New Zealand Scripts History With Record Innings And 360 Run Win Over Zimbabwe In 2nd Test (Source: ZIM/X)
New Zealand thrashed Zimbabwe in the second Test by an innings and 359 runs to register a record win. New Zealand were heavy favourites heading into the series, but Zimbabwe were expected to present a significant challenge in home conditions, but the hosts had no answers to the brilliance of Matt Henry, who won the player of the series award after bagging a whopping 16 wickets in two games, as New Zealand completed a 2-0 whitewash.
The last Test finished inside three days with Zimbabwe getting bowled out for 125 and 117 in two innings respectively and New Zealand posting a whopping 601-3 in the first innings, with Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, and Rachin Ravindra scoring centuries. For New Zealand, Zakary Foulkes picked nine wickets in the Test – which is a record for most wickets on debut for New Zealand.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s win was historic as this was the third biggest innings win in Test cricket and the biggest for New Zealand. The record for the biggest win is held by England who beat Australia by an innings and 579 runs at the Oval in 1938. Australia occupies the second position in the list with an innings and 360-run win over South Africa in Johannesburg in 2002. The defeat to New Zealand was also Zimbabwe’s biggest defeat in Test cricket.
New Zealand have a long break now and they will next return to the field in October when they host Australia for a three-match T20I series. New Zealand will also host England in the same month for three T20Is and as many ODIs. With the T20 World Cup lined up next year, New Zealand will shift focus to T20Is.