England v Zimbabwe

At Bristol, July 6. England won by six wickets. England 6 pts. Toss: England. One-day international debut: C. K. Coventry.

Complicated calculations about bonus points were rendered irrelevant as England ended Zimbabwe's hopes of reaching the final in merciless fashion. Inserted on a surface which offered far too much movement and bounce to the pace bowlers, Zimbabwe were bundled out for 92 in fewer than half their overs. Had not Vaughan shown a lack of ruthlessness by replacing Gough, who had taken four wickets in his first eight overs, with the ineffectual Harmison, Zimbabwe might have struggled to make as many as that. But the brevity of their innings meant there was still life in the surface when their turn came to bowl, and Streak exploited the conditions masterfully to take four wickets for no runs in 16 balls. But Flintoff, who had already picked up three for 13, restored order with a quickfire unbeaten 47 in 37 balls, characteristically ending the match with a six.
The whole game was finished in less than 43 overs.

Man of the Match: A. Flintoff. Attendance: 12,393; receipts £289,092.