England secured an innings and 45-run victory over Zimbabwe in their one-off test match at Trent Bridge on Saturday, completing the win within three days despite facing strong resistance from the underdogs.The match served as a preparation for England’s upcoming five-test series against India starting June 20.England declared their innings at 565-6, while Zimbabwe was dismissed for 265 and 255 in their two innings respectively. England’s first-day performance was particularly dominant, scoring 498-3, their highest ever first-day total in a home test.Zimbabwe faced early setbacks when their seamer Richard Ngarava suffered a back spasm after bowling just nine overs on day one, leaving them a bowler short for the remainder of the match.Brian Bennett’s maiden century on Friday provided hope for Zimbabwe, followed by Sean Williams’ impressive performance on Saturday that temporarily challenged England’s bowling strategy.
Williams’ promising innings ended at 88 runs from 82 balls following a video review that showed the ball barely touching leg stump while facing off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?Zimbabwe’s resistance weakened after Williams’ departure before lunch. Despite Sikandar Raza’s quick-fire 60 off 68 balls, the team lost their final six wickets for 109 runs.
Shoaib Bashir emerged as the standout bowler, claiming 6-81 in the innings and achieving his career-best match figures of 9-143. This performance marked his fourth five-wicket haul in test cricket.The match marked Zimbabwe’s return to test cricket against England after a 22-year gap. Despite the significant margin of defeat, Zimbabwe’s performance showed more resilience than the final scoreline suggested, particularly considering they played most of the match with one bowler short.
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