THERE is such a disturbing lack of experience about England's bowling attack in this Test series that if they pooled their entire knowledge of life overseas it would hardly amount to a sentence in a Lonely Planet guide.

Three overseas debutantes, plus two bowlers in Darren Gough and Phil Tufnell who were striving to resuscitate their Test careers, represented an uncomfortable risk even against such fallible Test opposition as Zimbabwe, and for much of the first day of the two-Test series England were enclosed in a familiarly depressing pattern. Michael Atherton must have felt like pressing a guide book into his back pocket and heading for the hills.

That England survived in such a good order, with Zimbabwe restricted to 256 for six by the close, owed much to a player whose guile seems to have been inbred. Robert Croft is playing in only his second Test, and his first overseas, but there was no sense of the novice as three wickets for the Glamorgan off-spinner astutely lashed together what for the first two sessions had been a dangerously loose performance.

Astute is not a word that immediately springs to mind to describe England's pre-lunch approach. Cheered by an ideal start, as Gough's third ball had Stewart Carlisle caught at short leg for nought, they had an opportunity to apply immediate pressure.

Instead, their response could hardly have been more unworldly. Alan Mullally, England's steadiest bowler throughout last summer, could hardly locate the cut bit, Gough never quite found his range, while Chris Silverwood's England debut had harrowing beginnings as Zimbabwe sought to hit him out of the attack.

Such limitations should not be surprising. Not one bowler survives from England's last Test overseas, in Cape Town 11 months ago. That attack consisted of Cork, Malcolm, Martin, Fraser and Watkinson, and only Cork can confidently anticipate further Test recognition. England bowled like the unsophisticates that they are.

David Lloyd, the team manager, pleaded patience, talking of rebuilding all the way along the line". "You can tell that the players are nervous and we have to be patient with their inexperience overseas," he said.

Croft's gumption ensured that England completed the first day dreaming of victory. He is never happier than when the frost bites harshly into a South Wales winter's morning, and even the pre-match shuttle runs in gathering heat left him empurpled. By midday it was 90 degrees in thee shade, but Croft set his reddened face against the searing sun and, from the outset, bowled with impressive changes of pace.

Twenty-nine overs brought him three for 45, with an insistent post-tea spell of two for seven in 12 overs which dragged England back into the match. The onus is now upon them to use the second new ball more effectively than they utilised the first.

England preferred Silverwood to Caddick; Zimbabwe drafted in Bryan Strang's left arm medium after Eddo Branges turned an ankle during practice.

A benign pitch made Zimbabwe's decision to bat first straightforward and, although Crawley's fine reflex catch soon accounted for Carlisle, Alistair Campbell was soon at liberty to drive and pull much as he pleased.

Under heavy punishment, Mullally seems to retreat into an ever deeper daze. If any batsman really gets after him, he will have to be de-hypnotised before next taking the field.

Silverwood, by contrast, boils to the surface, berating himself for every loose delivery and stalking back to his mark before the ball rattles the boundary boards. His first eight overs had cost 46 when, with a sense of inordinate relief, he shaded an outswinger and had Grant Flower well caught, low to his left by Hussain at third slip.

Croft had good lbw shouts against both Campbell and Houghton, both of whom just got outside the line, before he removed Campbell for 84, from 136 balls, in mid-afternoon. Zimbabwe's captain is still awaiting his first Test century, and he made an uncontrolled exit as Croft deceived him in the flight and his uncontrolled drive over the top sliced to backward point.

Houghton is a shaky starter, but his six over long on off Croft hinted at shifting balance. Then, in the second over after tea, Croft made one bounce and had Houghton caught at slip.

Zimbabwe's loss of three wickets for 56 in the final sessions, much of the time with the spinners bowling in tandem, conceded a position of authority.

Waller, making his Test debut at 37, might have followed eight runs later when Croft failed to hold a brutal return catch. "The boys at Glamorgan will be saying that Crofty dropped another one, because I used to make a habit of it," he said. "But I reckon it went like an Exocet."

He got his man, in any case, Waller leaving with an exasperated shake of the head as he was adjudged caught at short leg. Andy Flower, whose painstaking, unbeaten half century spanned almost three hours, also played the off spinner with some discomfort.

I'm sure the second new ball will get rid of the rest of them," Flower said. "I doubt if there will be much more left for me." A man, obviously, who throws down the challenge to his team mates as well as the opposition. Good for him.

The Zimbabwe captain Campbell, whose sparkling 84 at first threatened to take the match away from England, said: "We lost a couple of wickets too many today but I'm still fairly pleased and a total of around 360 would be good because the ball is already starting to turn.

"It was pretty annoying to get out when I did, in sight of my first Test century, but Croft did me a bit in the air and he bowled very well indeed today."

England are no longer favourites to win the first Test against Zimbabwe. The draw is now the top tip at 11 to 10, with an England victory rated at 13 to 8 and Zimbabwe offered at 11 to 4.