Zimbabwe win toss and bat

Auckland - Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening Twenty20 international against New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday.

Zimbabwe have been outclassed in every game so far on their New Zealand tour, losing the one-off Test by an innings and 301 runs, then falling short in the three one-day internationals by 90, 141 and 202 runs.

New Zealand have two international debutants, Michael Bates -- whose brother Steven represented New Zealand with the All Blacks - and Harare-born Colin de Grandhomme, who played for Zimbabwe under-19 before emigrating in 2006.

Teams:

New Zealand: Rob Nicol, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, James Franklin, Colin de Grandhomme, Nathan McCullum, Doug Bracewell, Kyle Mills, Roneel Hira, Michael Bates, Tim Southee (12th man)

Zimbabwe: Hamish Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Forster Mutizwa, Tatenda Taibu, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Shingi Masakadza, Keegan Meth, Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis, Stuart Matsikenyeri (12th man),

Umpires: Gary Baxter (NZL), Barry Frost (NZL)

TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney (NZL)

Match referee: David Boon (AUS)