England overwhelmed Zimbabwe by 152 runs in their opening Champions Trophy game, with another impressive batting contribution by Paul Collingwood and three wickets apiece for Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison.

Having added 101 runs in their remaining 12 overs on Saturday morning to set Zimbabwe 300 to win, mainly thanks to 80 not out from 93 balls by Collingwood, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 147 with 11 overs to spare.

It was a shame that the tournament should stutter into life in such a low-key fashion, but a seemingly pointless exercise actually contained several positives for England and a number of useful lessons.

Steve Harmison bowled at less than full pace for most of his overs, but he found a superb rhythm and at times the Zimbabweans could hardly lay a bat on him, much less attempt an attacking stroke.

He took three wickets for 29 runs and, when he put his back into it, the extra pace inevitably produced wickets. A rearing short-pitched ball caught the edge of Dion Ebrahim's bat and a fast yorker ripped through the defences of Tinashe Panyangara.

Darren Gough was equally dangerous in his opening spell, producing a mixture of outswingers and offcutters that recalled him at his best and earned him the wickets of both openers.

Andrew Flintoff was also threatening, firing in fast full pitches, such as the one that broke through the defence of Vusi Sibanda (28), as England's three strike bowlers achieved success with contrasting methods.

Ashley Giles was not quite at his best, being hit for three boundaries in one over by the talented Elton Chigumbura, but a bigger worry was the form of Alex Wharf.

The Glamorgan seamer dropped short on too many occasions and was pulled three times for six, twice by Tatenda Taibu and once by Chigumbura. Hopefully he will learn quickly from the experience and not make the same mistake again when England play Sri Lanka.

The batting form of Collingwood and Vikram Solanki was another huge plus for England.

Collingwood came in at 123-4 with England wobbling a little, and ensured that they achieved a record ODI score against Zimbabwe of 299-7.

He did so by first playing second fiddle in a partnership of 61 with Geraint Jones, who made his highest ODI score of 38, then emerging from the shadows to dominate a partnership of 75 with Ashley Giles (23).

This ability to adapt his game to the tactical demands of the situation is essential in a number six and Collingwood's two-paced knock, beginning with singles and ending with a flurry of sixes off Douglas Hondo, was a perfect example of the art.

Solanki's 62 was an innings that confirmed the improvement in his shot selection to go with his obvious flair.

And there were other pluses in the batting, with Andrew Strauss (25) showing his usual dependability at four, and Giles sensibly and skilfully conceding the strike to Collingwood.

The worries were the poor form of Marcus Trescothick, found out again outside off stump, Michael Vaughan's Jekyll and Hyde one-day cricket, and Flintoff's rash batting, though he is surely reserving his best for later in the tournament and his slogger's dismissal was a salutary reminder of the dangers of reverting to his old self.

Zimbabwe lost by the biggest margin in their history to England, although there were a few positives in their play, such as the high-class 42 not out from Chigumbura and the tight spell of spin Prosper Utseya, who bowled 10 overs for 35 runs and did not concede a boundary.

But these were the inevitable crumbs of comfort for a badly beaten side and England will be the side with most to learn from the game.

England: MP Vaughan (capt), ME Trescothick, VS Solanki, AJ Strauss, PD Collingwood, A Flintoff, GO Jones, AF Giles, AG Wharf, D Gough, SJ Harmison.

Zimbabwe: T Taibu (capt), S Matsikenyeri, BRM Taylor, V Sibanda, MA Vermuelen, DD Ebrahim, E Chigumbura, DT Hondo, T Panyangara, P Utseya, EC Rainsford.

11 Sep, 2004