Zimbabwe's batsmen made a confident start in their final tour match before next week's second Test, but they faced a mammoth task just to avoid the follow-on against Middlesex.

At stumps on day two at Shenley the tourists were 176-2, still 340 in arrears after their bowlers had given the county side free reign for much of the day.

With three Test pace bowlers - Heath Streak, Andy Blignaut and Doug Hondo - rested Zimbabwe could take a single wicket on day two.

Paul Weekes scored an unbeaten 102 and Michael Brown 98 as Middlesex progressed from an overnight 330-5 to 516-6 before declaring.

Brown had only been called into the side after wicket-keeper David Nash tweaked a hamstring in the warm-up.

A former junior club colleague of James Anderson in Burnley, he fell short of a maiden first-class hundred when a sweep off Grant Flower went to deep square leg to end a stand of 183.

None of the bowlers' figures made for comfortable reading, Travis Friend leading the way with 2-121.

Zimbabwe openers Mark Vermeulen and Dion Ebrahim shared 96 for the first wicket before falling within the space of two overs.

The aggressive Vermeulen hit his third half-century of the tour, striking 10 fours and a six before failing to jab down on a Thomas Hunt yorker.

Middlesex: Andy Strauss (capt), Robin Weston, Owais Shah, Ben Hutton, Ed Joyce, Paul Weekes, Michael Brown (wkt), Simon Cook, Thomas Hunt, Chris Peploe, Tim Bloomfield.