Premier seamer Blessing Muzarabani,  who was also the most threatening of the quicks, bowled 20 overs while Sikandar Raza delivered 24 overs but little Zimbabwe tried hurt England. The hosts’ top-order batted with exactly the right mix of caution and aggression, though the scoring rate of 5.66 would suggest only the latter.

Duckett and Crawley started with some circumspection and the first six overs brought just 19 runs. But that was as good as it got for Zimbabwe as boundaries came soon after, and regularly. Crawley announced himself with a cracking drive through the covers, which was followed by Duckett taking on Muzarabani off the front and back foot. After 10 overs, Ervine made his first change and introduced Tanaka Chivanga, whose opening over cost 12.

Chivanga was the only one to find some swing and Duckett had a nervy moment when he miscued a drive into the off side but there was no fielder close enough to attempt a catch. Duckett lashed the next ball over the slips and to the boundary to bring up fifty off 47 balls. Crawley’s fifty came in Victor Nyauchi’s first over, when he whipped the ball through square leg and ran a comfortable two, and England went to lunch on 130 for 0.

Zimbabwe thought they had some luck in the over after the break when Nyauchi, from around the wicket, believed he had found Duckett’s edge. It turned out to be a flick of his jumper. At the end of that over, Duckett edged Nyauchi between wide slip and gully and moved into the 80s. He reverse-swept and cut Raza to enter the 90s and then worked him square for a single to bring up his century.

Still, Zimbabwe’s hopes of seeing the back of Duckett were kept alive. On 104, he popped Nyauchi a return chance but the ball fell short. And then Duckett went full throttle. He cut Chivanga over cover point and pulled him over deep backward square for the first six of the match, and seemed unstoppable. With Duckett on 130 and Zimbabwe all but out of options, Wessly Madhevere was brought on and immediately hit for four through the covers and then launched over midwicket for six. Against the run of play, Duckett hit Madhevere’s next ball straight to Ben Curran at cover and could not believe what he had done. He trudged off as Zimbabwe enjoyed their first smiles of the day, only to look up and see Pope.

In the first 18 balls he faced, Pope hit six fours, a sign of what was to come. By tea, Pope was on 49 off 46 balls. Crawley, content with the supporting act, had worked his way to 93.

Pope’s fifty came two balls into the third session and he had reached 61 when Crawley got a leading edge off Nyauchi and ran the single that took him to three figures. His sedate celebration seemed to spell relief, not jubilation, and could quieten criticism ahead of sterner challenges to follow. He added 24 more runs before missing a sweep against Raza, to be given out lbw. Crawley reviewed but replays showed it was hitting leg stump.

Pope’s charge continued undeterred with an array of strokes all around the ground and his hundred came up with a cut. It marked the eighth different opponent he had scored a century against. The milestones kept coming as Joe Root became the fifth player to score 13,000 Test runs and the numbers may have made Zimbabwe giddy.

They took the second new-ball as soon as it became available and it only gave England more scoring opportunities. Root hit the first delivery for four, then Pope took two more fours off a tiring Muzarabani’s 17th over (and ensured he conceded 100) to reach 150. To add insult to injury he followed an Nyauchi inswinger and helped it over fine leg, which meant England had scored 22 runs off seven deliveries. It did not all go their way, however. Muzarabani finally had some reward when he sent down a surprise bouncer and Root top-edged to Sean Williams at fine leg.

That was as much reward as Zimbabwe got as Pope and Harry Brook batted out the rest of the day to finish two short of 500. Pope was unbeaten on 169 off 163 balls.

Brief scores:

England 498 for 3 in 88 overs (Ollie Pope 169*, Ben Duckett 140, Zak Crawley 124, Joe Root 34; Wessley Madhevere 1-34) vs Zimbabwe