Black Caps Secure Largest Ever Test Victory As Foulkes Snares Best Ever Figures for NZ Test Debutant
Despite leaving runs and records on the table, the Black Caps have secured their largest Test victory, thumping Zimbabwe by an innings and 359 runs, with debutant Zak Foulkes taking a record 75/9.
The Black Caps have secured their largest-ever Test victory, cruising to a win by an innings and 359 runs against Zimbabwe in the second Test on the way to a comprehensive 2-0 series whitewash.
Despite leaving runs and records on the table by declaring overnight on 601 (more on that below), it would be ridiculous to be too critical of the team, having just secured their largest-ever win and the third-largest Test victory of all time.
The win bested the team’s previous record victory margin of an innings and 301 runs, also against Zimbabwe in 2012 The Black Caps’ largest Test victory against a team other than Zimbabwe remains our win by an innings and 276 runs against South Africa in 2022 (a fully-loaded South Africa, too, not the SAD team from 2024).
Devon Conway was named man of the match for his 153, though I thought Foulkes with his 75/9 on debut and Rachin Ravindra with his 165* (139) were slightly more deserving. At that point, you’re splitting hairs, though. Foulkes in particular impressed, marking the beginning of a big future in Black for the 23-year-old quick. His match figures of 75/9 set a new record for the best figures on Test debut for a New Zealander, beating Will O’Rourke’s previous mark of 9/93.
With Foulkes’ emergence, and Fisher and Duffy also contributing with three and two wickets respectively on debut, the Black Caps’ pace bowling stocks are looking increasingly promising in the post-Southee/Boult/Wagner era. If (and it remains a catastrophically big if), we can keep most of them fit, we should be able to select from a cartel of: Henry (33), Jamieson (30), O’Rourke (24), Sears (27), Nathan Smith (27), Foulkes (23), Duffy (31), and Fisher (24). If nothing else, by blooding Foulkes, Duffy, and Fisher, and getting more game time into Nathan Smith, the Black Caps have used this tour wisely to build our pace bowling depth, which was an area that required addressing.
Speaking of, Matt Henry was rightly named player of the series for his absurd performances, taking 16 wickets at an average of 9.12. Foulkes was the only other bowler to take MORE THAN FOUR WICKETS FOR THE SERIES. And Henry still took almost double the wickets Foulkes took! There were only 40 Zimbabwean wickets on offer, and Henry took 40% of them. Freakish.
The Zimbabwean top-order were utterly out of their depth facing Henry at times, who continues to be world-class, cementing himself firmly among the Big Four pace bowlers in Test cricket currently: Cummins, Bumrah, Rabada, and Henry (with the ICC Test Rankings backing this up).
Notably, Henry’s Test bowling average is now down to 27.4, remembering that after his first 14 Tests (spaced out sporadically as an injury replacement from 2015-2021), Henry averaged 46.3. Since then (2022-present), he has taken 99 wickets in 18 Tests at 20.35. That’s more like it.
The other massive positive from this series was Devon Conway regaining some much-needed form and confidence. I don’t care if some will say they were slightly ‘cheap’ runs (you still have to score them, and I know I wouldn’t fare very well against 6”10 Blessing Muzarabani), after having a torrid time in 2024, where Conway averaged 21.44 from nine Tests and was on the verge of being dropped, feeling the ball hit the middle of the bat again and cashing in with 88 and 153 will hopefully be just the tonic to start seeing the Conway of old in Test cricket.
Ok, I’ve praised them enough; we have to talk about the declaration. I can see both sides of this decision, but it’s definitely not what I would have done (clearly). “Wah, but we could have won by even more” - Me, kinda.
Record Watch: Zimbabwe vs New Zealand
As I’m writing this, Day Three of the second Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand is set to commence in a little under two hours, with New Zealand 601/3 overnight, leading by 476 after dismissing Zimbabwe for 125 on the back of yet another Matt Henry five-for, and Zak Foulkes also nabbing four wickets on debut.
As I predicted in the final sentence of yesterday’s article, “I’m going to be so disappointed if we declare overnight or take any inspiration from Wiaan Mulder…”
I’m assuming the reasons for the declaration were probably as simple as: well, we’ve already got plenty of runs, and at a certain point, this feels like beating a team 200-4 in basketball, with no one really benefitting. I get all that.
However, my counters would be:
It’s no secret that Test cricket is struggling globally, and New Zealand is no exception. If you have a sniff of breaking some pretty significant records, like the highest Test score or beating Baz’s NZ record score, while still having plenty of time to win the game, I think the extra publicity and interest that would generate is worthwhile.
We only have five Tests scheduled all year, and none until the West Indies visit in December now. Why not use this as a chance to let everyone have a bat and find form (especially Mitchell and Blundell, who could desperately use it), rather than leaving two and a half days of possible Test cricket on the table by declaring? I like to get days off from my job, too, I guess.
If they were going to declare, why not at least bat one more session, and give Nicholls and Rachin a shot at getting their double hundreds and the team a chance to break the New Zealand record for highest Test score (715, only 114 runs away)?
The answer to all of the above is almost certainly: because the players couldn’t give two shits about those sorts of stats, and just wanted to win and go home. Fair enough, and win they did, in some style.
Like I said, we’ve just won by a record Test margin, blooded three new seamers, and seen three guys make 150+ scores, so I’m definitely not mad. I am, however, slightly disappointed at what could have been…
Anyway, onwards and upwards. It’s not quite the end of the road for this African soujourn, with New Zealand A still scheduled to face South Africa A starting in three weeks on the 30th of August.
NEW ZEALAND A TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA
UNOFFICIAL ODIS:
30 August, Pretoria, 8 PM NZT: New Zealand A vs South Africa A
01 September, Pretoria, 8 PM NZT: New Zealand A vs South Africa A
03 September, Pretoria, 8 PM NZT: New Zealand A vs South Africa A
UNOFFICIAL TESTS:
7-10 September, Potchefstroom, 8 PM NZT: First Unofficial Test
14-17 September, Pretoria, 8 PM NZT: Second Unofficial Test
Presumably, many of the fringe Test squad members, like Foulkes, Fisher, Duffy, Nicholls, and Lister, may be sticking around with that New Zealand A squad (though no squad has yet been announced).
The Black Caps will now take a 52-day break from action (a sparse schedule for New Zealand? Well, I never) before returning in a three-match home T20 series against Australia between Oct 1-4, as preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup begin ramping up.
The tri-series has been taken care of; next stop: the big three.
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I'd have to disagree about the declaration, I think it was pretty perfectly timed. I think playing on just to get bigger numbers (or even retiring out to let the other guys get a bat) is just a bit disrespectful of Zimbabwe. Test cricket is about doing a job for your team.
A tough question: is it possible to make the argument that Henry has been a better bowler than Cummins over the last two years? Esp in relation to the support they get; Henry has been dragging along an old Southee and rookies, while the Aussie cartel is, well, the cartel. Imo, the argument is very close.