C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la Test

Although the English media welcomed the innings victory in the first Test against Zimbabwe at Lord's, they were united in their disappointment at the weakness of the opposition. The win, which came inside three days, was tempered with the knowledge that it had been achieved against what more than one correspondent described as the worst side to have toured England for many years ... if not of all time. This is how the newspapers reviewed Zimbabwe's performance:

"There was a familiar feel to the cricket for those of us who wintered in the Antipodes, namely a dull inevitability about the outcome. But this time, for Australia read England and for England read Zimbabwe. The gulf between the two sides is as wide as the one we witnessed in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth last year - maybe wider. But here some of the tourists have looked overawed, others out of their depth." Vic Marks, The Observer

"The batting is woeful and the bowling short on experience and length, the former irreparable, the latter needing more than a single match against Middlesex to rectify. Only their ground fielding, which was superb in execution and commitment throughout the England innings, can have lent any satisfaction. It stands to reason they should be able to take wickets and make runs against a side that would languish somewhere in the lower reaches of the Second Division of the County Championship. Goodness knows what the Australians would do to them." Mike Selvey, The Guardian

"Not so much a new dawn for England, real or false, as another dark day for Zimbabwe. Their young cricket team lived up to their label of being the worst batting side to tour England as they were overwhelmed. Zimbabwe were there for the taking. With their quirky techniques, dominated by the bottom hand, they were sorely troubled by the outswing even of Mark Butcher, who started the day with the grand total of ten Test wickets, and Anthony McGrath, who had none." Scyld Berry, The Sunday Telegraph

"It sounds an awful thing to say, but they cannot have a worse game. They will look at their performance, work hard, and aim to move forward from the wreckage." Andy Flower, The Daily Telegraph

"The fact, however, that Zimbabwe allowed two occasional medium-pacers to take eight wickets in the day between them put matters into a truer perspective. Mark Butcher had a Midas touch throughout the match and McGrath justified his selection as a part-time bowler no less than he had as a batsman. Good luck to them both, but even they will know it was a case of making hay while the sun shone." Christopher Martin-Jenkins, The Times

"The figures from Lord's so far in this match obviously do not tell much of a story for Zimbabwe, but, nonetheless, they have shown that there is plenty to hope for. If the present group of players can keep the game going until times change and prosperity returns to Zimbabwe, they will have ensured that there will then be a solid and presentable base to build upon." Henry Blofeld, The Independent on Sunday