ZIM vs NZ

That brings us to the end of what was supposed to be Zimbabwe's biggest winter of Test cricket in the last two decades. The results have been disappointing, but we hope that it will only inspire them to become better. They definitely feel the sting of the loss, as was palpable in Craig Ervine's voice during the post-match interview.

They don't have to look too far for inspiration either. As a Test nation, New Zealand also had to wait for glory for a long time. Zimbabwe's time might come in the future too.

With that, it is time for the duo of Darpan Tikiya and Bidipto Datta to say goodbye. We hope you enjoyed the coverage. See you again soon! 

12:52 PM local time, 4:22 PM IST | Mitchell Santner collects the trophy and calls his mates to pose for the trophy. The celebrations are just as professional as their performances throughout this tour have been — serene and regal. Big smiles, a few applauses and some handshakes. 

Mitchell Santner (New Zealand captain): "It was a pretty good game. I thought we bowled really well. Then, with the bat, guys negotiated some tough phases. We thought it might take a little long today, but Matt Henry was pretty tough to face. We talked about keeping our standards up. We were pretty good in the first match too. Though, we could have scored a bit more in the first innings. That was the conversation we had coming into this Test. The debutants settled in beautifully."

Matt Henry (Player of the Series, 16 wickets in 2 Tests): "It has been a great series. Great way to sign off. As a group, we put a lot of emphasis on the new ball phase, making sure that we ask a lot of questions early. The skillset we have as a group compliments each other. The guys are outstanding. The way they are coming in and applying their skills is great to see."

Devon Conway (Player of the Match, 153 runs off 245 balls): "It was hard up front against the new ball, but once the ball got older, it got better to bat on. Slightly less bounce on this wicket compared to the one in the first game. As a group, we talk about being positive and put the pressure back on the opposition bowling, so, just stuck to that myself. Rachin and Henry Nicholls just stole the show, really! Rachin is going up the ladder strongly!" 

Craig Ervine (Zimbabwe captain): "It's obviously disappointing, specially the way we finished today! But our reputation has taken a bit dent. Yes the opposition was superb, but we needed to do better. I think it was the right decision to bat first. Their bowlers did well of course, but we didn't handle ourselves well enough. The application was lacking, the skill-set wasn't up to the mark. There is a lot of work for us to do. We have to continue playing top sides like this, there is lot to learn. No need to get too despondent. The developments will come. Everybody is working hard I can tell you, Tafadzwa Tsiga with the keeping gloves and with the bat, has impressed for sure! You have to back your plans, your work ethic, and I feel we are still on the right track. Results haven't gone our way, but we will keep getting better the more we play." 

12:21 PM local time, 3:51 PM IST | New Zealand win the match by an innings and 359 runs, and the series by 2-0.

The inevitable has happened. Zimbabwe have been bundled out and the series has come to fruition on Day 3 of the 2nd Test. There are one-sided victories, there are domineering thrashings and then, there is this. New Zealand have thumped the hosts and claimed the third biggest win by an innings in the 148 year history of Test cricket. They finish their four week tour to Zimbabwe undefeated.

Coming in today, the writing was pretty much on the wall already. But we still did not expect it all to get wrapped up before Lunch. However, such was the potency of the New Zealand bowling... or should we say the ineptitude exhibited by the Chevrons in front of them? They lost 3 wickets in the first 15 minutes of the day and post that we did not see even a semblance of recovery. The same mistakes happened again — Ervine was out driving, Raza fell to the short ball and Williams played a poor shot. Henry and co. feasted. Zakary Foulkes had the biggest share of the pie this time, finishing with a maiden Test five-for.

There is a lot of soul-searching for the Chevrons to do going forward. With a number of high-profile series lined-up one after the other, this was their biggest Test year of the century. However, the performances have been dismal. It is not the defeats that would sting, but the manner of each of them. Zimbabwe fans consistently turned up to the ground, sang joyously, passionately and spurred their team on throughout the course of this summer. However, in the end, there aren't too many happy memories that the team has given them.

But well, it is all a part of the process, isn't it? All a part of the learning curve. After all, New Zealand themselves went through a long such phase in their early years as a Test nation. However, the question is how long the curve is going to be for Zimbabwe? Perhaps, that's a question for later.

For now, it is time to celebrate some of the major contributors for New Zealand. Matt Henry with his 16 wickets was the obvious stand out. Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Henry Nicholls each got tons in the only batting innings. Three pacers made their debut and each impressed in their own right. Zakary Foulkes, who finished with 9 wickets in the game, was the stand-out.  

28.1 Jacob Duffy to Tanaka Chivanga, NEW ZEALAND DO GET THE WIN NOW! THE MATCH AND THE SERIES, BOTH HAVE BEEN POCKETED CONVINCINGLY! Full around off-stump. Chivanga drove away from the body and slightly on the up to nick off. The ball flew to the left of gully, but the fielder there, Devon Conway, took it confidently with fingers pointing up and sealed the deal for his team! 

27.6 Zakary Foulkes to Nick Welch, FOUR! Off-cutter around off-stump on the good length. Slammed away over square-leg and away to the boundary. 

27.5 Zakary Foulkes to Nick Welch, FOUR MORE! Length ball around off-stump. Welch gets across the stumps and heaves it off the thick inside half of the bat to the left of square-leg. 

27.4 Zakary Foulkes to Nick Welch, FOUR RUNS! Pitched up around off-stump. Smashed away over the in-field and away to long-on for a boundary! 

27.2 Zakary Foulkes to Nick Welch, short over middle-stump on this occasion. Welch got inside the line and let it go, but the umpire deemed it a fair delivery in terms of height.