Yorkshire captain McGrath scored 69 in England's 472 - the main contribution came from Mark Butcher who made 137 - and Anderson made an early breakthrough in Zimbabwe's reply.

For the most part the conditions favoured the bowlers but Butcher struck his seventh Test century and second in successive matches while McGrath and Ashley Giles, another to score a maiden half-century at the highest level, weighed in.

Resuming the second day on 52 not out, in England's 184 for three, the 30-year-old Butcher began with a fluency which was lacking yesterday.

The Surrey left-hander, dropped in the slips on 36, got to three figures with some textbook cover drives and forces off the back foot through the off-side, including three boundaries in one over from Sean Ervine.

England combated the prodigious swing and seam manfully in losing only Robert Key, caught behind, in the morning session and even when Alec Stewart fell in the same manner, McGrath and Giles provided steel to the middle-lower order.

Bad light before lunch shaved 35 minutes off the play and delayed the 27-year-old McGrath's entrance; when he arrived, however, he did so with an assurity of shot which belied his meagre return this season.

Three boundaries in four Andy Blignaut deliveries eased any pressure and he continued unabated to become the first English batsman to score 50 on a Test debut since Marcus Trescothick - his former England Under-19 opening partner - against the West Indies three summers ago.

Having hit nine fours, however, a static poke across the line ended his effort and Sean Ervine made it two wickets in three balls when Steve Harmison was well held low at square leg by Dion Ebrahim.

There was enough time for Giles to beat his previous best score of 45, against Sri Lanka, however, before Matthew Hoggard's cameo was ended by a third umpire decision that a catch to Ebrahim at point had carried - although the big screen initially told the 20,000 crowd he was not out.

The innings was wrapped up by Blignaut who knocked out Giles' off-stump.

Then Anderson, whose first nervy over cost 17, snuck one past Mark Vermeulen's outside edge to hit off and leave Zimbabwe 48 for one at the close.

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