New Zealand coach Mike Hesson labels victory over Zimbabwe as a "very thorough" performance

New Zealand coach was full of praise for his young side that defeated hosts Zimbabwe by an innings and 117 runs in the first Test of the two-match series and singled out centurion BJ Watling and fast bowler Neil Wagner for their individual displays. Hesson labelled his side’s overall display at Bulawayo as “very thorough” and wants his side to go for the kill in the second Test as well in order to gain some valuable ground in the ICC team rankings.

Playing their first Test since February, the visitors made short work of the lack of match practice in the format by exerting their superiority over the hosts, thanks mainly to their 30-year-old left arm seamer, Wagner, who picked up six wickets in the first innings helping bundle out Graeme Cremer’s side for just 164 runs. Hesson praised the pacer for the maturity he has shown over the years and also lauded him for putting in the extra effort on a surface which was not offering much help to the fast bowlers.

“When he (Wagner) came up three or four years ago he was excited and keen to make an impression. He probably didn't stick to his gameplan for too long but he's a lot more experienced now and he's certainly got the confidence of the captain," Hesson said. "He's able to change his game, as we saw. He can swing the new ball if he's given it. He can certainly reverse the old one and we know he can bowl bumpers. Especially on unresponsive surfaces, he's a good bowler."

While star batsman Ross Taylor was the highest scorer for the visitors at Bulawayo with his knock of 173, Hesson was most impressed by Watling, who hit the fastest of the three centuries in New Zealand’s innings against Zimbabwe.

"He is incredibly perceptive. He is one of the few players that can adapt technique mid-game," Hesson said. "He makes subtle changes to his grip. He is a very talented and very hard-working cricketer."

Hesson wants his players to continue with the same effort for the second Test as well from August 6, which will also be played at Bulawayo.

“We talked about playing the long game. We did that. We also showed how important the new ball was. We can be a little bit impatient with the ball at times but I am clutching to find some work-ons. Beforehand, we said 20 wickets would be tough to take so we're pleased that we did it," he said.

"These two series are a chance for us as a group to gain some of the ground that we lost a few months ago against Australia. We had gone eight series without a loss before we faced them at home and away. Before that, we had gained a lot of ground and then we lost some," he added.