Scoreboard

Young England fast bowlers James Anderson and Steve Harmison took four wickets each as hapless Zimbabwe were crushed by an innings again on Saturday to lose the two-Test series 2-0.

Anderson, who emerged at this year's World Cup and who took five wickets in an innings on his debut in the first Test, and local boy Harmison had to rely more on sweat than inspiration as Zimbabwe lost by an innings and 69 runs inside three days.

Saddled with a 322-run first-innings deficit after being skittled for 94, Zimbabwe resumed on 41 for one and hung about until deep into the final session before being dismissed for 253.

It was their ninth defeat in a row, the second-worst losing run in Test history. England last won two consecutive games by an innings 18 years ago.

The 20-year-old Anderson took four for 55 off 23 overs while Steve Harmison also took four for 55, off 21.4 overs. Both took six wickets in the game.

Richard Johnson, a six-wicket destroyer in the first innings, failed to make any impact.

Zimbabwe, hoping to avoid a ninth straight Test defeat, had resumed on 41 for one, needing 322 to make England bat again.

After several near misses, Anderson had Stuart Carlisle (28) caught at short leg by the diving Robert Key off bat and pad after a 60-run stand with Dion Ebrahim.

Harmison then accounted for Ebrahim, who made 55 before he was trapped lbw on his crease.

Zimbabwe, lunching on 113 for three, needed a major innings from Grant Flower, their leading batsman, or Tatenda Taibu, a wicketkeeper masquerading as a Test match number five.

Neither obliged, even if Zimbabwe put up a far better fight at the Riverside venue than they had offered in their first innings of 94 on Friday.

Facing Anderson, Flower played on four deliveries into the afternoon for 16 -- the 20-year-old bowler reached tea with three for 35 from 17 overs -- while Taibu made two less before pad-batting Ashley Giles's left-arm spin to the crouching Mark Butcher at silly mid-off.

Sean Ervine and Travis Friend played straight and powerfully during a 70-ball half-century partnership for the sixth wicket, Ervine lofting Giles over long on and hitting the next ball in the same direction for four.

Friend, another bowler who bats and who was 37 not out at the break, joined in by driving the labouring Johnson through mid-off and mid-wicket in the same over.

Ervine, however, on 34 after batting one hour and 21 minutes, played back to a Harmison lifter and chopped into his stumps to make it 185 for six.

Zimbabwe's wretched series was summed up by captain Heath Streak's dismissal just before tea.

Friend drove a return catch to Harmison who dropped the chance but somehow helped the ball into the stumps at the non-striker's end with Streak out of the crease.

England won the first match of the two-Test series by an innings and 92 runs.