Record win! New Zealand seal biggest Test victory; Zimbabwe suffer worst-ever defeat

New Zealand vs Zimbabwe (@BLACKCAPS on X)

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New Zealand achieved its largest test victory by defeating Zimbabwe by an innings and 359 runs in the second test, securing a 2-0 series win on Saturday.Zimbabwe, facing a 476-run deficit, was dismissed for 117 during an extended first session on Day 3 against New Zealand's powerful pace attack. It was their biggest win and Zimbabwe’s worst-ever defeat.First-time fast bowler Zakary Foulkes secured impressive figures of 5-37 in the second innings, following his four-wicket performance in the first innings, nearly achieving a 10-wicket milestone in his first test.Foulkes' match figures of 9-75 set a new record for New Zealand's best bowling performance by a debutant, surpassing Will O'Rourke's 9-93 against South Africa at Hamilton last year.The pace bowling unit, including Matt Henry (2-16), Jacob Duffy (2-28), and Matthew Fisher (1-22), contributed to Zimbabwe's lowest series total, dismissed in 28.1 overs."Obviously we lost the toss, but we bowled very well in the first innings. We talked about keeping the standards up," Mitchell Santner said.Nick Welch remained unbeaten with 47 runs from 71 balls, while captain Craig Ervine scored 17, being the only two Zimbabwe batters reaching double figures.New Zealand declared their first innings at 601-3, featuring unbeaten performances from Rachin Ravindra (165) and Henry Nicholls (150), who shared a 256-run fourth-wicket partnership. Devon Conway contributed 153 runs in New Zealand's highest total against Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe's second innings began poorly against New Zealand's strong bowling attack led by Henry.Henry, who claimed 16 wickets in the series, dismissed Brian Bennett for a pair, bowling him out on the third ball.Brendan Taylor's return to test cricket after a 3.5-year ban was unsuccessful, as Henry's precise bowling led to his dismissal in the slips.Zimbabwe struggled at 24-3 within six overs after Sean Williams was caught by Duffy off his own bowling.Welch and Ervine managed a 25-run partnership before Fisher captured Ervine's edge.Foulkes claimed five wickets in six overs, while Duffy ended the match by dismissing Tanaka Chivanga.New Zealand's previous largest test victory was also against Zimbabwe, winning by an innings and 301 runs at Napier in 2012.This marked Zimbabwe's sixth consecutive test loss this year."It's obviously been disappointing, specially the way we finished today. But we had a really tough, high-skilled opposition and it shows where we stand as a team in the test circuit. A lot of work for us to do and I think everyone will digest things differently, but you can see the space between us and the top teams," Ervine added.New Zealand won the first test by nine wickets in three days at the same venue. While the series wasn't part of the World Test Championship, New Zealand completed their Zimbabwe tour undefeated, including victory in a T20 tri-series with Zimbabwe and South Africa.

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