Ralph Dellor reports

Duncan Fletcher knew what he was doing when he found Zimbabwe as a venue to give his England team practice and confidence in the one-day game. Zimbabwe are currently playing more feebly than they have ever done, and the main danger for England is that they will read more into their easy victories than they should.

Their second victory, by eight wickets chasing 195, was a good team performance, although their fielding still needs attention. Matthew Hoggard, man of the match, broke the top of the Zimbabwe batting with three wickets, while their top three batsmen all had a good "net" out in the middle.

Zimbabwe won the toss and decided to bat on what appeared to be a good batting pitch. Heath Streak returned to the side after back trouble, replacing Douglas Hondo, while England retained their winning team from the first match.

Alistair Campbell pulled the second ball of the match for four to long leg, but Guy Whittall was fortunate in being dropped at the wicket off James Kirtley before he had scored. He looked quite out of touch and played on to Hoggard for 7 in the seventh over. Andy Flower scored just 6 before being comprehensively yorked, leg stump, by Hoggard and Zimbabwe were 40 for two. So far, promoting Flower to number three has not paid off.

Campbell was striking the ball well, but he fell for 49 to Ben Hollioake, choosing the wrong ball to pull and skying a catch. Mark Ramprakash did the trick again for England with the ball just as a useful partnership was developing between Craig Wishart and Stuart Carlisle. Carlisle (40) swept unwisely and skyed a catch to backward square leg, in similar manner to Campbell; Zimbabwe 128 for four after 31 overs.

Wishart (34) was playing with great discrimination until with a rush of blood he drove Hoggard powerfully but straight down the throat of long-on; Gary Brent (11), inexplicably promoted, holed out in the deep off Jeremy Snape in the next over. Grant Flower (2) was next to present his wicket to a deep leg-side catch off Snape and Zimbabwe were tumbling over the cliff like so many lemmings at 158 for seven. Just as an improvement seemed in the offing, Zimbabwe insisted on shooting themselves in both feet again.

Streak (3) soon played Hollioake on to his stumps, while Dion Ebrahim scored 10 before helping a rising ball on its way to the keeper, to be given a foul-mouthed send-off by bowler Andy Flintoff. At last Dirk Viljoen (18) and Mluleki Nkala (7 not out) showed some defiance in a determined last-wicket stand before Kirtley bowled Viljoen in the final over of the innings. The total was a very disappointing 195.

Zimbabwe began their stint in the field equally depressingly, as Streak opened with two wides. Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick were clearly determined to complete the job in good time, as they went for their strokes and ran superbly between wickets.

Streak again proved innocuous, and with Brent having an off day there was nothing but encouragement for the England openers. Nkala was equally profligate and it seemed only carelessness could bring Zimbabwe a wicket. That was indeed the case, as Trescothick (46 off 35 deliveries) lashed at a short wide ball from Brent, for Ebrahim to take a good catch above his head at backward point; England 72 for one.

Nasser Hussain immediately settled in confidently, but was dropped in the covers on 21 and had another escape on 28 when he swept at Viljoen and gloved a catch to the keeper, to be given not out. Knight, more restrained than he often is, progressed to his fifty. Hussain fell lbw trying to hook a ball from Streak that kept rather low immediately after reaching 50, and Knight finished with 82 when victory came in the 38th over.

© CricInfo Ltd.