England secured a resounding innings-and-45-run victory over Zimbabwe, wrapping up the Test match in just three days. The win was a showcase of dominant batting, featuring centuries from Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley, and Ben Duckett, alongside an exceptional bowling performance from young Shoaib Bashir.
Bashir, 21, was the pick of the bowlers, recording career-best figures of six for 81 in the second innings to finish with nine wickets for the match. Captain Ben Stokes highly praised Bashir’s natural talent and developing skills. This comprehensive effort highlighted England’s strength across all departments.
Zimbabwe’s efforts to resist were led by half-centuries from Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, but their captain Craig Ervine admitted that their initial bowling lacked discipline, allowing England to seize control early. Ervine emphasized that the tour served as an important learning experience for his squad, crucial for their future development.