By Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent

Flintoff thumped 47 off 37 balls

England have secured their place in Saturday's NatWest Series final, but a surprisingly hostile Bristol pitch was very nearly their undoing.

In fact, had Zimbabwe been able to rustle up a bowler or two to support the outstanding Heath Streak, an upset might very well have occurred.

England tinkered with their team in a deliberate attempt to unsettle Zimbabwe and bowl them out cheaply.

That part of the plan was perfectly executed as Darren Gough, Andrew Flintoff and Richard Johnson exploited the extra bounce to perfection.

Zimbabwe's technique was exposed again, Gough finishing with 4-26 and Flintoff 3-13, and their total of 92 all out in 24.5 overs looked at least 100 runs short of testing England.

However, in no time, England were 25-4 and in disarray.

Marcus Trescothick, Vikram Solanki, and Anthony McGrath had all been taken behind the wicket off Streak - but what on earth Johnson was doing at number three, I really do not know.

Pinch-hitters have their place on flat pitches either when you are batting first, or chasing a big target, but this situation was all wrong and his dismissal, to an ugly slog for a duck, only served to lift Zimbabwe still further.

Thankfully for England, Flintoff rode considerable luck and then played some thumping drives to steer his team to the final, and he was helped by Michael Vaughan who made the most of a rare opportunity to spend some time at the crease.

Dead games

We must spare a thought for the spectators who have bought tickets in advance for the matches at Edgbaston and the Rose Bowl this week.

These are dead games, with absolutely nothing riding on them and games which, post Hansie Cronje and co, the ICC has been doing its best to eliminate.

This is not easy and, in Hampshire's case, their game on Thursday will be a special occasion, being the first international to be staged in the county.

Triangular series invariably make a lot of money for the board - there is nothing wrong with that - but meaningless matches, with all the passion of a tennis match between the Williams sisters, do nothing for anybody.