Nasser Hussain and Nick Knight shared their second successive Sunday century partnership to ease England to an eight-wicket victory in the one-day international in Kimberley.
They put on 165 against South Africa in Bloemfontein a week ago, and today made 128 from 26 overs to hit back strongly after the 104-run mauling by Zimbabwe in Cape Town on Friday. Hussain struck 64, from 77 balls with two sixes and seven fours, while Knight finished 72 not out from 94 deliveries, with eight fours, as England eased to victory with 17.5 overs to spare, to provide a welcome boost to their run-rate.
Hussain and Knight made batting look easy before the captain was caught at long-off. Graeme Hick was England's other loss before Knight and Vikram Solanki completed the formalities.
Earlier, Mark Ealham created a new England one-day record as Zimbabwe were pegged back to 161 for nine. Ealham's remarkable five for 15 from 10 overs bettered the five for 20 of Somerset's Vic Marks on the 1983-84 tour. At one stage the Kent all rounder did not concede a run for 26 deliveries.
A more extraordinary statistic was that all Ealham's victims were leg before verdicts given by umpire David Orchard. Grant Flower, brother and captain Andy, Stuart Carlisle, Guy Whittall and Murray Goodwin all got their pads in the way, Ealham shouted each time and Zimbabwe buckled to 98 for seven in the 29th over. Zimbabwe had to be grateful to Heath Streak (35 not out) and John Rennie (23) for batting out their 50 overs with a stand of 62.
