New Zealand recorded its biggest-ever test victory by defeating Zimbabwe by an innings and 359 runs in the second test on Saturday, sealing a 2-0 series win.
Trailing by 476 runs, Zimbabwe was bowled out for 117 in an extended first session on Day 3, overwhelmed by a fierce four-pronged New Zealand pace attack.
Debutant fast bowler Zakary Foulkes shone with a five-wicket haul (5-37) in the second innings, adding to his earlier four-wicket effort, narrowly missing a 10-wicket haul on debut. His match figures of 9-75 set a new record for the best bowling performance by a New Zealand debutant, surpassing Will O’Rourke’s 9-93 against South Africa last year.
Other pace bowlers Matt Henry (2-16), and fellow debutants Jacob Duffy (2-28) and Matthew Fisher (1-22) also contributed to Zimbabwe’s collapse in just 28.1 overs, their lowest total of the series.
“We lost the toss but bowled very well in the first innings,” said New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner. “We talked about keeping the standards up.”
Zimbabwe’s No. 3 batter Nick Welch remained unbeaten on 47 off 71 balls, one of only two players to reach double figures alongside captain Craig Ervine, who scored 17.
New Zealand had declared its first innings at a massive 601-3, highlighted by a 256-run fourth-wicket partnership between Rachin Ravindra (165 not out) and Henry Nicholls (150 not out). Devon Conway also scored his first test century (153) in New Zealand’s highest-ever total against Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s innings suffered an early setback as Henry dismissed Brian Bennett for a pair in the match by clean bowling him on the third ball of the second innings. Brendan Taylor struggled in his comeback after a 3.5-year ban, edging Henry to the slips.
Zimbabwe slumped to 24-3 within six overs, with Duffy taking a key catch to dismiss Sean Williams. Ervine and Welch shared a 25-run partnership before Fisher trapped Ervine caught behind.
Foulkes took five wickets in six overs before Duffy wrapped up the innings, dismissing tailender Tanaka Chivanga.
New Zealand’s previous largest test victory was also against Zimbabwe in 2012, winning by an innings and 301 runs in Napier. For Zimbabwe, it marked their sixth consecutive test defeat this year.
Ervine said, “It’s been disappointing, especially the way we finished today. We faced a tough, highly skilled opponent, and it shows where we stand in the test circuit. We have a lot of work to do and must learn from this.”
New Zealand had won the first test by nine wickets inside three days at the same venue last week. Though the series was not part of the World Test Championship, New Zealand ended its Zimbabwe tour with clean victories, including a T20 tri-series win against Zimbabwe and South Africa.
