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Hesson pleased with game plan success

Wellington - New Zealand coach Mike Hesson was pleased with the way his players stuck to their game plan during the first Test against Zimbabwe, staying patient when the deck stopped helping them to win with a day to spare.

The Black Caps won by an innings and 117 runs on Sunday, having easily defended the nearly 600 runs they made in their lone innings, but it was much tougher to bowl Zim out a second time.

Before the match, they had discussed staying patient on the slow deck, and Hesson said on Cricinfo: "We talked about playing the long game. We did that. We also showed how important the new ball was.

"We can be a little bit impatient with the ball at times but I am clutching to find some work-ons. Before hand, we said 20 wickets would be tough to take so we're pleased that we did it."

One bowler who impressed the coach was paceman Neil Wagner, who took eight wickets in the match, including six in the first innings. The coach was pleased with the way Wagner had matured over the years.

He added: "When he came up three or four years ago he was excited and keen to make an impression. He probably didn't stick to his gameplan for too long but he's a lot more experienced now and he's certainly got the confidence of the captain.

"He's able to change his game, as we saw. He can swing the new ball if he's given it. He can certainly reverse the old one and we know he can bowl bumpers. Especially on unresponsive surfaces, he's a good bowler."

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