From 150s to debut heroics: NZ’s historic Bulawayo win in numbers

[File image] Rachin scored a 150 off 133 balls, the second-fastest for New Zealand in terms of balls faced ©BCCI

Stats highlights from the 2nd Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand in Bulawayo

Innings and 359 runs win against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo is New Zealand’s biggest victory margin in terms of runs in Tests. Overall, this is the third biggest innings win margin in Test cricket. The previous largest (by innings and 301 runs) for them was against the same opponent in Napier in 2012. This is also the heaviest defeat for Zimbabwe in Tests. The top three best wins for New Zealand have come against Zimbabwe.

Biggest innings win margin in Test cricket

Margin Team Opponent Venue Year Inns & 579 runs England Australia The Oval 1938 Inns & 360 runs Australia South Africa Jo’burg 2002 Inns & 359 runs New Zealand Zimbabwe Bulawayo 2025* Inns & 336 runs West Indies India Kolkata 1958 Inns & 332 runs Australia England Brisbane 1946

This is the second time New Zealand has won by innings and 300-plus runs, only the third team to do so after West Indies (3) and Australia. Zimbabwe also became the second team to lose by innings and 300-plus runs twice after New Zealand.

601/3 dec. by New Zealand in the 2nd innings is their highest team total against Zimbabwe, bettering 582/4 dec. at the same venue in 2016. This is also the sixth-highest team total against Zimbabwe in Tests. This effort by New Zealand is also the sixth most runs by any team while losing just three or fewer wickets in a Test inning.

476-run lead by New Zealand after their first innings is the 3rd biggest first-innings lead by any team while declaring after losing just three wickets. The two highest being 492 runs by India (610/3d) against Bangladesh (118) in Dhaka in 2007, and 485 runs by Sri Lanka (713/3d) against Zimbabwe (125) in Bulawayo in 2004. This is also the 17th instance of a team winning a Test match while losing three or fewer wickets.

3 New Zealand batters – Devon Conway (153), Henry Nicholls (150*) and Rachin Ravindra (165*) – scored 150-plus runs. This is only the third instance in Test cricket history that three batters scored 150-plus runs in the same innings. The previous two instances are England against Australia at the Oval in 1938 and India against Sri Lanka in Kanpur in 1986. The New Zealand effort is the first instance to be done by a visiting team in an away country.

3 New Zealand batters – Conway, Nicholls and Ravindra – outscored Zimbabwe’s totals in this match. This is the first instance of three batters outscoring the opposition total in each innings. The previous instance for New Zealand was when two batters outscored the opponent in 2005 against Zimbabwe (59 & 99), when Brendon McCullum (111) and Daniel Vettori (127) did this in Harare.

133 balls taken by Rachin Ravindra to complete his 150 runs in this match at Bulawayo, which is the second-fastest for New Zealand in terms of balls faced. The fastest being Brendon McCullum’s 103-ball knock against Sri Lanka in Christchurch in 2014. Rachin’s effort is overall the 10th fastest where data is available.

9/75 by Zak Foulkes in this match in Bulawayo is the best bowling figures in a match for New Zealand player on Test debut. The previous best by a Kiwi bowler was 9/93 by Will O’Rourke, which came against South Africa last year in Hamilton. Foulkes also became just the seventh seamer and overall 11th New Zealand bowler to take a five-wicket haul in an innings on Test debut.

20 wickets taken by New Zealand seamers in this match – the second instance by a team in a Test match on Zimbabwe soil after Pakistan pacers in Harare in 1995. This is also only the fifth time New Zealand seamers have taken all 20 opposition wickets outside their home venue. The previous instance came against India in the WTC final in 2021.

13 wickets by New Zealand’s debutants in this Test – the most for them in a match, bettering 12 wickets in their inaugural Test against England in 1930 at Christchurch. New Zealand debutants took 12 wickets against South Africa in Durban in 1961 as well.

242 runs aggregate by Zimbabwe in this Test is their second-lowest total at home and overall 5th lowest total for them in a match where they have been bowled out twice. The lowest at home for them is 158 runs against New Zealand in Harare in 2005.

77 overs (462 balls) are what Zimbabwe batted across two innings in this Test and it’s the lowest for them at home, and overall the third lowest in a Test match behind 413 balls against England at Lord’s in 2000, and 436 balls against South Africa in 2017 at Gqeberha.

256*-run partnership between Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra is the highest partnership for New Zealand against Zimbabwe for any wicket. The previous highest was 253 runs added by Ross Taylor and BJ Watling at the same venue in 2016.

427 runs scored by New Zealand on the second day of this Test – the 3rd most runs scored by any team in a day’s play of a Test match on Zimbabwe soil and the highest on Day 2 of a Test here in Zimbabwe. The top-two instances are 465 runs by South Africa at the same venue last month, and 452 runs by New Zealand in the Harare Test in 2005.

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