ZAKARY Foulkes picked up the best figures by a New Zealand player on Test debut as New Zealand recorded their biggest Test win. Their innings and 359 run victory over Zimbabwe emphasised the massive gulf between the two sides as Zimbabwe capitulated for their fourth-lowest score against New Zealand to suffer their heaviest defeat in the format.
(Scores: New Zealand 601 for 3 declared: Ravindra 165*, Conway 153, Nicholls 150*) beat Zimbabwe 125 (Taylor 44, Henry 5-40, Foulkes 4-38) and 117 (Welch 47*, Foulkes 5-37) by an innings and 359 runs)
After New Zealand declared overnight, with a lead of 476, Zimbabwe was bowled out in 28.1 overs in an extended first session. They have now lost their last six Tests and have been dismissed for under 170 in all four innings in this series. New Zealand finished their tour of Zimbabwe unbeaten, after winning all their matches in the T20I tri-series including the final, and both Tests.
Foulkes, who was called into the XI after injuries to Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke, showed the wealth of New Zealand’s bowling depth with an incisive eight-over spell headlined by devastating inswing. He ensured Zimbabwe had no let up after Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy made the opening incisions and that stand-in captain Mitchell Santner was not required at all.
For Zimbabwe, technical questions over their batting remain. Their inability to cope with the moving ball, or genuine pace was exposed, more so when the two are in operation together. As has been the case throughout this series, only one batter made a score of note – Nick Welch’s 47 -and there was only one other player who got into double figures and a highest partnership of just 25.
The damage started as early as the third ball when Brian Bennett walked straight into the trap set for him. After two balls that moved away, Henry brought the ball back into him. Bennett played down the wrong line and his middle stump was uprooted. Brendan Taylor scored the first runs when he guided Duffy’s delivery between point and gully but only lasted until the fifth over as he was caught in the crease to a fuller ball from Henry and edged to second slip.
Duffy, also on debut, found some extra bounce and Sean Williams could only get a leading edge as he tried to turn him leg-side. The ball went high and gave Duffy enough time to take the catch off his own bowling for his first Test wicket.
Welch and Craig Ervine showed some fight against the short ball before Ervine pushed at a full ball from Matthew Fisher and edged to third slip. He was dismissed in almost identical fashion in the first innings which suggests a pattern that Zimbabwe needs to address. Similarly, Sikandar Raza’s glaring problem against the short ball continued. For the fourth time in the series, Raza was undone by one, this time as he fended off a delivery from Foulkes and was caught at gully. Raza was brought back into the squad after missing the South Africa Tests for the MLC and recorded scores of 2, 5, 5 and 4.
Foulkes had Tafadzwa Tsiga caught behind, playing at a ball that straightened on him and then produced two absolute peaches to bowl Vincent Masekesa and Trevor Gwandu. Both were clueless against deliveries that landed outside off, shaped back in and beat their defences to hit the stumps. It’s difficult to choose between them on quality and both could easily be labelled the best deliveries of the game. Blessing Muzarabani became Foulkes’ fifth when he top-edged him to square leg, where Santner took a comfortable catch. That wicket gave Foulkes match figures of 9 for 75.
Duffy thought he had wrapped up the innings when he had Tanaka Chivanga caught in the cordon but he had overstepped – the only mistake New Zealand made all morning. In his next over, Chivanga was caught at gully by Devon Conway, who is also the series’ leading run-scorer, to end the match five minutes before a delayed lunch would have been taken.
The defeat ends a long run of Test cricket for Zimbabwe for now. They have played eight Tests in 2025, and won one against Bangladesh, but have lost all their games at home. They will turn their attention to the T20 World Cup Qualifiers which Zimbabwe will host in September.
New Zealand leaves Zimbabwe with a problem of plenty. Conway, Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra all scored centuries while all their seamers were among the wickets. Henry’s 16 wickets in the series was the standout and he has established himself as a leader in the attack. New Zealand does not play any Tests until November-December this year, when they host West Indies to start their 2025-2027 World Test Championship campaign.(ESPN Cricinfo)