ZIMBABWE made a positive start as they began their reply to England’s imposing first-innings score, reaching 73 for one wicket at lunch on the second day of the one-off test at Trent Bridge on Friday (23).
The 21-year-old Brian Bennett was unbeaten on 36 off 38 balls alongside captain Craig Ervine (30 not out) at the end of the morning session, trailing by 492 runs after England had declared their first innings on 565-6.
Bennett hit three boundaries in the first over off debutant Sam Cook and was aggressive as the visitors looked to put behind them an attritional opening day for their bowlers on Thursday (22).
But Cook did get a first test wicket as he squared up Ben Curran, who got a thick edge to steer the ball to Harry Brook at second slip in the fifth over of the Zimbabwe innings. Curran, whose two brothers have played test cricket for England, made six runs.
Essex paceman Cook, 27, rewarded for a career that had yielded 321 first-class at an average of 19.5 before this match, was the first England debutant to send down the opening over of a Test innings since James Kirtley at Trent Bridge in 2003.
Zimbabwe had been pummelled on the opening day as their poor bowling was sent to all corners by a rampant English batting line-up, who amassed 498-3 with Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope all scoring centuries.
England batted for a further 45 minutes on the second day, losing three wickets in the 8.3 overs they faced on Friday morning before declaring.
Pope, eyeing a double century after being 169 not out overnight, added only two runs to his total before a faint edge off Tanaka Chivanga to wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga saw him depart nine balls into the new day’s play.
Captain Ben Stokes, in his first knock since the December test against New Zealand, was bounced out by the tall seamer Blessing Muzarabani for nine, falling to a good catch at fine leg by Curran squinting into the sun.
Brook was dropped on the ropes by substitute fielder Wellington Masakadza off Chivanga before rushing to his half century off 48 balls.
But when he played on to Muzarabani two balls later and was out for 58, England declared with Jamie Smith unbeaten on four at the other end after being dropped by Tsiga off Chivanga in the previous over.
Muzarabani was the best of the Zimbabwe bowlers with 3-143 off 24.3 overs.
(Agencies)
