Zimbabwe's Historic Batting Collapse as New Zealand Clinches Record Victory

In a historic Test series, Zimbabwe struggled massively with the bat against New Zealand, failing to post a fifty-plus score. New Zealand capitalized, with standout performances from Devon Conway and pacer Zakary Foulkes leading to a record-breaking victory. This marked a pivotal moment in Test cricket history.

In an unprecedented collapse, Zimbabwe's batting line-up faltered dramatically in their Test series against New Zealand. For just the sixth time in Test history, a team concluded a series of at least two matches without producing a single fifty-plus score. Sean Williams, with an innings of 49 in the first Test, provided the top individual performance for Zimbabwe, a feat last seen in the 1895-96 South Africa series against England, as noted by Wisden.

New Zealand, however, dominated with both bat and ball, securing a landmark victory by an innings and 359 runs at Bulawayo, marking their most significant win in Test cricket history. Standout centuries came from Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, and Rachin Ravindra, while bowler Zakary Foulkes etched his name in history with an impressive spell.

Zimbabwe's innings began with hope after winning the toss, but ended quickly as Brendan Taylor's 44 and Tafadzwa Tsiga's unbeaten 33 were the few bright spots. Matt Henry and Foulkes dismantled the opposition, dismissing them for 125. Conway and Nicholls shone for New Zealand, with substantial contributions leading to a mammoth score of 601/3, leading by 476 runs. Returning to chase an insurmountable total, only Nick Welch managed to survive with an undefeated 47, as Zimbabwe collapsed again, handing New Zealand a record victory and marking Conway as the 'Player of the Match.'

(With inputs from agencies.)