Ralph Dellor reports

Consecutive one-day defeats: England 11, Zimbabwe 7. It could be termed the Battle of the Losers, and one team was destined to break its cycle as they faced each other for the first of a five-match series at Harare Sports Club. Neither team looked impressive apart from one or two individuals, but England, showing less incompetence than Zimbabwe, broke their lean spell with a five-wicket victory.

The match-winner for England was a second-wicket partnership of 98 between Nick Knight (51) and Nasser Hussain (73), while Zimbabwe had only Andy Flower passing fifty. England's bowling was the more impressive, but both teams were weak in the field and missed several possible dismissals. England did have the excuse of having had little time to accustom themselves to the higher altitude.

On another cloudless day at Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe had no hesitation in batting when they won the toss. The pitch looked sound but slow and dry. Guy Whittall stood in as Zimbabwe's captain for Heath Streak, who expects that his back will allow him to play again at the weekend.

Zimbabwe began quietly, with Alistair Campbell unable to get going. Marcus Trescothick missed him above his head at slip when he had 1, but the batsman did not make England pay; he had only 3 when he tried to hit Matthew Hoggard across the line and lost his middle stump.

Zimbabwe at last decided to put their best batsman in early, and Andy Flower came in at three. Hoggard struck again when Whittall (21), perhaps undone by the slowness of the pitch, skyed a pull to be caught on the boundary; Zimbabwe 34 for two.

Flower, in a moment of recklessness against Ben Hollioake, was missed at 24 off a very difficult chance from a skyer to long leg, and on 41 a shy at the stumps would have run him out had it hit. Otherwise he kept the score moving but gave glimpses of fallibility not seen in the Tests against South Africa.

Just after Flower reached his fifty in the 26th over, Carlisle (31) chipped a catch to mid-on off Andrew Flintoff with the score ominously on 111, and this began Zimbabwe's decline.

Flower soon followed, rushing down the pitch to Jeremy Snape to be comprehensively stumped for 59. Inexcusably his brother Grant, without scoring, emulated him in the same over, failing to get back despite a fumble by wicket-keeper Jamie Foster. Zimbabwe, 126 for five in the 31st over, were at the crossroads having thrown away their advantage.

Dion Ebrahim skied an attempted pull and was missed by Foster, probably looking into the sun; two balls later Craig Wishart gave a difficult chance on the square-leg boundary that was also missed. However it was not long before Wishart (16) hit Mark Ramprakash, replacing Snape, down long-off's throat; 145 for six.

Ebrahim and Dirk Viljoen got a brisk partnership going, mixing good running with judicious hitting and adding 42 before Viljoen (19) was yorked hitting out at Ramprakash. Mluleki Nkala (1) gave Ramprakash a third wicket, caught on the leg boundary, and then Ebrahim holed out at midwicket for 42, trying to pull Kirtley. When Gary Brent (3) lofted a catch to mid-off, Zimbabwe were out for 206, another disappointing effort for their supporters.

Trescothick suffered a similar start to the one he had in the warm-up match, hitting a four through the slips before being caught at first slip, driving at Brent, to make England 13 for one.

Zimbabwe too proved fallible in the field as Knight on 12 was dropped at square leg from a pull off Hondo. The match may well have turned on this miss. The opening six-over spells of Zimbabwe's first two bowlers told a story: Hondo 35 runs conceded, the accurate Brent 16. Knight and Hussain were quite happy to collect runs from one end, until Brent came off and both ends proved amenable to England's cause.

The 100 came up in the 21st over as the batsmen raced each other to fifty. Knight reached his half-century one ball before Hussain, and then Knight (51) checked a pull against Whittall to present mid-on with the simplest of catches; 111 for two and `Nelson' had struck again.

Hussain scored 73 before he tried to reverse-sweep Grant Flower and was bowled at 144 for three. Another Zimbabwe fielding error allowed Ramprakash on 30 to escape being run out, while Graham Thorpe several times came close to being caught before he eventually holed out at long-on off Viljoen for 13.

It was no cruise for England, as Ramprakash was bowled behind his legs by Viljoen for 35 before a lofted on-drive for four by Flintoff took England home in the 47th over. It was not very impressive, but for England there was much relief at bringing their string of defeats to an end. They should be better next time; as for Zimbabwe, the outlook is bleak.

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