Stokes and Bennett shine before Zimbabwe follow on

Only Test, Trent Bridge (day two of four)

England 565-6 dec (Pope 171, Duckett 140, Crawley 124; Muzarabani 3-143)

Zimbabwe 265 (Bennett 139; Bashir 3-62) & 30-2 (Williams 22*)

Zimbabwe are 270 runs behind

Scorecard

Ben Stokes hinted at a return to his best and Brian Bennett struck a sparkling century before England made Zimbabwe follow on on the second day of the one-off Test at Trent Bridge.

England captain Stokes, playing for the first time since having surgery on his hamstring, took 2-11 in a captivating spell of only 3.2 overs.

Opener Bennett delighted the dancing visiting fans in Nottingham with Zimbabwe's fastest Test hundred, from 97 balls. His 139 was the backbone of the tourists' 265 all out.

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir claimed 3-62 while Josh Tongue, in his first Test for two years, and Sam Cook, on debut, took a wicket each.

Holding a monstrous lead of 300 in the four-day Test and with Saturday's forecast looking mixed, England asked Zimbabwe to bat again, bowling for the second time to get 10 overs in before the close.

Bennett could not repeat his heroics, trapped leg before by Gus Atkinson, while Craig Ervine lobbed Tongue to short leg to leave Zimbabwe 30-2, still 270 behind.

England earlier declared on 565-6, pushing on from their overnight 498-3.

Ollie Pope added only two more on Friday morning before edging behind for 171, while Harry Brook made a 48-ball half-century, despite having only nine runs from 27 deliveries.

Brook whipped three sixes into the leg side before being bowled to give Blessing Muzarabani a third wicket, at which point Stokes called his team in.

England's gluttonous run-scoring on the opening day verged on tedium because of its one-sided nature.

Although the hosts' grip on the contest is just as tight at the end of the second day, Friday at least had elements of back-and-forth, some captivating cricket and an energetic atmosphere brought by the Zimbabwe supporters.

Brook blazed away in the first hour and his mantle was picked up by Bennett, the 21-year-old who had not been born the last time these two sides played a Test against each other. His joyful celebration on reaching three figures was a wonderful moment.

Like the home batters before him, Bennett's strokeplay showed the placid nature of the surface and there were times when England's bowlers were made to work.

After six months out, the sight of Stokes marking out his run sent a frisson of excitement around Trent Bridge. The captain did not disappoint, serving up 20 exhilarating deliveries that suggested he is back to full fitness and ready for the challenges of India and Australia that lie ahead.

If England decided to bat again it would have produced a dismal spectacle. Instead they already have two bonus wickets and can return refreshed on Saturday to push for victory with a day to spare.