England quickly took control of their first home Test against Zimbabwe as they scored 498-3. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley each scored centuries in an all-out performance which led to Zimbabwe’s first defeat in England since 1992. Check the England Cricket Team vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Match Scorecard for detailed results and player performances.
Shoaib Bashir led with nine for 143, but Sam Curran and Sean Williams also delivered impressive displays.
| Match Date | Venue | Result | England Innings | Zimbabwe Innings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22–24, 2025 | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | England won by an innings and 45 runs | 565/6 declared (Ollie Pope 171*, Ben Duckett 140, Zak Crawley 124) | 265 all out (Brian Bennett 139), 255 all out (Sean Williams 88) |
| June 5–9, 2003 | Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street | England won by an innings and 69 runs | 416 all out (Anthony McGrath 81) | 94 all out, 253 all out (follow-on) |
England vs Zimbabwe 1st Test
On day one of their first Test against Zimbabwe, England got off to an impressive start as Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope both scored centuries.
Ben Duckett also contributed as England rolled up 498-3 by stumps – the highest total ever on an opening day at Trent Bridge! Zimbabwe improved as the day progressed but not enough to deny England an emphatic win.
The wicket remains conducive for batting; there is bounce and movement if you hit it correctly, yet Zimbabweans have struggled due to poor accuracy in hitting their targets.
One bright spot was Brian Bennett who kept riding his luck and exerting some pressure on bowlers.
Craig Ervine has provided him with strong support, looking to put pressure on the hosts with their innings. Together they have combined for an opening partnership of 67 for the seventh wicket which marks an excellent start.
It may have been determined to bat first due to inclement weather but England have set an excellent foundation by choosing this route.
As expected, England’s bowling performance was below par and they will hope to take advantage of it in the second session – though they would prefer not to follow-on as that would extend the match further.
Tom Atkinson bowled Blessing Muzarabani out lbw for his first dismissal this season, pitching on off and inducing an outside edge from Muzarabani with an off-pitch pitch induced an outside edge and pitched it on off inducing an outside edge – it marked Muzarabani’s first-ever dismissal this summer by umpires.
Harry Brook has made himself heard, smashing Chivanga for four consecutive fours before hitting Muzarabani for sixes consecutive sixes which brings him up 50 off 48 balls giving England an unrivalled lead of 565-6!
England vs Zimbabwe 2nd Test
Zimbabwe may have suffered an overwhelming defeat in their second Test match of 2019, yet they can take heart from not collapsing completely under England’s bowlers. Brian Bennett’s career-best 139 provided hope of making the game competitive while Sean Williams held firm during their second innings before ultimately succumbing to England’s bowlers’ dominance and being sent packing by England.
Looking ahead, Zimbabwe should now prepare well to deal with red-ball cricket that awaits them this season.
On a bright sunny morning at Trent Bridge, players are gearing up for the final session of this Test match. Zimbabwe resumed on 210 for five with Brian Bennett remaining unbeaten on 122 runs.
Early on, things were going smoothly for the tourists with Bennett putting together some solid runs with Sikandar Raza. Unfortunately for them however, after several soft dismissals their tail unravelled under Shoaib Bashir’s bowling attack and collapsed completely.
Ben Stokes had already taken two wickets this afternoon when Sam Cook made his Lancashire debut. Soon after he took two scalps himself and one quickly followed as Cook got Tsiga lbw with a beautiful delivery that pitched outside off and turned in an off-cutting manner before straightening and clattering his stumps with ease.
Zimbabwe are in trouble but there’s still much cricket left. A brief respite comes when Brook hit Muzarabani for six but then attempted to pull short ball and Pope made an excellent catch at short leg.
Tea time will provide plenty of discussion between teams. Zimbabwe made much greater strides than in their opening Test match but will never win this one; although they may take some positives away from this fixture it remains clear they cannot defeat South Africa on this tour.
England vs Zimbabwe 3rd Test
Zimbabwe’s return to Test cricket after 22 years will have been both bittersweet and rewarding. They should take away many lessons, with experience playing against such a highly-ranked side setting them up well for much tougher tests ahead. But England proved too powerful a force and won in eight sessions.
Due to Trent Bridge’s unfavorable conditions, it was no secret that they opted to bat first. Although that strategy did not necessarily pay dividends as both Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley scored century scores; nevertheless it set up what became a one-sided matchup.
England’s bowlers also showed great skill. Josh Tongue won his Test debut by taking two early wickets to place South Africa in trouble while James Rewin made sure it stayed close by taking two late scalps to finish up with 7-71 for England in total.
Shoaib Bashir’s return to England – in place of injured Chris Woakes – as an option is a welcome boost for England’s spin options and enjoyed a solid outing against Zimbabwe’s dismal batting line-up. While his status remains unclear, there’s every chance he may feature against India A next week which should cement his comeback and further enhance its impact.
Sean Williams suffered an injury on the day, though, which is likely to prevent him from playing for an extended period. A James Anderson bouncer hit him hard on the wrist and it is now thought likely that he may miss significant chunks of season due to this setback.
Last time England faced Zimbabwe at home in a four-day Test was 2022 when Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes combined to help England secure victory under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ captaincy. Though scheduling four-day games may displease purists, such fixtures must also be taken into consideration when evaluating how England has fared under new leadership.
England vs Zimbabwe 4th Test
England made full use of their dominance at Trent Bridge to win both Tests against Zimbabwe within just five sessions, bowling out both batsmen twice. Offspinner Shoaib Bashir led this victory, taking four Test five-fors – more than any player before 22 – while finishing with nine for 143 dismissals to send Zimbabwe packing for 292 and 177 in total.
Even with such a heavy scoreline, England still put in an impressive performance that will provide them with confidence ahead of a busy home season that includes five matches against India. Though some seamers lacked bite during this match, Ben Stokes showed resilience during both four-over spells to maintain maximum pace.
Cook put in another impressive performance and is looking to assert himself as the top batsman with another good showing in their final match. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored his maiden double century and looked well against an opponent whose batting has struggled this summer.
Zimbabwe enjoyed some relief thanks to Sean Williams’ dogged 88 and Sikandar Raza and Curran’s 65-run fifth wicket partnership; but their efforts weren’t enough to prevent a crushing defeat. Even so, players and their enthusiastic expat crowd remained upbeat despite such losses as they celebrated brave batting from Wesly Madhevere as well.
Even though Zimbabwe were not competing in the World Test Championship cycle, their match against England was an important step in developing their young talent.
Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope made strong cases for inclusion on The Ashes tour of Australia this winter by scoring hundreds. Blessing Muzarabani also excelled with an innings not out, while Richard Ngarava took paternity leave, giving Zimbabwe three back three players that can perform in all conditions with plenty of power hitting opportunities – taking valuable lessons away from this heavy defeat in England but have much further work ahead to do to regain success.
