Zimbabwe vs New Zealand 1st Test Preview & Tips – New Zealand tipped to storm into 1-0 lead over Zimbabwe

New Zealand come into their first Test of the new year looking to build on a powerful 423 run win over England back in December. 

New Zealand have a perfect record against Zimbabwe, winning all three of their meetings. New Zealand have also won nine of their last 10 against their opponents in all formats. 

Zimbabwe have had a real taste of top class Test cricket in 2025, with the side taking on the likes of Afghanistan, Ireland, Bangladesh, England and South Africa this year alone. 

While more consistent matches against the top teams will hopefully see them improve, the worry for Zimbabwe is that when they have been beaten, they have been beaten well. Indeed, their last four Tests have seen them lose to Bangladesh (by an innings and 106 runs), England (by an innings and 45 runs) and South Africa twice (by 328 runs and by an innings and 236 runs).

While they did beat Bangladesh by three wickets back in April, this win has been followed by four consecutive Test defeats, with one of these coming against Bangladesh, who romped to a comeback win. Hosting a side means that Zimbabwe can play on their own conditions in front of their own fans. However, with eight defeats in their last 10 Tests and a 100% losing record against New Zealand, this one looks like it will merely end in another defeat for the home team. 

New Zealand have been on an exceptional run across all three formats of the game in 2025, winning 21 of their 26 matches and arriving for this game on the back of a 10-game winning run. 

In the Test match format, they will be eyeing up a fifth win in their last seven matches. Players like Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra and captain Tom Latham will all hope to be in the runs across the series, with each incredibly talented run scorers. 

Indeed, Mitchell is our pick to notch a fifty in the game. He is averaging 43.81 in the Test match arena, and I back him to continue to score well for his country. 

While Zimbabwe will have their moments in the match as they look to maximise playing on home turf, New Zealand will likely be far too strong for them. The number five team in the men’s Test rankings may sit adrift of Australia at the summit, but the Kiwis are head and shoulders above Zimbabwe in 12th.