Bangla2000 | Cricket - Caddick, 3-28, rips through the Zimbabwe batting

LONDON, MAY 18 (AP) - Andrew Caddick ripped the heart out of the Zimbabwe batting with a three-wicket burst on the first day of the first cricket test at Lord's Thursday.

Sent into bat under heavy cloud cover by skipper Nasser Hussain, the Zimbabweans, playing their first test in England, collapsed to 8-3 and 48-5. They took lunch at 67 for six after a rain-shortened 103-minute session.

Guy Whittal (15) was bowled at the stroke of lunch when he played on an attempted pull off Ed Giddins. Neil Johnson was unbeaten on four.

Caddick swung the ball alarmingly all morning to unsettle the run-starved top order and, in a nine-ball spell, took three for two to fully vindicate Hussain's decision.

After light rain had delayed the start by nine minutes, Caddick started the Zimbabwe slump in the fourth over with an outstanding yorker to bowl the experienced Grant Flower for four with the total

In his third over Caddick had opener Trevor Gripper (1) and former skipper Alistair Campbell (0) caught behind by wicket keeper Alec Stewart with the first and last balls.

Gripper, who had batted cluelessly against Caddick and his new ball partner Darren Gough for 20 minutes edged a leg-cutter while left-hander Campbell played outside an inswinger.

Caddick finished the morning with 3-28 in eight overs. Just when Andy Flower (24) and No. 3 Murray Goodwin, 18 runs in 64 minutes, looked like restoring some balance to the teetering

innings with a 40-run stand, Ed Giddins (2-9) and Gough (1-27) struck in successive overs as Zimbabwe slumped to 48 for five.

Both batsmen were caught in the slips. Replacing Caddick, Giddins had the dangerous Flower caught by first slip Michael Atherton as the skipper drove half-heartedly at a delivery angled across the body.

After Goodwin had steered Gough for the first boundary through slips in the seventh over, lefthander Flower hit five more to make his presence felt on either side of a 10-minute stop for rain.

Scoreboard Thursday at lunch on the first day of the first cricket test between England and Zimbabwe at Lord's:

Zimbabwe (1st Innings)

Grant Flower b Caddick 4

Trevor Gripper c Stewart b Caddick 1

Murray Goodwin c Knight b Gough 18

Alistair Campbell c Stewart b Caddick 0

Andy Flower c Atherton b Giddins 24

Neil Johnson not out 4

Guy Whittal b Giddins 15

Extras (1lb) 1

TOTAL : 67 for six wickets

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-8, 3-8, 4-46, 5-48, 6-67.

To Bat: Brian Murphy, Heath Streak, Bryan Strang and Mpumelelo Mbangwa.

Bowling: Darren Gough 9-1-27-1, Andrew Caddick 8-3-28-3, Andrew Flintoff 3-2-2-0, Ed Giddins 3.5-1-9-2.

Batting time: 103 minutes. Overs: 23.5

Umpires: Peter Willey (England) and Dave Orchard (South Africa).

Television umpire: John Holder.

Match referee: Graham Dowling (New Zealand).

Toss: England