Zimbabwe v England

At Harare, October 6. England won by eight wickets. Toss: Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe chose to bat again, but swapped their previous caution for recklessness. Once Hoggard had bowled Whittall and Andy Flower, the hosts showed self-destructive tendencies: the next four all fell to catches near the boundary, starting with Campbell, who ended an obdurate innings with an ill-advised pull. Viljoen batted competently at No. 10 to give Zimbabwe a glimmer. Kirtley's performance with the ball belied any anxiety over Naushad Ali's queries, and he should have had another wicket when Foster dropped Whittall. Hollioake used his in-ducker effectively, and Snape again showed intelligent variation of flight. In reply, Trescothick smashed a 35-ball 46, before Knight and Hussain guided England towards a comfortable win, which almost came in the 35 overs they had set themselves "to breed good habits", as Hussain put it. Zimbabwe's attack was desperately one-paced: Streak appeared overweight on his return, while Nkala's two overs cost 17.

Man of the Match: M. J. Hoggard.