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Black Caps take confidence from series win

Wellington - New Zealand Skipper, Kane Williamson, believes his side will take confidence from their performance on the slow wicket they encountered in Bulawayo.

The captain, who took charge of the Black Caps for the first time in Test cricket in Zimbabwe, is keen to see his team keep improving, as they move to South Africa for another two Test series.

On a spinning wicket, New Zealand were granted some bonus wickets as part-timer, Martin Guptill, benefitted from some appalling umpiring from Paul Reiffel to take 3 for 11.

Williamson commented about Guptill: "We thought maybe he has been practicing a bit when no one has been watching, because we don't see him bowl too much in the nets,

"The wicket was suited to [spin] but to be able to put the ball in consistent areas and spin it hard as a part-time offie is something that's fantastic to see and another string to his bow."

When New Zealand take on South Africa they are unlikely to require two spinners, with the Tests being played at seam-friendly venues.

New Zealand will likely be pleased with conditions in South Africa, as their spinners have not been overly impressive in Zimbabwe, but Williamson remained pleased with the tweakers: "We could tell the wicket was deteriorating.

"It was a little bit slower than the first surface and it was breaking up, we were fortunate that the wicket was extremely tough to bat on today.

"It was nice to see our seamers out in the yards on a surface that did not offer a huge amount lot but also the spinners to take control in that last innings. That's always what you want to see in a Test match, the spinners taking control at the end."

The skipper reserved special Praise for Ross Taylor who went unbeaten in three innings in the series: "Ross had an unbelievable series.

"We knew when it was our opportunity to bat, big runs had to be scored to give our spinners and bowlers a lot of overs to try and let the wicket deteriorate and he was a huge part of that,

"To not to be dismissed, maybe he is in that space where he is playing within himself. He got a couple of fantastic hundred but also that knock that he played in the second innings where we needed to score at a quicker rate to give ourselves enough time to bowl Zimbabwe out.

"He showed his class as a player to go through the gears and give us an opportunity. It was such a selfless innings."

Williamson will now hope his team can step up to the greater challenge of the Proteas: "We're always looking to improve, with each game.

"You still have bad days but hopefully there are a few less of them. Hopefully with our drive to improve, we like to think we have become a better side than before."

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