He registered the best figures by a New Zealander on Test debut.
New Zealand have a few exciting players coming through in recent times, a few of whom can also contribute with both bat and ball. Among them is Zakary Foulkes, who has had an impressive start to his Test career against Zimbabwe.
AUSA-W
144/8
INDA-W
140/8
KNK
128/6
VSS
195/5
BVB
–
ROR
–
AMR
–
TBW
–
SVL
–
KNK
–
PD
136/8
NDS
179/8
WDL
–
EDR
–
SDS
–
NDT
–
NDS
–
WDL
–
CRO
111/4
CYP
134/4
Cyprus beat Croatia by 23 runs
CRO
103/4
CYP
102/8
Croatia beat Cyprus by 6 wickets
CRO
55/2
CYP
–
ZGW
–
ZAS
–
ZAS
–
RJM
–
ZGW
–
ZGA
–
ZAS
–
RJM
–
ZGW
–
ZGA
–
KENT
101/4
DURH
–
SOM
139/2
LAN
–
MID
–
SUSS
120/4
DER
155/4
NOT
–
BB
155/6
NOR
–
GLO
–
LEI
119/4
ESS
–
WOR
161/2
91YC
70/9
BCC
20/0
Bud Cricket Club beat 91 Yards Club by 10 wickets (D/L) method
NAJC
119/10
GUG
121/7
Guwahati Giants beat Nabajyoti Club by 3 wickets
CCC
–
91YC
–
NVR
–
GUG
–
TCC
–
SBSCC
–
NCMI
–
PCR
–
CEC-A
–
RTZ
–
KRMPS
–
GUJCC
–
JOR
47/10
PRK
49/5
Perak beat Johor by 5 wickets
MEL
107/8
PENG
111/4
Penang beat Melaka by 6 wickets
SEL
76/1
KLPR
141/1
Selangor beat Kuala Lumpur by 9 wickets (D/L) method
GBM
–
MGD
–
BNB
–
MYW
–
MWW
96/7
HTW
107/10
Hubli Tigers Women beat Mysore Warriors Women by 11 runs
NPB
196/4
EAE
144/10
NPL Bears beat Eavion Eagles by 52 runs
PAJ
–
PMW
2/0
IRE-W
–
PAK-W
–
WI
–
PAK
31/0
SLGY
163/6
SLGR
165/5
SLC Greens won by 5 wickets
SLGR
–
SLBL
–
AUS
178/10
SA
161/9
Australia beat South Africa by 17 runs
SOB
–
BIP
–
TRR
–
NOS
–
MAO
–
LOS
–
SBW-W
139/7
BIP-W
77/4
TRW-W
–
NOS-W
–
MOW-W
–
LSW-W
–
SWE
152/7
FRA
153/8
France beat Sweden by 2 wickets
AUST
12/0
NOR
105/10
Foulkes snared nine wickets for 75 runs across two innings and registered the best figures by a New Zealander on Test debut, going past Will O’Rourke. He took four wickets while conceding 38 runs in the first innings before dismissing five batters for 37 runs in the second innings to help New Zealand register their biggest ever win in Test cricket.
Zakary Foulkes is a lanky speedster whose natural length can be slightly shorter, and he hits the deck hard. He has a good pace, but more importantly, the speedster can move the ball at pace, which makes him a threatening weapon.
His lines mostly target the top of off, and his deliveries rush the batter, which can be deceiving because he doesn’t seem to bowl at an exaggerated pace. Still, he is quicker and gets zip off his deliveries, and his short balls often induce top edge.
His height allows his release points to be higher, enabling him to hit the top of the blade. On fast surfaces, Foulkes will naturally become more threatening, but his attributes make him an equally potent option on slow decks.
Then, Foulkes is also a more-than-handy batter who can hit big shots and chip in with crucial runs in the lower order. He has a T20I strike rate of 143.90 and averages over 20 in List A cricket, which shows he can offer with the willow.
The youngster has already played a few timely cameos and will only improve from here on, making him a complete package. He has the makings of being one of the best New Zealanders ever had.
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Foulkes made his international debut with a T20I fixture against Pakistan in April last year. Then, he played an ODI against Sri Lanka last year but didn’t get to bowl as the rain washed away the game.
Finally, he has made his Test debut and impressed with his superior bowling skills. Overall, Foulkes has 15 wickets at an average of 24.46 in 13 outings, including a best of 3/20.
Further, he also has 59 runs at a strike rate of 143.90 in seven innings. In his only Test, he took nine wickets, as mentioned above.
Slowly, he is establishing his place on the side, and with the Kiwis genuinely looking for more pace options lately, he can be the one to groom. His skill sets are too good to ignore, and the team management has no reason not to give him a long run across formats.
Foulkes has been highly rated and can be one of the wildcard picks in the IPL 2026 auction. Like Bevon Jacobs, IPL teams won’t shy from including Zakary Foulkes, even if he has little international experience.
His unique attributes are encouraging enough to work with, and he will develop from here. Such players have a higher ceiling than most bowlers, and teams opt for such talent.
For instance, a tall bowler with high release and zip off the surface can be employed with the new ball or in the middle overs in Indian conditions, making them a good package. Then, there’s ample batting value as a bonus.
During the last auction, the Mumbai Indians (MI) showed trust in Bevon Jacobs, who was an unknown commodity then and have been grooming him to become a permanent member. Similarly, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) roped in William O’Rourke as a replacement player despite his limited experience, based on the unique skill sets he brings, suggesting Foulkes can also fetch a bid in the auction.
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