England Firmly In Command

Johnson claimed five wickets in the middle session and added another after tea for figures of six for 33 as the visitors, replying to England's 416, were dismissed for 94.

And, after being made to follow on, Zimbabwe lost Mark Vermeulen - who bagged a pair in the same afternoon - to James Anderson in the first over before recovering to 41 for one at close.

Johnson delivered a double blow in his first over. With his third delivery Vermeulen was trapped leg before and when his next struck Stuart Carlisle full on the boot, he was on a hat-trick.

That whizzed past the outside edge of Grant Flower's bat but new-ball partner James Anderson gained an unfortunate victim in Dion Ebrahim, who was adjudged lbw by umpire Dave Orchard despite an apparent inside-edge.

Flower followed when he edged an outswinger from Anderson to Marcus Trescothick at first slip and Zimbabwe were reduced to an embarrassing 35 for seven at tea as Johnson sliced through the middle-order, removing Shaun Ervine, Travis Friend and Heath Streak.

A brief counter-attack from Andy Blignaut was quelled when a bouncer from Steve Harmison was flicked off the hip into the hands of Anderson at fine leg.

Tatenda Taibu, who showed the most application of any of the Zimbabwe batsmen, faced more balls than all of the eight men to fall before him combined. But his 67-ball effort ended in the 24th over, the same one in which he pulled Johnson for two fours, to become the fifth leg before verdict for the seamer.

Harmison finished things off by gaining a seventh leg before decision and Anderson followed up his two first-innings wickets with immediate success in the second as Vermeulen sliced to Anthony McGrath in the gully.

Earlier, Johnson's cameo with the bat - 24 from 14 balls - and a half-century from Ashley Giles helped Nasser Hussain's team add 92 for the final three wickets after overnight duo McGrath (81) and Alec Stewart (68) fell.

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