They have popped in consolation goals in the past two Test encounters with Australia, making it 4-1 at the Oval in 1993 and winning in Adelaide two winters ago when the Ashes had already gone. They also won in Barbados on their last visit to the Caribbean immediately after the West Indies had gone three up with two to play. It is truly amazing how often England manage to rise to the small occasion.
This time there is less cause for optimism in that the occasion the third and final one-day international at the Harare Sports Club - is anything but small. ``Dear Lord,'' said the coach, David Lloyd, yesterday as he sat in his hotel lobby to the backcloth of thunder and lightning, ``don't let it rain. Please.''
Lloyd's anxiety for England to at least partially repair their tattered reputation before leaving for New Zealand tomorrow is etched into his face. The coach finally blew his lid - this time with his own team rather than the opposition's - after Wednesday's defeat. Verbally, he murdered them.
``We got ourselves into terrific positions three times,'' he said, ``and we still managed to throw it away. We bottled it. It was rabbit-in-the-headlights stuff, and if they really are profes- sional players they should be right up for this game after I let them know what I thought. If the language was fairly strong, they'll just have to live with it.''
This match has also been labelled in some sections of the media as make or break for the captain, with the inference that Michael Atherton may elect to bite on the cyanide capsule should England fail again today. However, there is nothing in either his words or demeanour to suggest that resignation is on his mind - though he would certainly not survive any further traumas in New Zealand.
Atherton's predecessor, Graham Gooch, finally decided to go when England lost to Australia in the fourth Test at Headingley in 1993, basically because he was so wearied by constant failure that he was in danger of making his next mobile phone call to the Samaritans.
Since then Atherton, who came into the job with cherubic features and easy humour, has had more than his share of furrowed brows and black moods, but Lloyd insisted yesterday that he was not about to give the job away. ``He's fine'' he said. ``He's not in the best of form, but otherwise his mood is good.''
The immediate problem with Atherton is where he fits into the batting order in a one-day international, given that he is neither ideally suited to opening when the fielders are confined to the circle for the first 15 overs, nor to giving it a whack when the overs are starting to run out.
However, Lloyd confirmed yesterday that Atherton remains at No 5. ``He's certainly not hiding down there,'' he said ``but in the form he's in, and on slow pitches and ultra-slow outfields, that's our idea of his best position.'' If Lloyd was being totally objective he would have said that Atherton's best position for this game would probably be No 12, but the coach's viewpoint is that ``the captain has to be on the field.
``Our biggest problem,'' said Lloyd ``is we have far too many offdays. Too many bad sessions and too many bad periods. These players have our total support, from Lord MacLaurin down, and now we want a little bit back from them. Zimbabwe haven't been the better side over the two games, but their attitude has been ter- rific. If you play for England you're there to fight. You're in the trenches.''
However, it was the fact that England spent too long in the trenches instead of sounding the bugle which effectively cost them Wednesday's match, and Lloyd acknowledged as much. ``We had two partnerships when both batsmen were playing the bloody anchor role'' he said. ``Crawley and Hussain scored 14 runs in eight overs.''
John Crawley, in fact, was the less guilty party in both his partnerships with Nasser Hussain and Ronnie Irani, and it was a direct result of Irani (who had been told to come in and give it a tonk) scratching out five runs from 20 balls that led to Crawley taking a risk and getting himself stumped.
Once Crawley departed that was effectively that, because England have no one in the lower order capable of keeping a clear head during the pressure of a run chase.
Well actually they do, but Jack Russell has disappeared so completely from this tour that his original selection remains a mystery. A near tee-totaller, Russell popped his head around the press tent the other day and said: ``I think I'd better warn you that I'm getting dangerously close to ordering a full bottle of wine with my dinner.''
Russell, as ever, was sacrificed because of the shortcomings of others, who stay in the side despite continuing to offer nothing but shortcomings. Furthermore, if Lloyd wants a bit more spark and fight in this side, then Russell should be an automatic selection - but as it is, the only way to guarantee an automatic selection is to make a complete porridge of the previous game.
That appears to be the only explanation for England spending longer than usual deliberating over their team for today's match, before announcing the same XI. Never has a vote of confidence been more richly deserved.