THE WARM-UP

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- Trent Bridge, Nottingham [May 22-24, 2025].

In the summer of 2025, Zimbabwe toured England to play a one-off test match. Interestingly, this was the first test outing between the two sides since 2003. Moreover, the Zimbabwe Cricket Team received a touring fee from the English Cricket Board, which was praiseworthy, as this would help them in maintaining their finances.

The test match was an important one for England because for them it served as a warm-up match before the big Indian series. On a dry wicket, Zimbabwe Captain Ervine won the toss and elected to field first. The decision turned out to be a disastrous one, as the English top demolished the Zimbabwe bowling attack. Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope all got their hundreds as England declared at a massive total of 565/6. Moreover, it was not just a huge total posted by the hosts, but the same happened in very quick time. The English scored 565 runs in just 96.3 overs, which gave their bowlers time to dismiss the Zimbabwean batting line-up twice.

The Visitors did give a fightback, but it wasn't enough, as the English wrapped up the game by an innings and 45 runs. Shoaib Bashir was awarded the man of the match award for his exceptional bowling, as he took 9 wickets in the game. The English looked confident for the challenging summer ahead.  

To watch the explosive English Batting, Click Here.