Date-stamped : 03 Jan97 - 10:27 Preview, Third ODI, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND Zimbabwe may have won the one-day series, but this is unlikely to take any of the tension out of this final encounter. England will be desperate to salvage some small measure of pride out of this tour, in which the only team they have beaten so far has been Matabeleland. For their part, Zimbabwe will be determined to complete a one-day sweep and preserve their unbeaten record on this tour. A lot of rain fell yesterday, but the sun is at present shining, although most of the sky is covered in whitish clouds. This is similar to the weather at the same time yesterday, so we may well have a repeat down- pour to put an end to the tour. I have just heard a distant rumble of thunder, but there is always the chance that storms might be isolated. England have just won the toss and put Zimbabwe in to bat, hoping to take advantage of early life in the pitch again and field when the outfield will be at its heaviest -- unless more rain comes. England will be wearing black armbands in memory of Surrey wicketkeeper Graham Kersey, who has been killed in a car accident. LUNCH REPORT, Third ODI, ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND Zimbabwe 249/7. Zimbabwe batted well to run up the first total of over 200 in this one-day series, and are strongly favoured to make it a clean sweep. The England team lacked verve and seemed to be taking a fatalistic view of this match, as if they cannot wait for the tour to be over. For once Zimbabwe enjoyed a good opening partnership, with Grant Flower and Andy Waller first playing themselves in with care, and then starting to open up once they had got the measure of the pitch. Mullally bowled some good early deliveries which the batsmen survived without alarms. Flower especially selected his strokes well, with some good fours hit over the heads of the fielders. They had done their job well when Waller attempted a second run that was never on and failed to turn back quickly enough. In the second match, England benefited from a controversial umpiring decision in favour of Crawley; this time Zimbabwe enjoyed a similar situation with Campbell. When on 8, the television replay indicated that he had snicked an inside edge to Stewart, to be given not out. The England players took this decision remarkably well, which perhaps indicates that their hearts are just not in this game! Grant Flower, getting bogged down, lofted a catch to long off, while his brother Andy played a brisk if risky innings before slashing at a wide ball to be caught by the keeper. So often Zimbabwe fail to take advantage of the last ten overs or more after making a good start and, to a certain extent, they disappointed today as well. Evans, a batsman expected to make merry in such a situation, sent a straight-forward catch to the wicketkeeper and Whittall was bowled through the gate. Houghton, coming in surprisingly low in the order, played himself in before hitting Croft for two big sixes between mid-on and midwicket. He then backed away, played a very bad stroke, and was caught at the wicket. This looked like a situation for the big hitting of Eddo Brandes, but the regular order was maintained and Paul Strang came in. He played some wild strokes, but a six and four off consecutive balls from Mullally boosted the score. Off the penultimate ball Campbell swung White over midwicket for six, and with one ball and one run needed Zimbabwe looked set for 250. The last ball, however, Campbell mistimed for the bowler to drag down off the bounce; Strang, halfway down the pitch, was run out. England do have the talent to challenge for this target, especially in the forms of Knight and Stewart, but indications so far are that they don't have the spirit. Unless one or more of the England batsman can shake himself free of the attitude problem which has troubled the team throughout the tour, Zimbabwe will run out easy winners. FINAL REPORT Zimbabwe duly completed their 3-0 clean sweep over England with a vengeance. Zimbabwe, lifted by an ecstatic crowd, were inspired and England simply cracked under the pressure. Their morale was low to start with, the result of attitude problems, and the British bulldog went down with scarcely a whimper. From the start, Eddo Brandes bowled like a man possessed. Early in his spell he found life in the pitch that nobody else could. At the end of his second over he had Knight caught down the leg side; he began his third by having Crawley trapped plumb lbw on the back foot, and Hussain nicked the next ball, for Andy Flower to take a diving catch in front of first slip. It was Zimbabwe's first official one-day hat-trick; Brandes remains the only Zimbabwean to take a first- class hat-trick, which he did nine years ago. This shattered the back of the England innings, although it could not be said to be all over until Stewart was out. After a typically defiant innings, he was caught by Flower behind the stumps, as was Atherton a little later; when White went, Flower had equalled the world record for a one-day international, but there were no more. Gradually the sun began to emerge and the cloud cover to disperse, as the Zimbabwe weather came out in support of the national cricket team. At 77 for eight, England looked set to be dismissed for fewer than 100 but, when it no longer really mattered, Croft and MUllally took the long handle to the bowling. Their 41 was the highest stand of the innings before the end came quickly: Whittall sent Mullally's off stump somersaulting out of the ground as he attempted another big hit, and next ball, a slower delivery, found Silverwood spooning the easiest of catches to mid-on. Despite the appeal over the loud- speaker, the crowd erupted on to the field as the Zimbabweans walked off, triumphant. A banner carried around the ground declared, "This is what I call `murdered'"! Contributed by John Ward