Zimbabwe suffered their worst innings defeat in Test cricket when they were bowled out for 59 and 99 on the second day against New Zealand.

It means they lost the first Test by an innings and 294 runs in Harare.

Spinner Daniel Vettori took 6-29 in the two innings and James Franklin 5-29, including three wickets in four balls in Zimbabwe's first knock.

New Zealand had declared on their overnight score of 452-9, Shane Bond nine short of a maiden Test fifty.

And they wasted little time in skittling out Zimbabwe for 59, five more than their record low, made against South Africa in March.

That was one of just 12 matches in Test history that have failed to reach a third day.

"The mood was clinical out there. After the first hour the goal was to win this test today," said New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.

"To be able to turn the game around so quickly was a good effort.

"To get 20 wickets in a day you have to bowl well and this was some of the best cricket I've seen this team play.

"It's good for us, but I'm not sure it's good for the game."

Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu was at a loss to explain his team's performance.

"It was very disappointing," he said. "I thought we would bowl them out on the first day (after New Zealand were reduced to 113-5) and our batting wasn't good enough."

A desperate last 15 months for Zimbabwe have also included their previous heaviest defeat, by a margin of an innings and 254 runs to Sri Lanka.

But this time they were bolstered by the return of several veterans, including Carlisle and Heath Streak, who had been in dispute with the national cricket board.

Asked to bat at six, Carlisle was the top-scorer in the first innings, left unbeaten on 20.

Hamilton Masakadza made a spirited 42 in the second innings but with just a handful of overs to go on day two, Vettori delivered the crushing blow as Chris Mpofu was stumped for a duck and Zimbabwe were dismissed for 99.

It was New Zealand's finest Test triumph, surpassing their innings and 185 run success against Pakistan in Hamilton in 2000-01.

The second Test is scheduled for 15 August in Bulawayo.