Zimbabwe head for Lord8217;s final

Tournament leaders Zimbabwe now have a maximum six points from three matches and look certain to finish in the top two after the nine qualifying fixtures have been completed.

England have one point from two matches and West Indies are also on one point from three games. The final is at Lord8217;s on July 22.

From the lowest point of their tour, an innings and 209 runs thrashing in the first Test against England last May, captain Andy Flower8217;s team have worked to erase their technical shortcomings, rekindled team spirit and subsequently shaken their triangular opponents with positive batting and competitive out-cricket.

Those qualities were underlined as they had the West Indies in tatters at 40 for five in the 13th over, Johnson making the inroads by dispatching openers Sherwin Campbell and Chris Gayle before streak dealt the most telling blow.

Streak missed his team8217;s first two games of the series because of a shoulder injury.

A few vigorous blows by Ridley Jacobs 37, Franklyn Rose 30 and Nixon Mclean, who hit an unbeaten 50, could only delay the West Indies8217; fate.

Skipper Flower said: 8220;it is a great feeling for the boys to feel this confident. The effect of playing this sort of cricket and getting a few wins under our belt has been huge.8221;

West Indies compounded their problems with a wretched display in the field, and their captain Jimmy Adams acknowledged it had been 8220;a bad perfomance in every aspect.8221;

8220;Our approach in the field was very poor. Nobody was very happy with the way we fielded today,8221; he said.

Having been put in to bat, Zimbabwe could scarcely have hoped for a better start after being put in on an overcast morning. Johnson and Whittall raced to 50 off 49 balls against Wayward new-ball bowling, with Corey Collymore repeatedly pitching too short.

Johnson, square cutting crisply, took toll of this lack of control on his way to reaching a half-century from 61 balls before he was run out for 51 by a fine pick up and throw from Wavell Hinds at mid-wicket, ending the opening stand of 89 in the 19th over.

Gayle, whose flat off-spinners had contained England in the rain-ruined match at Lord8217;s on Sunday, bowled Murray Goodwin between bat and pad for 16 during another tidy spell that held Zimbabwe in check after their dashing start.

There was one phase of 17 overs when not one boundary was scored but Whittall and Campbell kept the score ticking over with sharp running between the wickets as they gradually lifted the tempo in a third wicket stand of 96 in 103 deliveries.

Campbell, following a return to form in his man-of-the-match innings of 80 against England at the oval on Saturday, batted with renewed confidence to hit an unbeaten 77 from 78 deliveries.

Whittall, promoted to opener instead of the injured Craig Wishart, emerged from a low key start when he was overshadowed by Johnson to hit 83 off 111 balls, equalling his One-Day international best against Kenya in Nairobi in 1977.

ZIMBABWE:

N Johnson run out 51 G Whittall c Hinds b Rose 83 M Goodwin b Gayle 16
A Campbell not out 77 G Flower c Campbell b Rose 6 A Flower not out 7 Extras: b2, lb7, w7 16 TOTAL 4 wkts, 50 overs 256
Fall of wickets: 1-89, 2-118, 3-214, 4-229
Bowling: McLean 8-0-46-0 2w; Collymore 7-0-40-0 1w; Dillon 10-1-44-0; Rose 10-0-47-2; Gayle 10-0-42-1 1w; Adams 5-0-28-0 3w.