Cricket: Horne century single highlight for NZ

BULAWAYO - The New Zealand batsmen caught another dose of their common ailment - the late-session jitters - as Zimbabwe got the jump on the tourists on the third day of the opening test in Bulawayo.

If it was not batsmen getting out between 50 and 100, it was the second of coach David Trist's pet hates, a dismissal just before a break in play, which kept New Zealand on the back foot.

The big wickets of century-maker Matthew Horne and Craig McMillan fell on the stroke of tea and stumps respectively as New Zealand were left on 252 for seven at the close.

That left them still 98 runs adrift of Zimbabwe's first innings total and a win looking more and more distant.

Although the batsmen have revelled in their two warm-up games on tour, there were several familiar traits about their downfall, tracing back to the home series against Australia last season.

The top order, bar Horne, who fired back into form with 110 in 339 minutes, again failed, with captain Stephen Fleming missing out once again.

Nathan Astle followed Fleming two balls later to be one of legspinner Paul Strang's six victims, albeit to a tough caught-behind call from umpire Russell Tiffin.

But just when New Zealand crawled back into the game, Horne went to another marginal call, this time leg-before, to make the score 180 for six at tea. Then McMillan, after an assured 58 in 197 minutes, tried to force Strang though the covers but got a faint edge to end the day.

Cairns and McMillan had added 72 runs in 177 minutes.

But it was the return to form of Horne, after an awful trot of 18 test innings without a score over 50, which added some life to a largely forgettable day.

New Zealand added 72 runs for the loss of Cairns' wicket in the pre-lunch session on the fourth day. Cairns scored 33.
Daniel Vettori, batting with a runner after straining his back, was 47 and Adam Parore 24. Vettori will not bowl in Zimbabwe's second innings.