New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Mitchell Santner could barely hide his delight after Zakary Foulkes claimed match figures of 9 for 75 – the best by a New Zealander on Test debut – as the Black Caps strolled to an innings victory over Zimbabwe inside three days in Bulawayo.
The 23-year-old right-armer was only drafted in when Nathan Smith’s abdominal strain ruled him out of the tour. Three days later he was clutching the ball and looking for a ten-for. “We’ve seen a little bit in the white ball stuff recently, but to do it in a Test match on debut is pretty special,” Santner said. “He was obviously going for that ten-for, I think he bowled a ten-over spell there, which is credit to him as well to be able to bowl ten overs in a row. But he’s probably loved Zimbabwe more than some others.”
Foulkes swings it both ways and, crucially, can bring it back into the right-hander. In Santner’s eyes that variety balanced an attack built around Matt Henry’s seam movement away from the bat. “Someone kind of swinging into the right-hander is, you don’t see that often,” he explained. “So I guess [he’s] another addition to our attack with the guys moving the ball away. He was outstanding. When the lefties come on, he looks pretty tough to play and to get nine in the game on debut is a pretty good effort.”
Even Foulkes admitted the whole thing felt rushed. He has spent most of the winter bowling four-over spells in franchise T20 and expected to ease back into red-ball cricket. Instead he was straight into the XI and, after two long days in the field, nursing a stiff back. “It still hasn’t really kicked in to be honest,” Foulkes said. “It’s all happened pretty quickly. It was awesome to be out there with the guys.
“It was all a little bit rushed. I’ve been on a white-ball diet so the prospect of bowling a few more overs and stuff, I definitely felt a bit sore on day two. Thankfully, we didn’t have to bowl on day two, which was nice. It was cool to get back into red-ball cricket.”
New Zealand handed debuts to two other quicks and neither looked out of place. Jacob Duffy chipped in with two wickets and a nightwatchman’s 31 at No.3, while Matthew Fisher’s pace unsettled Zimbabwe’s lower order. Together they supported Henry, who ended the series with 7 for 56 in the match and the Player of the Series award.
Foulkes enjoyed the company. “Duff’s sort of taken me under his wing, which is nice,” he said. “We’ve played a little bit together for the BlackCaps, which is cool. And then Fisher, yeah, it’s awesome to see what he’s done in the last few years. He was bowling pretty quick in the nets the other day, which wasn’t too nice. But it was awesome to see both those guys get a crack and do so well.
“Growing up, it was always Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Tim Southee. It’s awesome to be sharing the pitch with them now. I’ve played a handful of games with them for Canterbury and a lot of trainings and stuff. So it’s awesome to be a part of this team with them.”
While the margins in both Tests looked hefty on paper, Santner insisted the hosts found ways to challenge his side, not least on surfaces offering seam and variable bounce. The captain praised his four-pronged pace unit for sticking to tidy lines, allowing the fielders to stay in attacking positions and keep Zimbabwe under constant pressure. And when that pressure turned into wickets, Foulkes was nearly always in the middle of it, making a first impression that will be hard to forget.
