Northern Districts pace bowler Matt Fisher is the most interesting name in the 15-strong squad named for the two-test series starting in the African nation on July 30.
Fisher, 25, has come a long way since he played as a batter for the North East Valley seconds then had a handful of games for Carisbrook-Dunedin/Kaikorai.
He was a highly rated New Zealand under-19 representative who was nursing a stress fracture in his back through much of his time in Dunedin, where he studied law at the University of Otago.
Fisher came from St Paul’s Collegiate School and had been contracted to Northern Districts since 2018.
Widely regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the country, he has taken 51 first-class wickets at an average of 24.11 across 14 matches.
He played a key role early in Northern’s victorious 2024-25 Plunket Shield campaign, taking 14 wickets at 17.71 across just three matches, before being sidelined by injury.
New Black Caps coach Rob Walter said Fisher’s pace was a valuable asset.
"Matt’s someone we’re really excited about," Walter said.
"He’s one of the fastest bowlers in the country and we think he’s got an X-factor."
Fisher’s opportunity comes during a transitional period for the Black Caps test bowling attack, following the departure of veteran Tim Southee, and the emergence of Wellington duo Nathan Smith (two test caps) and Ben Sears (one), alongside uncapped Otago Volts stalwart Jacob Duffy.
Sears was ruled out of the white and red-ball tours of Zimbabwe with a side injury that will require a further two to four weeks’ recovery, while Kyle Jamieson made himself unavailable as he awaits the birth of his first child.
Kane Williamson also made himself unavailable as he manages his playing commitments, while Michael Bracewell was unavailable due to his commitments at The Hundred — which was previously agreed and factored into his NZC central contract.
Walter said he understood and respected the decision of both players.
"Kane and Michael were up front with New Zealand Cricket about their availability for this tour during the contracting process."
"While all test matches are hugely special and important, the fact these tests aren’t part of the ICC World Test Championship did influence the discussions on this occasion."
Red-ball captain Tom Latham will lead a largely settled squad on New Zealand’s first test tour to Zimbabwe since 2016.
The remainder of the squad mirrors that which took part in the home tests against England with additional recalls of specialist spinner Ajaz Patel and batter Henry Nicholls.
Patel’s last outing with the Black Caps was a man-of-the-match performance (five for 103 and six for 57) in the historic 3-0 sweep over India last November.
Left-hander Nicholls returns to the test squad for the first time since December 2023, bringing 56 caps and nine test hundreds to his name.
The squad will assemble in Bulawayo on July 27 following the T20 tri-series in Harare.
Black Caps
Test squad
Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Nathan Smith, Will Young
