FOLLOWING his Player of the Match performance in New Zealand's 21-run victory over South Africa, Tim Robinson expressed his appreciation for Zimbabwe, citing the favourable climate, welcoming people, and excellent local steaks.
New Zealand is currently in Zimbabwe for a T20 Tri-Series, which also includes the host nation and South Africa.
Their win against South Africa on Wednesday at Harare Sports Club marked their first match of the competition.
“I love Zimbabwe as a country. The climate is fantastic, the people have been very, very nice and very accommodating. I love all the steaks, the steaks are my favourite. I love the red meat over here, it's fantastic,” he told journalists after the victory over South Africa.
The 23-year-old opener highlighted the similarities between Zimbabwean cricketing conditions and those back home.
“In terms of the services and the cricketing conditions, it's actually quite similar to back home — a little bit of pace and bounce and that's really nice, especially with the pro tiers they have got good fast-bowling,” he said.
“So, that's something that I quite enjoy and it's well suited to us as a cricket team as well. Again, wickets are going to be different on Friday, so if we can adapt quickly then that would be good,” he added.
New Zealand held their nerve to beat the Proteas, successfully defending a target of 174 runs.
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Robinson was instrumental in the Black Caps' innings, scoring 75 runs off 57 balls. He, along with debutant Bevon Jacobs (44 off 30 balls), rescued the innings with an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 103 runs after New Zealand had been reduced to 70 for five in the 10th over.
He expressed delight at starting the tri-series with a win.
“I think T20 cricket in general is about momentum, you see that today where we lost wickets and it was hard to find momentum and there were always small moments and I think that can be said for the series as a whole.”
“Like we did get off to a good win and that definitely gives us confidence going into the next games and hopefully we can carry that through,” he said.
Looking ahead to Friday's match against Zimbabwe, Robinson emphasised the importance of adaptability.
“Zimbabwe are going to pose a different challenge on Friday and we pride ourselves on trying to adapt as quickly as we possibly can. That's something that might be different wickets and different bowlers, different teams. So, hopefully, we can be adaptable and come out on top again on Friday," he said.
Zimbabwe, having lost to South Africa by five wickets on Monday, will be seeking their first win of the tournament.
This marks New Zealand's first visit to Zimbabwe since August 2016. They are also scheduled to play two Test matches starting July 30 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
