint and lets it go

12.4

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, fuller length just outside off, Williamson moves forward and defends towards cover

12.5

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, Williamson moves forward and across to play a full ball from off and middle towards midwicket

12.6

Jarvis to Williamson, 1 run, a bit too straight and the batsman works it off the pads towards long leg

Dickson: "The Zimbabwean readers are coming George, they're on their way. @Scott, while I had at one time contemplated that, I just instead laugh a bit out of amusement when I see my comments posted, and then hope that they disappear later. As for the spin woes, I think you guys are on to something. I like Nathan McCullum's attacking style of play, but once he and Vettori retire we don't seem to have anyone to call home about. I really hope we don't keep Woodcock in the side for much longer, I reckon he's rubbish. Jeets should be playing more than him."

13.1

Ncube to Williamson, no run, tight line and length just outside off, the batsman stays in his crease and defends

Andrew: "Us Zimbabwean readers are here, but some like me are a little depressed that we lost the toss. Not only are day 1 and 2 the best for batting, but we will have to bat 4th on a turning wicket (against Vettori). So I feel we are up against it from ball one to get something out of this match." True, this pitch looks awful to bowl on today.

13.2

Ncube to Williamson, no run, left alone outside off stump

13.3

Ncube to Williamson, 1 run, Williamson pushes the ball towards cover and runs. Mpofu lumbers in from cover, picks up and hits the stumps at the batsman's end, but Guptill is too quick. Or Mpofu was too slow

13.4

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

"Anyone called for Zim readers!!! I'm here... And I'm the proudest Zim reader cause Regis is actually my younger bro.. And on his debut game, this will be my debut comment here." Well Joseph Chakabva, if that is true, then congratulations. Regis is having a tough time behind the stumps on this pitch, though. The bounce is low.

13.5

Ncube to Guptill, no run, left alone outside the off stump

13.6

Ncube to Guptill, no run, short of a length outside off, punched off the back foot to point

Drinks coming on to the field. Glenn: "On a different note, how many times in Test cricket have opposing captains shared last names??"

Big Jake: "@Learnfirst In terms of thinness, Milne is nearly Chris Martin 2.0, albeit without Martin's utterly explosive batting."

Chris Mpofu replaces Jarvis ...

14.1

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, good length outside off stump, Williamson moves forward and defends towards cover

Senthil: "Same pinch Scott.! After the screen capture, I normally share the doc with all my friends thru e-mail and FB..!"

14.2

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, good length once again outside off, this time Williamson lets it go

Paul: "@Andrew: don't talk Vettori up too much in the 4th innings. He has a poor 4th innings record, arguable some of the worst in the history of the game. At least Jeets can turn the ball and will create some pressure while they block Dan at the other end."

14.3

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, Williamson patiently defends on the off side

14.4

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, good length and Williamson meets the ball outside off with a forward defence

Jambe: "Well, I am more inclined to think that whilst the pitch appears good for batting first, the Zimbabwean team is better placed to chase a score rather than defend a score. Our batting, barring a batting collapse, is better than our bowling - at the moment so i'd rather have us bowl and try to restrict the New Zealanders and then chase down the total. After the 3rd ODI we should have sufficient belief and confidence to at least try that."

14.5

Mpofu to Williamson, FOUR, short ball and Williamson has so much time to go back and pull it to the midwicket boundary, didn't try and smash the ball to smithereens like McCullum did

14.6

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, defended on the front foot towards the leg side

Sabah: "I see the Chris Martin baiting has already begin, to which I will only say - the Phantom is awesome. Do not mock the Phantom."

And here's Ray Price, he's going to have to do a lot of bowling in this match. A lot.

15.1

Price to Guptill, no run, full ball from round the wicket into the right-hander, Guptill drives to mid-on

Dave: "Anyone know the thinking behind selecting Chakabva ahead of Mutizwa? Both played in the Zim A side, played about the same amount of first class and are about the same age... yet Forster has the better avg @43.54 vs. Regis @33.32"

Three catchers at slip, short leg and short cover.

15.2

Price to Guptill, no run, driven on the off side, that was tossed up much slower

15.3

Price to Guptill, no run, defended back to the bowler off the front foot

15.4

Price to Guptill, no run, Guptill moves back and blocks this time

15.5

Price to Guptill, no run, Price delivers from wide of the crease and Guptill defends on the front foot with bat and pad close together

15.6

Price to Guptill, no run, some excitement as Guptill's punch off the back foot towards the bowler is deflected by Price on to the stumps at the non-striker's end. Williamson was safe though

16.1

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, good length on off stump, Williamson defends on the front foot

16.2

Mpofu to Williamson, FOUR, short of a length with width outside off, Williamson stands tall and punches the ball in front of point, he's timed it well enough to beat the fielder's chase

16.3

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, fuller delivery closer to off stump, driven firmly off the front foot to mid-off

16.4

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, wider outside the off stump this time, Williamson lets it go

Dickson: "@ Learnfirst, I'd say almost wafer thin for Milne - http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-pakistan-2010/content/image/494709.html?page=1;object=450860 As for The Phantom, I'll always remember the day he played that test against Bangladesh, and they asked him "What's your plan for today then Chris?" and he said "I'd like to make double figures today" and to his credit he hit 12, still his highest test score to this date."

16.5

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, defended on the off side off the back foot

16.6

Mpofu to Williamson, 2 runs, Williamson moves quickly on to the back foot and punches the ball through cover

17.1

Price to Guptill, no run, driven on the front foot to mid-off

Joey: "Foster is a bit unpredictable in his batting blows cold most times, so maybe that is the reason Regis is in."

17.2

Price to Guptill, no run, tossed up from round the wicket, defended once again

17.3

Price to Guptill, no run, blocked off the front foot on the off side

17.4

Price to Guptill, 1 run, flatter ball on leg stump, played off the pads towards square leg

No turn either at the moment. Not a fun day to be a bowler.

17.5

Price to Williamson, no run, defended on the front foot yet again

17.6

Price to Williamson, no run, Williamson waits on the front foot with bat in front of pad for the ball to come and hit it

18.1

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, good length just outside off, Guptill moves forward and defends

18.2

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, pushed off the front foot on the off side

18.3

Mpofu to Guptill, 1 run, Guptill works the ball off his pads through square leg

Ross: "I was at that match in Dunedin when Marto hit his 12. When he hit his first boundary the crowd went mental!! It was the best atmosphere I have ever seen at a test."

18.4

Mpofu to Williamson, 1 run, played towards wide mid-on for a quick single

18.5

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

Sabah: "@Dickson The glory of Chris Martin transcends such trivial issues as batting. And hair."

18.6

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, short of a length outside off, Guptill stays on the back foot and plays towards point

Learnfirst: " Agree with you @Jambe, we are better chasers. Am glad Taibu is in- would love to watch him battle against Vittori. Chakabva also plays spin well. Temperature in Byo is almost 38 degrees and increasing- lets hope it gets to 45 (or even half a century) so that it fries these kiwis."

19.1

Price to Williamson, no run, defended back to the bowler

Lost_jack: "@Dickson: how dare you neglect to elaborate that the Phantom's genre-defining high score during his dashing knock of 12 vs. Bangladesh was in fact 12 NOT OUT!??? Is there no justice?"

19.2

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

19.3

Price to Williamson, no run, punched off the front foot towards cover

19.4

Price to Williamson, FOUR, such excitement! Williamson takes a smooth step down the pitch, gets to the pitch of the ball, and lofts through the line to send the ball to the long-on boundary

19.5

Price to Williamson, FOUR, and again, Williamson comes out of his crease to loft the ball towards wide long-on this time

19.6

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

20.1

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

Max: "Im a proud member of the Chris Martin fan club, i even did a little dance when he hit a cover drive for 4 in his superb innings of 12."

20.2

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, short of a length outside off, punched towards cover

Alex: "i was at the ground the day that Chris Martin hit that solid 12* and i can tell you that everyone in the crowd cheered more for that than Jacob Oram and Matthew Bell's hundreds"

20.3

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, fuller length on middle stump, Guptill moves forward and drives to the fielder at mid-on

20.4

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, tight length and very straight, Guptill defends on the front foot

20.5

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, full and straight, driven back to the bowler and Mpofu picks up during his follow through

20.6

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, Guptill moves forward to drive a full ball from his stumps towards mid-on

James: "The phantom started with a ponytail in test cricket! Couldn't bat back then either though"

21.1

Price to Williamson, no run, tossed up on off stump, nurdled towards the off side

21.2

Price to Williamson, no run, Williamson stays in his crease and blocks

21.3

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

21.4

Price to Williamson, no run, flatter ball, a little shorter, played off the pads towards square leg

21.5

Price to Williamson, no run, defended on the front foot with a straight bat

21.6

Price to Williamson, no run, nudged off the pads towards midwicket

Jamie: "I would love to see a match that goes right down to the wire where chris martin hits a six last ball to win. He would be a national hero!" It would also be a dream.

22.1

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, driven to the fielder at a silly mid-on

22.2

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, full and straight, driven past the bowler's outstretched right hand but the fielder at mid-off cuts it off

22.3

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, punched off the back foot towards cover, this wasn't as full

22.4

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

Max: "Guppy has really slowed down here i would have thought he would be used to the heat... why doesn't BJ open instead of McCullum?" He has, hasn't he?

22.5

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, good length outside off, left alone by Guptill. He's scored 4 of his last 30 balls. He's been timing his shots well, just can't find gaps

22.6

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, punched firmly but to Price at silly mid-on

23.1

Price to Williamson, no run, tossed up into the blockhole, Williamson defends

23.2

Price to Williamson, no run, flighted delivery on middle and off, Williamson drives on the off side

23.3

Price to Williamson, no run, flatter ball, defended from off stump on the off side

23.4

Price to Williamson, 1 run, nudged from the crease towards mid-on and Price can't move and dive to his right quickly enough to save the single

23.5

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

23.6

Price to Guptill, no run, gets a long stride forward and blocks on the off side

24.1

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, pitches on a good length outside off, left alone by the batsman

24.2

Mpofu to Williamson, 2 runs, full ball outside off, driven through cover and finally a gap is found

24.3

Mpofu to Williamson, 2 runs, too straight and the full length allows Williamson to lean across and flick the ball through midwicket

24.4

Mpofu to Williamson, 2 runs, Williamson flicks another ball off his pads behind square

Tweeter: "Day 1, flat pitch and New Zealand appear to be playing for a draw. Come on boys, at least rotate the strike a little!" Williamson's done that this over.

24.5

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, the ball stops on Williamson a touch as he moves forward to block

Dave: "Has anyone looked at Guptill's player profile recently? That's one hell of a smile... at least, I think that's what it is."

24.6

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, hello, a bouncer. We haven't seen much of that today. I'd like to say it sped towards the batsman's head, forcing him to duck, making him lose his balance and fall on the pitch. But in reality Williamson barely had to move to let it go

25.1

Price to Guptill, no run, defended back to the bowler

25.2

Price to Guptill, no run, pushed towards cover on the front foot

25.3

Price to Guptill, 1 run, played off the back foot behind square

25.4

Price to Williamson, 1 run, played off the pads towards long on

25.5

Price to Guptill, no run, Guptil skips out of his crease and pushes to mid-on

25.6

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

Joey: "Has there ever been a situation where brother are opponents at national level, I know in football the Boateng brothers and in the recent Rugby world cup Samoa and Fiji had brothers in opposite teams."

26.1

Mpofu to Williamson, 2 runs, too straight once again, and Williamson flicks the ball through square leg

26.2

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

Simon: "I know us Kiwi supporters (and the players!) have been starved of test cricket recently, but these comments about the slow start are a bit extreme aren't they? They're going at 3 an over in the first session of a test match, it's hardly Boycott-esque ..."

26.3

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, good length close to off stump, Williamson moves forward and defends with his straight bat

26.4

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, defended with confidence on the front foot towards the leg side

26.5

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, punched off the front foot towards cover, played away from his body to hit that one

26.6

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, the bat is once again close to the front pad as Williamson defends

27.1

Price to Guptill, no run, driven off the back foot towards the bowler

27.2

Price to Guptill, SIX, shot! Guptill moves forward, gets to the pitch of the ball and lofts it with a dead straight bat over the bowler's head for six

27.3

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

27.4

Price to Guptill, no run, gets a long stride forward before defending on the off side

27.5

Price to Guptill, 1 run, pushed off the front foot between midwicket and mid on

27.6

Price to Williamson, no run, Williamson strides forward and blocks

Benjamin: "Ed Joyce (England) played his younger brother Dominick (Ireland), on both their debuts for their respective countries."

28.1

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, full ball on off stump, Guptill strides forward and drives to Mpofu

28.2

Mpofu to Guptill, 1 run, shorter in length outside off, Guptill cuts off the back foot to cover point

28.3

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, wider outside off stump and Williamson lets it go through to Chakabva

Big Jake: "This isn't a slow start at all! Imagine if we brought out Mark Richardson and Tim McIntosh to bat, we'd be on 100 runs after day 3."

28.4

Mpofu to Williamson, 2 runs, short of a length outside off, Williamson stands tall to ride the bounce and steer the ball backward of point

28.5

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, short of a length and straight, Williamson stays in his crease and works the ball to midwicket

28.6

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, wider outside the off stump this time and Williamson lets it go

This should be the penultimate over before lunch.

29.1

Price to Guptill, FOUR, dropped? Guptill drove the ball hard and flat towards the bowler, Price went for it to his right with both hands, the ball hit his fingers as it went past at head height to the boundary. A hard chance. The delivery was tossed up and it dipped on Guptill

29.2

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

29.3

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

29.4

Price to Guptill, no run, Guptill strides forward and blocks

29.5

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

29.6

Price to Guptill, no run, played off the pads through square leg

30.1

Mpofu to Williamson, no run, short of a length outside off, punched off the back foot to mid-off

Geoff: "quite ridiculous that we are discussing how slow NZ is batting - given they play a solid diet of T20 and ODIs we should be rejoicing the fact they're showing some temperament!"

30.2

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

30.3

Mpofu to Williamson, 3 runs, Williamson waits for the ball on the back foot and punches it fluently through the gap at cover

30.4

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, the slower ball on a slow pitch, Guptill shoulders arms and lets the ball pass outside off

30.5

Mpofu to Guptill, 2 runs, short ball, Guptill moves across, lifts his front foot off the pitch and pulls the ball through square leg

30.6

Mpofu to Guptill, 1 run, fuller length outside off, Guptill drives to mid-off and takes on Jarvis' arm

12.00 pm New Zealand have cruised to 98 for 1 after Ross Taylor chose to bat. Brendon McCullum will be kicking himself hard for wasting the opportunity to fill his boots on the flattest of pitches. He's watching Guptill and Williamson do it instead. I'm not really sure what Zimbabwe can do to make things happen for them. It's that sort of surface. No swing, no seam, no spin, no pace, no bounce. I'll be back at 12.35 pm for the second session.

Ryan: "ZImbabwe should be given a bonus for bowling an extra over in that session!"

12.35 pm Five minutes to go before play resumes in Bulawayo. Guptill and Williamson will aim to prolong their steady partnership. Zimbabwe relied on the batsmen making mistakes in the first session, and McCullum made one. Guptill and Williamson are more patient, though.

Ncube will open the bowling after lunch ... one slip and a short cover in place.

31.1

Ncube to Guptill, 3 runs, short and wide outside off, a long-hop after lunch, Guptill slaps the ball through cover point

31.2

Ncube to Williamson, no run, Ncube angles the ball back into Williamson from over the wicket, Williamson plays from the crease and gets an inside edge on to the pad

31.3

Ncube to Williamson, FOUR, short and wide outside off once again, Williamson punches the ball through the gap at backward point

31.4

Ncube to Williamson, no run, full ball outside off, Williamson strides forward and drives to cover

31.5

Ncube to Williamson, 1 run, fullish length around off, Williamson pushes off the front foot to point

31.6

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

Jarvis, from over the wicket.

32.1

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, full and straight, driven towards mid-on

32.2

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, Jarvis gets a bit too straight, allowing Williamson to clip off his pads to midwicket

32.3

Jarvis to Williamson, 2 runs, the line is on middle and leg and Williamson flicks through square leg

32.4

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, full ball just outside off, Williamson strides forward and drives to mid-off

32.5

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, defended on the front foot towards the bowler

32.6

Jarvis to Williamson, 1 run, worked off the pads between midwicket and mid-on for a single

33.1

Ncube to Williamson, no run, good length around off stump, played from the crease to the fielder at short cover

33.2

Ncube to Williamson, no run, good length but too wide outside off, Williamson lets it pass

33.3

Ncube to Williamson, no run, defended from the crease towards the bowler

33.4

Ncube to Williamson, no run, defended on the leg side

Alan Butcher was speaking with Kyle Jarvis on the edge of the boundary. Wonder what was being said. Thoughts?

33.5

Ncube to Williamson, no run, good length outside off, the batsman lets it go

33.6

Ncube to Williamson, no run, good length and the line is on off stump, Williamson gets behind the ball and blocks

34.1

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, full ball on the pads, flicked firmly but to the fielder at midwicket

34.2

Jarvis to Guptill, 1 run, short of a length outside off, played from the crease to cover

34.3

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, short of a length and straight, played off the hips towards square leg

34.4

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, fuller length on off stump, driven off the front foot towards mid-off

34.5

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, good length and straight, defended on the front foot

34.6

Jarvis to Williamson, no run, full ball outside off, Williamson leans into a cover drive

It's all a bit flat out there at the moment.

Ray Price is back, for more hard labour from round the wicket. One slip in place, no other catchers.

35.1

Price to Guptill, 1 run, looped into the batsman from round the wicket, driven to long-off

35.2

Price to Williamson, no run, flatter ball on middle and off, defended on the front foot

35.3

Price to Williamson, no run, slower, with more air, Williamson drives back to the bowler

35.4

Price to Williamson, no run, dead batted towards the bowler

35.5

Price to Williamson, no run, a bit shorter and Williamson moves back and hits towards cover

35.6

Price to Williamson, no run, nudged from the crease towards the leg side

"Bowl on good length , l assume Alan Butcher told Jarvis," says Elphas. That is utterly boring.

36.1

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, punched off the front foot towards the off side

36.2

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, punched off the back foot towards mid-off

36.3

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, fuller ball just outside off, Guptill moves forward to punch and gets an inside edge on to the pad

Marcus has a better entry. "Butcher: How's the pitch looking? Jarvis: The what? Butcher: You know, the thing you've been bowling on Jarvis: Oh, the block of concrete! Mehhh.."

36.4

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

36.5

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, Guptill tries to cover drive but mis-hits it on the leg side

36.6

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

37.1

Price to Williamson, FOUR, shot, Williamson came down the track and made room, Price followed him, but the batsman managed to loft inside over over mid-off

37.2

Price to Williamson, no run, defended on the off side

37.3

Price to Williamson, OUT, that is a freakish run-out. Williamson had come out of his crease to push the ball back at Price who picked up with his left hand and threw the ball back at the batsman's end. Williamson tried to evade the ball at the same time as he took a stride back to make his crease. His stride wasn't long enough and his boot was on the line when Chakabva broke the stumps. What an odd dismissal. Williamson should have tried to slide his bat in instead of taking a long backward step.

KS Williamson run out 49 (101m 92b 6x4 0x6) SR: 53.26

37.4

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

37.5

Price to Taylor, no run, Taylor moves forward and blocks

37.6

Price to Taylor, no run, defended back towards the bowler

"Run out was always favourite. Won't be the last this test, I'd guess," says James.

38.1

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length on off stump, punched back to the bowler

38.2

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

38.3

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, good length and straight, defended on the front foot

Before the Williamson wicket, I had a few mails pointing out that New Zealand were 111 for 1 on 1/11/11. Sheesh.

38.4

Jarvis to Guptill, 1 wide, he's lost grip on that ball and sprayed it wide outside off stump

38.4

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, fuller ball on off stump, driven from the crease to silly mid-on

Jonesy: "Why oh why would they prepare flat wickets in Zimababwe??!!!! They have the elements to make really nice Gabba-like pitches don't they?"

38.5

Jarvis to Guptill, no run, blocked off the back foot towards the off side

38.6

Jarvis to Guptill, 1 run, Jarvis strays on to the pads, allowing the batsman to work the ball through square

Marcus: "That wicket is another victory for Ray Price's unusually aggro approach to spin bowling."

39.1

Price to Guptill, 1 run, punched off the back foot towards long on

Tim: "Thats the sort of situation where you know a tough guy like Ponting or Dravid would just wear the throw and make sure they survived. Williamson too interested in not getting hurt and now he's out." I think he was just surprised and didn't know what to do.

39.2

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

39.3

Price to Taylor, no run, tight line and length, Taylor strides out and defends

39.4

Price to Taylor, no run, defended on the front foot back down the pitch

39.5

Price to Taylor, no run, wider outside off stump, Taylor lets it go

39.6

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

Big Jake: "Not too long before Guptill reaches quadruple figures in his test batting career. Hoping I don't jinx it." Eight more to go.

Ncube's back ...

40.1

Ncube to Guptill, no run, good length around off, driven off the front foot to mid-off

Abhishek: "Williamson's dismissal was bizarre to say the least but it's one of those typical street cricket dismissals where the person who gets run out threatens to stop play by taking away the bat (if it's his)." Done that before, have you Abhishek?

40.2

Ncube to Guptill, FOUR, a touch too short and Guptill brings up fifty by pulling the ball with power through midwicket, he continues to plunder on this tour

40.3

Ncube to Guptill, no run, good length outside off, Guptill strides forward and defends on the off side

40.4

Ncube to Guptill, no run, Guptill gets hit on the pad by one that keeps a bit low as he moves across and tries to flick, Ncube roars an appeal but that was missing leg, close call

40.5

Ncube to Guptill, no run, fuller ball on off stump, driven to cover

40.6

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

James: "UK time, I think NZ may have been 111/1 at 11.11 on 1/11/11. More singles than a dating agency. Ouch!" Indeed.

41.1

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

41.2

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

41.3

Price to Taylor, no run, a touch shorter outside off, cut towards point

41.4

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

41.5

Price to Taylor, 1 run, bowled from the extreme left of the crease, Taylor gets down on one knee and paddles towards square

41.6

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

Tim: "My point is still valid though. You don't see tough, experienced players getting out cos they're 'surprised'. They get back in their crease without any fuss."

James: "Guptill really needs to go on and make a big score here. No excuse." What about the heat?

42.1

Ncube to Taylor, no run, good length and straight, punched from the crease past the bowler but the fielder from mid-on cuts off the shot

42.2

Ncube to Taylor, no run, driven from the crease towards mid-off

42.3

Ncube to Taylor, FOUR, that's a poor ball, full down leg side, Taylor only needed to get a little bit of bat on that to send it past the keeper, and he did

42.4

Ncube to Taylor, no run

42.5

Ncube to Taylor, no run

42.6

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

Learnfirst: "If i didnt know better i would mistake Ross Taylor's name for a Sri Lankan with all those initials. DWTLS Jayawadene, VHJT Taibu."

43.1

Price to Guptill, 1 run, driven to wide long off for a single

43.2

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

43.3

Price to Taylor, no run, bowled slowly with flight outside off, Taylor lets it go

43.4

Price to Taylor, no run, driven off the front foot to extra cover

43.5

Price to Taylor, 1 run, Taylor leans forward to take the ball on the full and paddles it fine

43.6

Price to Guptill, no run, played off the front foot

Jambe: "Seeing we are on the theme of numbers here's another interesting one. When Ross Taylor scored his 1st single, the score was 122/2 and his total test runs were 2221. what does that mean? anyone?" Probably that the world won't come to an end in 2012.

44.1

Ncube to Taylor, no run, Taylor stays in his crease and defends a good length ball on the leg side

44.2

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

44.3

Ncube to Taylor, no run, played towards mid-off on the front foot

44.4

Ncube to Taylor, no run, short of a length and straight, the batsman gets behind the line and defends

44.5

Ncube to Taylor, no run, full ball angling into off and middle, played to the fielder at silly mid-on

44.6

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

45.1

Price to Guptill, no run, played from the crease on the leg side

45.2

Price to Guptill, 1 run, driven from the crease to long-on

45.3

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

45.4

Price to Taylor, no run, defended to the fielder at short leg

45.5

Price to Taylor, no run, Taylor goes back and blocks on the leg side

45.6

Price to Taylor, 1 run, Taylor gets down low and paddles towards long leg

46.1

Ncube to Taylor, no run, good length and straight, played back to the bowler

46.2

Ncube to Taylor, no run, huge appeal for lbw as Ncube slants the ball back into the right-hander and hits the pad after Taylor tries to play across the line and misses. The ball hits high on the pad and maybe missing leg as well

46.3

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

46.4

Ncube to Taylor, no run, defended from the crease towards midwicket

46.5

Ncube to Taylor, no run, defended to the fielder at silly mid on

46.6

Ncube to Taylor, FOUR, Taylor sees some width outside off and goes hard at the full ball, driving it in the air and wide of the fielder at gully, more of a thick outside edge than off the middle of the bat

The players have just finished a drinks break. Phil: "To add to the 111 mania, 111 was reached in 37th over and 111 is divisible by 37." Love it. Price goes over the wicket ...

47.1

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

47.2

Price to Guptill, no run, played off the front foot towards the off side

47.3

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

Breaking news: Salman Butt found guilty of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and guilty of conspiracy to cheat.

47.4

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

47.5

Price to Guptill, 1 run, pushed uppishly past the bowler towards long on

47.6

Price to Taylor, 1 run, Tyalor goes down on one knee and sweeps towards long leg

Breaking News: Mohammad Asif, too, found guilty of conspiracy to cheat.

Mpofu's beginning his first spell this afternoon.

48.1

Mpofu to Taylor, 2 runs, played off the pads towards long leg

48.2

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, Taylor moves forward and defends on the off side

48.3

Mpofu to Taylor, no run, good length on off stump, Taylor strides forward once again and defends towards the bowler

48.4

Mpofu to Taylor, 1 run, Taylor stays back and nudges the ball off his hips behind square

48.5

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, Mpofu pitches on a good length outside off, that cut back in a little but it was wide enough for the batsman to leave

48.6

Mpofu to Guptill, no run, defended from the crease

49.1

Price to Taylor, no run, Taylor leans forward and blocks back down the pitch

49.2

Price to Taylor, no run, nudged off the back foot through square leg

49.3

Price to Taylor, 1 run, Taylor leans forward and sweeps behind square

49.4

Price to Guptill, 1 run, Guptill walks out of his crease and drives to long-on

49.5

Price to Taylor, no run, wide outside leg stump, Taylor tries to sweep but doesn't connect

49.6

Price to Taylor, no run, Taylor once again tries to sweep from wide outside leg but makes no contact. Price is pitching outside leg from over the wicket