Cricket: McCullum pummels Zimbabwe, NZ win 20/20

Black Caps' openers Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill powered New Zealand to the seventh 10-wicket win in international Twenty20 history as they chased down Zimbabwe's 123-8 with ease this morning.

Ross Taylor won the toss and invited Zimbabwe to bat at the Harare Sports Club and the home side stuttered their way through to a total that was never going to be enough.

Zimbabwe lost their openers Hamilton Masakadza and Chamu Chibhabha for single figure scores as Kyle Mills did the damage early on.

Mills opened the bowling alongside debutant Doug Bracewell who also claimed a wicket with his four-over spell.

Zimbabwe lost wickets regularly throughout their innings and only an unbeaten 50 from No 3 Brendan Taylor held their shaky effort together as no other batsman managed to pass 16.

New Zealand medium-pacer Jacob Oram was steady as ever with another economical four overs and he picked up a wicket for his troubles.

The pitch didn't offer a lot for the spin bowlers but Nathan McCullum and Luke Woodcock did their best to vary their flight and pace and the ever-improving McCullum grabbed two wickets for 17 runs from his three overs.

But it was his younger brother Brendon who was the star of the show and he was duly named man of the match for his blistering 81 not out, while he also bagged two catches behind the stumps.

His swashbuckling knock - which was his second-highest international Twenty20 score - came from only 46 balls and included six sixes and five fours.

Guptill was almost made to look pedestrian in contrast with his unbeaten 40 coming from 36 balls.

The game was New Zealand's first international hit out since their World Cup semifinal loss to Sri Lanka in March but they showed little rust in their dominant display.

Kane Williamson produced one of the most anonymous international Twenty20 debuts and wasn't required to bat or bowl and didn't figure in the fielding stakes with a catch or a run out.

Black Caps captain Taylor pouched two catches in the field to boost his international Twenty20 tally to 25 from 38 matches, which is the most by any player; three ahead of AB de Villiers from South Africa.

The Kiwis meet Zimbabwe in their next Twenty20 clash on Tuesday morning New Zealand time and it's hard to see the result being much different than today's game.

Scoreboard:

Zimbabwe Innings
Hamilton Masakadza c N McCullum b Mills 9
Chamu Chibhabha c B McCullum b Mills 9
Brendan Taylor not out 50
Forster Mutizwa lbw Woodcock 16
Malcolm Waller c Woodcock b N McCullum 10
Charles Coventry c Taylor b N McCullum 10
Elton Chigumbura c Taylor b Bracewell 14
Regis Chakabva c B McCullum b Oram 0
Prosper Utseya run out 1
Extras: (1w, 3nb) 4
TOTAL: (for eight wickets) 123

Did not bat: Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis.

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-22, 3-50, 4-71, 5-96, 6-119, 7-119, 8-123.
Bowling: Kyle Mills 4-0-15-2, Doug Bracewell 4-0-26-1 (1nb), Jacob Oram 4-0-25-1 (1w), Luke Woodcock 4-0-30-1, Nathan McCullum 3-0-17-2, James Franklin 1-0-10-0 (2nb).

New Zealand Innings
Martin Guptill not out 40
Brendon McCullum not out 81
Extras: (1lb, 4w, 1nb) 6
TOTAL: (for no loss) 127

Did not bat: Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, James Franklin, Nathan McCullum, Jacob Oram, Doug Bracewell, Kyle Mills, Luke Woodcock.

Bowling: Kyle Jarvis 3-0-32-0 (1nb, 3w), Ray Price 3.3-0-26-0, Elton Chigumbura 3-0-28-0 (1w), Prosper Utseya 2-0-10-0, Chamu Chibhabha 1-0-20-0, Hamilton Masakadza 1-0-10-0.