Zakary Foulkes made an unforgettable start to his Test career, claiming 5-37 as New Zealand crushed Zimbabwe by an innings and 359 runs — their largest victory margin in Test history — to seal a 2-0 series sweep at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, on Saturday.
The debutant’s haul is now the best bowling performance by a New Zealand player on debut, as the hosts followed their first-innings 125 with just 117 in the second, succumbing inside three days.
It was a pretty good game. We talked about keeping the standards up after the first Test. The debutants settled in beautifully, and the way our partnerships built — Rachin, Nicholls, Conway, even Duff this morning — was outstanding.
Henry’s series to remember
Senior pacer Matt Henry capped a magnificent series with two wickets in the second innings, taking his tally to 16 across the two Tests after opening both matches with five-wicket hauls on day one.
It’s been a great series and a great way to sign off. We knew we had to capitalise on the new ball. As a group, we complement each other well, and the guys backing their skillsets has been awesome to see.
Henry struck in the first over, bowling Brian Bennett with a swinging delivery before removing Brendan Taylor with an outswinger. Jacob Duffy and Matt Fisher chipped in as Zimbabwe’s top order crumbled.
Lone resistance from Welch
Only Nick Welch, unbeaten on 47, offered any fight for Zimbabwe, scoring nearly half the runs while watching wickets tumble at the other end. Skipper Craig Ervine (17) was the only other batter to reach double figures.
It’s obviously been disappointing, especially the way we finished today. New Zealand were high-skilled and exploited the conditions far better than we did. The wicket was a bit two-paced, but it was still an improvement from the first Test.
Sikandar Raza’s struggles against the short ball continued as he fell to gully off Foulkes, and none of Zimbabwe’s lower order passed ten.
Batting platform set the tone
The Black Caps’ dominance was established on day two when they piled up 601-3 declared, resuming on the same score at the start of day three. Rachin Ravindra (165*), Henry Nicholls (150*), and Devon Conway (153) dismantled the Zimbabwe attack, while Blessing Muzarabani’s 1-101 was the only wicket-taking highlight for the hosts.
The result not only secured the Test series but also capped off a successful tour for Santner’s side, who had earlier claimed the T20I Tri-Series title involving South Africa.
Brief scores: Zimbabwe 125 & 117 all out in 28.1 overs (Welch 47*, Ervine 17; Foulkes 5-37, Henry 2-16) New Zealand 601/3 dec in 130 overs (Ravindra 165*, Conway 153, Nicholls 150*; Muzarabani 1-101). New Zealand won by an innings and 359 runs to take the series 2-0
