England crushed Zimbabwe by an innings and 45 runs in a single Test match at Trent Bridge on Saturday. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir achieved his best Test figures of 6-81 as Zimbabwe, following-on, were bowled out for 255 on the third day. This was Zimbabwe’s first Test in England in 22 years. Bashir’s excellent performance at Trent Bridge, following his 5-70 against the West Indies last year, resulted in match figures of 9-143. Sean Williams (88) and Ben Curran were dismissed by Bashir on either side of lunch, while Sikandar Raza’s quick 60 only delayed England’s victory. England set the stage for their triumph in the opening match of their 2025 home season with an impressive first-innings total of 565-6 declared. Their top three batsmen, Zak Crawley (124), Ben Duckett (140), and Ollie Pope (171), all scored centuries. Although opener Brian Bennett scored Zimbabwe’s fastest Test century off 97 balls, the visitors were still all out for 265, with England captain Ben Stokes taking two wickets in his first cricket match of the year. Bashir, who had struggled in county cricket with an average of 152 per wicket this season, recovered his form with 3-62 in the first innings. Stokes’s team will next face India in a five-match series starting in June. Zimbabwe will return to Test cricket with a two-match series at home against South Africa in June and July. Brief scores: England 1st innings 565-6 declared (O Pope 171, B Duckett 140, Z Crawley 124, H Brook 58; B Muzarabani 3-143) Zimbabwe 1st innings 265 (B Bennett 139; S Bashir 3-62) Zimbabwe 2nd innings 255 (S Williams 88, S Raza 60; S Bashir 6-81) Result: England won by an innings and 45 runs