Match overview
New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by 359 runs in the Test at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, on 7 August 2025. Zimbabwe won the toss, elected to bat, and were dismissed for 125. New Zealand then posted 601/3, a lead of 476, before bowling Zimbabwe out for 117 in the third innings. Devon Conway collected the Player of the Match award; Rachin Ravindra's unbeaten 165 off 139 balls was the centrepiece of New Zealand's innings. Zimbabwe's only genuine highlight was Zac Foulkes, who took 9 wickets for 75 runs across 25 overs but received almost nothing from his team-mates with the bat.
The result continues a wretched run for Zimbabwe, who have now lost all five of their Test matches in 2025, including three to New Zealand in this series alone. New Zealand, by contrast, are five from five this year. The head-to-head record across 28 Tests stands at 26 wins to New Zealand and 2 to Zimbabwe.
Venue and conditions
Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo has hosted 46 Test matches and has a reputation as one of the more batting-friendly venues on the African continent when conditions are good. The average first-innings score across those 46 Tests is 212, and the average second-innings score is 186. New Zealand's total of 601/3 is therefore exceptional rather than routine; Zimbabwe's 125 was well below a par score on a ground where the surface, when it plays well, generally rewards patience.
Teams that win the toss at Queens Sports Club choose to field 39 per cent of the time, suggesting a mild batting-first preference, which Zimbabwe acted on. Chase success rates at the venue sit at 38 per cent across all formats of the data, which makes it a ground where setting a target is historically the preferred approach. None of that framing mattered once Zimbabwe collapsed in the first innings; the platform simply was not there.
With the phase-split data for this match showing all activity concentrated in the middle overs (the powerplay and death figures return zero, consistent with Test-format reporting), the innings unfolded largely in the conventional Test rhythm of extended batting spells without the white-ball phase structure.
How to watch
Test cricket involving New Zealand touring teams is broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Cricket. Coverage is available via a Sky Sports subscription, through the Sky Go app, or on a day pass via NOW TV. UK viewers should note that matches in Zimbabwe start in the morning local time, which translates to early-morning coverage in Britain given the two-hour time difference between Bulawayo (SAST, UTC+2) and UK time.
BBC Radio's Test Match Special provides ball-by-ball radio commentary on England's home Tests and selected ICC events, though touring matches of this nature are unlikely to carry full TMS coverage. Sky Sports remains the primary destination for live viewing.
Recent form
New Zealand arrive at this result on the back of five consecutive wins in 2025, a run that includes two victories over South Africa as well as the three in this Zimbabwe series. Their batting depth and bowling variety have made them difficult to contain across all conditions this year.
Zimbabwe's five-match losing run in 2025 spans defeats against both New Zealand and South Africa. The batting fragility that produced scores of 125 and 117 in this Test is not an isolated event; their top order has struggled to build partnerships consistently throughout the year. Foulkes and Blessing Muzarabani, who took 8/128 in an earlier 2025 Test, give Zimbabwe credible bowling options, but without runs on the board those performances count for little. The next series represents an important opportunity for Zimbabwe's batting group to reset.