Right. This wraps up the two-match Test series. Zimbabwe's home season continues, but they will be away from the whites for quite a while now. They will now welcome Sri Lanka for a white-ball series, which will commence with 2 ODIs from Friday, 29th August, and will also include a 3-match T20I series after that. Meanwhile, New Zealand will enjoy a long break from cricketing action as they will welcome Australia all the way down in October for 3 T20Is. But cricketing action doesn't stop. Several other international fixtures are coming up, one prominent being South Africa's tour to Australia, and of course, with the franchise cricket in different corners currently going on. But from this matchcenter, we sign off. Take care, cheers!

The Kiwi skipper, Mitchell Santner, is requested to receive the trophy from one of the dignitaries. He accepts it with a smile and makes his way toward his teammates, who are already gathered behind the winner’s board, waiting for their captain to join them for the celebratory photographs. It's been a job well done by the visiting New Zealand team in both Tests where they displayed their standards in both departments, with several players stepping and contributing for the side. They won the first Test handsomely and responded ever more strongly in the final game to make the scoreline 2-0. For Zimbabwe, this campaign wasn’t just about chasing wins, it was about laying foundations and getting the basics right. For the younger players, it was a chance to step into the deep end, to test their temperament and learn what it takes to compete at the highest level against top-quality opposition.

The victorious captain of New Zealand, Mitchell Santner, is the next one to have a quick chat. Reflects that it was a good game for them as a team. Says after losing the toss, and with the pitch not having much bite in it, they bowled impressively. Appreciates the way Matt Henry operated with the new ball. Shares that they talked about keeping their standards up, to bowl in the right areas, and not letting batters score freely. On the three debutants, Santner says it is never really easy playing your first game overseas, but they settled in beautifully.

New Zealand's Matt Henry is the PLAYER OF THE SERIES for picking 16 wickets in the series. Says that it has been a great series and a great way to sign off. Shares that, as a group, they have put a lot of emphasis on using the new ball well. Mentions that planning is important, and with the skill sets they have, they complement each other nicely and become a real threat from both ends. States that the way the guys have been coming in and backing their skills has been awesome to see.

Devon Conway of New Zealand is adjudged as the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his outstanding knock of 153. He collects the award and walks up for a chat. He begins by saying it was a bit challenging to play in these conditions, but credits the bowlers, as they made it difficult with the new ball. Points that once the ball got older, things became a bit easier to bat and score runs. Highlights that the surface is a bit different from what it was in the first Test. Reflects that for them as a group, the talk was always about being positive and putting pressure back on the opposition bowlers. On the partnership between Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra, he says Rachin came out with a positive intent and aggression. Also says the way he and Henry Nicholls carried the innings forward was outstanding.

The captain of Zimbabwe, Craig Ervine, says that he is disappointed with the way they finished against a tough and highly skilled opposition. Feels that it is also a reflection of where they are as a team right now. Still feels it was the right decision to bat first, but New Zealand exploited the conditions far better than his side managed to. Mentions that this wicket definitely played better than in the first Test, though it was a bit two-paced at times. Reckons that there is still a lot of work to do, and they must continue striving to close the gap between themselves and the top sides. Adds that the players mustn’t get too disappointed as they are still a young team. Shares that everyone’s work ethic has been outstanding. Praises Tafadzwa Tsiga by saying that he was excellent with the gloves, keeping the energy high, and he works extremely hard on his batting as well.

... THE PRESENTATION ...

With a towering lead of 476, New Zealand declared overnight and sent Zimbabwe back in, only to see the Chevrons unravel once more. Brian Bennett fell in the opening over to the ever-threatening Matt Henry, and Jacob Duffy marked his maiden Test wicket by removing Sean Williams. With his early exit, Zimbabwe were left tottering at 24/3. Though Craig Ervine and Nick Welch offered brief resistance, the bowlers didn't leave the line of the stumps and kept probing. Sooner, Matthew Fisher broke through to end that 25-run stand. From there, it was just a matter of time as the collapse accelerated as Sikandar Raza and Tafadzwa Tsiga departed in quick succession. Zakary Foulkes, on debut, delivered a searing spell with the ball, claiming five wickets and dismantling the middle and lower order with relentless precision to hand Zimbabwe a defeat by an innings and 359 runs.

New Zealand further tightened their grip on Day 2 as Devon Conway eased to a century, calmly negotiating Zimbabwe’s frontline attack. He stitched together solid stands, first with the enterprising Duffy, then with the composed Henry Nicholls. Spin was introduced in tandem but proved largely ineffective. Masekesa eventually prised out Duffy, yet Conway and Nicholls shrugged off the setback and kept the scoreboard ticking. In came Rachin Ravindra and batted with a positive intent from the first ball. Risk-free shot selection and proactive strike rotation were the key highlights of his inning. As the day drew to a close, New Zealand had mounted a mammoth lead of 476 runs, on the back of three 150-plus scores from Conway, Nicholls, and Ravindra. This completely tired out and exhausted the Zimbabwean bowlers, who proved highly ineffective in preventing the run flow and picking wickets in clusters.

Craig Ervine opted to bat first on a surface with minimal grass, but the decision backfired as Zimbabwe were bundled out for just 125 inside 50 overs. The lone bright spots were Brendan Taylor, returning in the whites with a fluent 44, and Tafadzwa Tsiga, who offered some middle-order resistance with 33. Beyond them, the lineup faltered, failing to build partnerships or even cross 20 runs individually. New Zealand’s bowlers capitalized brilliantly, with debutant Zakary Foulkes claiming four key wickets and Matt Henry stealing the show with his second five-wicket haul of the series. The Kiwi openers then piled on the pressure, both registering fifties and erasing the deficit before stumps, giving New Zealand a strong platform and a 49-run lead at a loss of a wicket at the close of Day 1.

As clinical as it can get. Seven sessions. We repeat, it just took seven sessions for New Zealand to wipe Zimbabwe out of the game. In any Test match, it's more important how you start the first innings with the bat. And in all fairness, 125 always looked too less of a score against a quality batting unit like New Zealand, that too, on a pitch where runs were written in bold and capital. New Zealand batted for 130 overs and made sure they didn't bat again whereas Zimbabwe batted for almost half of the overs, combining both innings, and couldn't even cross the 150-run mark once. This is Zimbabwe's heaviest defeat in Test cricket history, and for the Kiwis, this marks their biggest win in the longest format in terms of runs.

Scratch the wicket for a moment, folks. The players even shook their hands, but since it is a No Ball, we hit the reset button again.