Debutant Zakary Foulkes starred with nine wickets as New Zealand crushed Zimbabwe by an innings and 359 runs in Harare.
New Zealand declared on 601 for 3 (Rachin Ravindra 165*, Devon Conway 153, Henry Nicholls 150*) and then wrapped Zimbabwe up for 125 and 117. Foulkes finished with match figures of 9 wickets (4-38 and 5-37), the best by a Kiwi on Test debut, while Matt Henry continued his series form, finishing with 16 wickets.
There was little drama to the finish. After a short early scare — Jacob Duffy overstepped while taking a catch at the cordon — Conway snuffed out any faint hope in the next over, holding a sharp chance at gully to end the match minutes before a delayed lunch.
And here’s the thing: this result underlined the gulf in class. Zimbabwe have played eight Tests in 2025, winning only once (against Bangladesh) and losing the rest at home. They’ll now pivot quickly to the T20 World Cup Qualifiers they host in September, but red-ball questions remain.
For New Zealand, it’s a pleasant problem. Conway, Nicholls and Ravindra all delivered big hundreds, seamers operated in unison, and the bench now has options after Foulkes’ instant impact. The Kiwis won’t play Tests again until November–December, when the West Indies visit to kick off the next WTC cycle — plenty of time to sort permutations, but also a lot to like from this tour.
New Zealand vs Zimbabwe Test 2025 ended in brutal fashion — the visitors recorded their biggest Test win, an innings and 359-run rout in Harare, with debutant Zakary Foulkes grabbing the headlines.
New Zealand declared on 601 for 3 (Rachin Ravindra 165*, Devon Conway 153, Henry Nicholls 150*) and then wrapped Zimbabwe up for 125 and 117. Foulkes finished with match figures of 9 wickets (4-38 and 5-37), the best by a Kiwi on Test debut, while Matt Henry continued his series form, finishing with 16 wickets.
There was little drama to the finish. After a short early scare — Jacob Duffy overstepped while taking a catch at the cordon — Conway snuffed out any faint hope in the next over, holding a sharp chance at gully to end the match minutes before a delayed lunch.
And here’s the thing: this result underlined the gulf in class. Zimbabwe have played eight Tests in 2025, winning only once (against Bangladesh) and losing the rest at home. They’ll now pivot quickly to the T20 World Cup Qualifiers they host in September, but red-ball questions remain.
For New Zealand, it’s a pleasant problem. Conway, Nicholls and Ravindra all delivered big hundreds, seamers operated in unison, and the bench now has options after Foulkes’ instant impact. The Kiwis won’t play Tests again until November–December, when the West Indies visit to kick off the next WTC cycle — plenty of time to sort permutations, but also a lot to like from this tour.
