New Zealand complete crushing innings win over Zimbabwe
New Zealand completed a crushing win by an innings and 359 runs on the third day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club on Saturday.
Zak Foulkes, playing in his first Test match, took five for 37 as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 117 in their second innings.
Nic Welch, batting at number three, made an unbeaten 47 and stood virtually alone against the New Zealand pace attack.
Zakary Foulkes picked the best-ever figures for a New Zealand bowler on Test debut
It was the third-biggest win by an innings in Test history.
England beat Australia by an innings and 579 runs at The Oval in London in 1938. Australia defeated South Africa by an innings and 360 runs in Johannesburg in 2001/02.
“We bowled well in the first innings after losing the toss,” said Mitch Santner, who captained New Zealand in both Tests in the absence of the injured Tom Latham.
“And the batsmen got through some tough periods with their partnerships and then cashed in.”
New Zealand’s previous biggest win – and Zimbabwe’s previous heaviest defeat – was by an innings and 301 runs when the two teams met in Napier in 2011/12.
Zimbabwe suffered their sixth successive defeat – four of them by an innings – since beating Bangladesh in Sylhet in April.
New Zealand declared their first innings closed on their overnight total of 601 for three.
It took only three balls for Matt Henry to start the home team’s collapse when he bowled Brian Bennett for his second duck of the match.
Henry had Brendan Taylor caught at second slip and Jacob Duffy caught Sean Williams off his own bowling before Matthew Fisher had Zimbabwe captain Craig Ervine held at third slip.
Foulkes, who briefly returned to New Zealand after a triangular Twenty20 series but was recalled after Nathan Smith was injured in the first Test, took the next five wickets.
Foulkes had match figures of nine for 77.
Devon Conway, who scored 153 for New Zealand, was player of the match while Henry, who took 16 wickets across the two matches, was player of the series.
| Brief scores: | |
| New Zealand 601 for 3 decl (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 |