Hussain did a fine job at number three

Trescothick carved 119 off just 102 balls showing his usual impressive array of strokes, and he gave just one chance in the same over in which he eventually fell.

The Somerset opener added 141 with Hussain (75) in just 26 overs.

That gave England the ideal platform for a late-innings charge, provided by Alec Stewart (28 not out) and Owais Shah (25).

Ian Blackwell also had some success in his first one-day international, hitting 17 off 20 balls with one big slog sweep for six off Grant Flower.

Flower and Heath Streak were the two most impressive bowlers for Zimbabwe.

Flower's slow left-armers brought him figures of two for 51 off nine overs, while Streak took two for 50 off 10 overs after taking a fearful hammering early on.

Doug Hondo ended up with four wickets, but was treated with disdain by Trescothick early on, who at one point managed to hit three consecutive fours off the right-arm seamer.

Hoggard was unplayable at times

England faltered a fraction after the Trescothick-Hussain partnership came to an end, but Shah and Stewart added 32 for the sixth wicket to get them back on track.

Matthew Hoggard bowled superbly well when the lights came on and Zimbabwe began their difficult run chase.

Bowling his full allocation of 10 overs straight away, he seamed the ball away from the right-handers superbly well, claiming three wickets for his efforts.

And Zimbabwe's misfiring batsmen managed to hit just 25 runs off his overs.

By the time he had finished the game was essentially over, but Ronnie Irani underlined the vast improvement he has made at this level by taking four middle-order wickets.

His haul included the vital wicket of Andy Flower, who was troubled by a pulled muscle and eventually miscued a shot to point to fall for 44.

Streak ended with an unbeaten fifty, but he knew he was only batting for pride.

England: N Hussain (capt), M Trescothick, N Knight, A Stewart (wkt), R Irani, O Shah, I Blackwell, D Cork, J Snape, A Caddick, M Hoggard.

Zimbabwe: H H Streak (capt), A D R Campbell, D D Ebrahim, A Flower (wkt), S V Carlisle G W Flower, G J Whittall, D A Marillier, M Mbangwa, D T Hondo, R W Price.