England vs Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe tour of England, 2025 | One-off Test

So, that wraps the Test match. Ben Stokes collects the trophy and the English players pose for the cameras. That is all from this game. Hope you all enjoyed the coverage. A lot of cricket is happening around the world so you can catch up on the other side. From here, it's goodbye and cheers!

Ben Stokes, the captain of England says it's good to get the summer off to winning ways. Tells the players know when they walk out there and play for England, every game is important. Clears the air by saying Jacob Bethell is going to come back in the squad. Tells it is hard for any bowlers to bowl when Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett get going like that. Credits how Ollie Pope just continued the momentum and played that way, feels to walk out there and play in that manner is exceptional. Reckons they have got a nice gap between the India series and they will utilise it well. Adds that it was nice to get some overs under the belt, rhythm and everything felt great today. Tells the rest for him is more important now because they have a lot of matches coming up. Mentions injuries are traumatic sometimes and it plays on the mind but feels he has worked hard in the past few weeks, so it's a massive boost. On Shoaib Bashir, Stokes says it was exceptional to see the way he came out and asserted himself into the game with the ball in the 1st innings. Adds that he has got the backing of the dressing room. Mentions that they were a bit slow into the game but thinks it is understandable as they were getting used to the rhythm of Test cricket.

Craig Ervine, the skipper of Zimbabwe says their fans are like no other and thanks them for the incredible support. Tells Day 1 didn't go their way but the players came back brilliantly with the bat and they should be proud of themselves. Reckons it's particularly about the nerves initially but once they played well with consistency there was the reward. Shares that with the overhead conditions, they could have bowled a bit better on Day 1. On Brian Bennett, he says it was a special knock and he'll remember it for a long time. Ends by saying, Zimbabwe cricket is in safe hands and tells it won't take long for them to play against England again.

Shoaib Bashir WINS THE PLAYER OF THE MATCH AWARD. He says it is a nice ground to bowl on when it is spinning and feels it was a clinical performance from all the players. Reckons his year started when he went on loan to Glamorgan and later they had a nice training camp before this match. Shares the backroom staff makes them feel 10 foot tall, it makes the players feel relaxed. Ends by saying they'll have a week off before they start training again.

...PRESENTATION...

Enforcing the Follow-On. Zimbabwe lost kew players at the fag end of Day 2, making things difficult for them to pull things back or give them a chance to make England bat again but they started Day 3 well surprisingly. Ben Curran and Sean Williams negotiated the first hour pretty well, adding 122 runs on the board. However, they lost both in quick succession, putting pressure on the middle order to save them with plenty to trail still. Sikandar Raza played brilliantly as he scored fifty but once he fell it was a procession and eventually a big loss for Zimbabwe. Credit to the English bowlers. The pacers toiled hard to build pressure but it was Shoaib Bashir's six-fer that made the difference. In total, 9 wickets for Shoaib Bashir and undoubtedly he could be the man of the match.

After coming to bat, Zimbabwe's first innings came to a close at 265, courtesy of a disciplined bowling effort from the English attack. The visitors trailed by 300 runs, and England had enforced the follow-on. Brian Bennett led the resistance with a brilliant 139, striking a century at a rapid pace. However, he received limited support from the rest of the batting lineup. Craig Ervine contributed 42, Sean Williams scored 25, and Tafadzwa Tsiga added 22, but none could convert their starts into substantial scores. Shoaib Bashir was the standout bowler for England, claiming 3 wickets. Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson also made significant contributions.

A convincing victory for the hosts! With overcast conditions on Day 1, Craig Ervine didn't hesitate to bowl first and right so but in response to the pitch, he got a flat track which England batters settled without wasting any time. In the first innings, England declared at 565 for 6, after the fall of Harry Brook's wicket. A truly dominant display with three centuries and a half-century, led by Ollie Pope's magnificent 171, Ben Duckett's 140, and Zak Crawley's 124. Brook added a rapid 58 to the total. Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the Zimbabwean bowlers, claiming three wickets in the form of Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Harry Brook.

So, Shoaib Bashir wraps up the innings in style. His six-fer was enough to get through the Zimbabwe batting order. England have dominantly started the cricket summer. A one-off Test against Zimbabwe of four days and they have concluded the match in just three days. Total domination.