Not content with winning their first one-day international in 2001, England have a chance to go 2-0 up in the five-match series on Saturday in Harare. They have named an unchanged squad for the game, and there are only two real areas of concern. After a promising debut, James Kirtley will have to put Colonel Naushad Ali's loose-tongued remarks about his action out of his mind, while Marcus Trescothick (4 and 4 on tour so far) needs runs to fend off what is potentially the first drought of his international career. England will also have to avoid the sort of slapdash cricket that characterised the tepid closing stages of their run-chase on Wednesday. With the game as good as won, Graham Thorpe chipped lazily to long-on, Mark Ramprakash hoicked across the line, and even the batsmen who took England home - Ben Hollioake and Andy Flintoff - were lucky to survive a couple of hairbrained slogs. Australia wouldn't have given Zimbabwe a single sniff.

But these are minor problems for a team that was fielding four debutants. For the first time in a year's one-day cricket, it is England's opponents who desperately need a win. Beating England used to come easily to Zimbabwe, but Wednesday's game was the eighth in the last nine to go the other way.

Zimbabwe's problem is that they rely so heavily on Andy Flower, who is not just their only batsman of world class, he's officially the best in the world. If he fails - or even succeeds, but then charges a debutant offspinner - Zimbabwe tend to fold.

But they are boosted by the return of their captain Heath Streak, who will replace the dreadlocked Doug Hondo in the attack. Streak has done well against England before, notably in the Lord's Test of 2000 when he finished with 6 for 87. A tight opening spell from him and another from Gary Brent - Zimbabwe's best bowler in the first game and also against South Africa - could square the series.

England XII Marcus Trescothick, Nick Knight, Nasser Hussain (capt), Mark Ramprakash, Graham Thorpe, Andy Flintoff, Ben Hollioake, Jeremy Snape, James Foster (wkt), James Kirtley, Matthew Hoggard, Paul Grayson.

Zimbabwe XI Alistair Campbell, Guy Whittall, Andy Flower (wkt), Stuart Carlisle, Craig Wishart, Grant Flower, Dion Ebrahim, Dirk Viljoen, Heath Streak (capt), Mluleki Nkala, Gary Brent.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com. He and Tim de Lisle will be covering the game live on Wisden.com from 8.30am UK time on Saturday.

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