New Zealand cap Zimbabwe whitewash

Napier (AFP): New Zealand crushed Zimbabwe by 202 runs in the final one-day international in Napier on Thursday to complete a 3-0 series whitewash over the out-classed tourists.

Zimbabwe again failed to fire as New Zealand, inspired by a man-of-the-match century from skipper Brendon McCullum, plundered 373-8 in their 50 overs and then routed the Africans for 171 with six overs to spare.

Captain Brendan Taylor, whose brisk 65 off 62 balls was the high point of the Zimbabwe innings, was left looking for positives from a series in which the gulf between the teams progressively widened.

“We’ve got to just keep trying to climb that ladder and become better players,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot to learn and we’ll be better for it after this tour.”

Returning to the ground where they suffered a humiliating defeat by an innings and 301 runs in a one-off Test last month, Zimbabwe let themselves down with loose bowling and shoddy fielding on a flat wicket.

New Zealand capitalised after winning the toss and electing to bat, with a 153-run opening partnership from Martin Guptill (85) and Rob Nicol (61) laying the foundation for their side’s third-highest one-day international total.

McCullum piled on the agony with a swashbuckling 119 from 88 balls, including five sixes, as Zimbabwe’s Brian Vitori suffered the indignity of becoming only the fifth player to concede more than 100 runs in an ODI.

Vitori haemorrhaged 105 runs in nine overs for just one wicket, at one point conceding three sixes in three balls to Nathan McCullum, the New Zealand skipper’s brother, in a horror over that yielded 26 runs.

Zimbabwe have two Twenty20 matches remaining on the tour, the first in Auckland on Saturday, in which to salvage some pride.

The Black Caps will face a sterner challenge against South Africa, who arrive in New Zealand next week for a tour that includes three Tests, three ODIs and three T20s.