England set for big win after forcing fighting Zimbabwe to follow on

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — England ousted Zimbabwe cricketers at a rate on Friday that suggested their four-day test will be over with a day to spare at Trent Bridge.

Despite an acclaimed fightback by Zimbabwe for much of the second day, the visitor was out for 265 and forced to follow on. At stumps, Zimbabwe was 30-2, still 270 runs away from making England bat again.

A magnificent maiden test century by opener Brian Bennett kept Zimbabwe's spirit aflame, but his exit for 139 after tea sparked a collapse of six wickets for 26 runs, including Bennett in the second innings for 1.

Rain won't appear to save Zimbabwe on Saturday, when clouds will return, giving England's battery ideal conditions to wrap up a big win in the first test matchup between the teams in 22 years.

Centuries on Thursday by Zac Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope staked England to an intimidating 498-3 overnight on a flat pitch. The innings was declared at 565-6 after nine more overs on Friday morning.

Pope added two runs to his overnight 169 until he drove at Tanaka Chavinga and nicked behind, ending the third highest of his eight hundreds.

Captain Ben Stokes was bounced out, and declared when Harry Brook chopped on for 58 off 50 balls.

Sam Cook, the first England debutant to bowl the first over in 32 years, was welcomed to test cricket by Bennett hitting three successive boundaries.

But Cook got his maiden wicket in just his third over when Ben Curran edged to Brook at second slip. That was the only Zimbabwe wicket to fall by lunch, taken at 73-1 with Bennett and Craig Ervine cruising.

Ervine, on 42, was also caught by Brook, and was the 50th test wicket for off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. He's England's youngest to the milestone at 21.

Bashir also claimed Sean Williams. But soon after, Bashir left the field with a bloodied pinkie finger when he tried a caught-and-bowled against Sikandar Raza.

Stokes finished bowling the over and another chance was mishandled when Joe Root at first slip dropped a sitter off Bennett on 89.

An unfazed Bennett rushed to his century in the next over after hitting three straight boundaries against pacer Gus Atkinson.

Trent Bridge stood to applaud Bennett's maiden ton and the fastest test century by a Zimbabwean, in 97 balls.

But Zimbabwe hopes of sighting the follow-on target of 416 were ruined by a double strike by Stokes in his first bowling stint in six months.

He got Raza to nick behind and bowled Wessly Madhevere to have 2-3 off 2.2 overs.

By tea, Zimbabwe was 210-5 and Bennett was steaming at 122 off 112 balls but running out of partners with teammate Richard Ngavara unavailable after suffering a back spasm on Thursday.

Bennett was undone when he popped a Josh Tongue delivery to Pope at short leg. Bennett's 139 off 143 balls included 104 runs in boundaries. He received another standing ovation.

Bashir returned to help wrap up the extra-short tail and took 3-62.

Forced to follow on with 10 overs left in the day, Zimbabwe's first-innings leaders were both removed for the second time in the day; Bennett by Atkinson leg before on 1 and Ervine caught at short leg on 2.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's Ben Stokes bowling on day two of the Rothesay International test series match between England and Zimbabwe, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England, Friday May 23, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

England's Sam Cook, centre, celebrates the wicket of Zimbabwe's Ben Curran on day two of the Rothesay International test series match between England and Zimbabwe, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England, Friday May 23, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

England's Shoaib Bashir celebrates the wicket of Zimbabwe's Sean Williams on day two of the Rothesay International test series match between England and Zimbabwe, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England, Friday May 23, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

England's Ben Stokes batting on day two of the Rothesay International test series match between England and Zimbabwe, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England, Friday May 23, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

England's Harry Brook batting on day two of the Rothesay International test series match between England and Zimbabwe, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England, Friday May 23, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. flu infections showed signs of a slight decline last week, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked.

New government data posted Friday — for flu activity through last week — showed declines in medical office visits due to flu-like illness and in the number of states reporting high flu activity.

However, some measures show this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.

“This is going to be a long, hard flu season,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, in a statement Friday.

One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that is the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 91% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.

The last flu season saw the highest overall flu hospitalization rate since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. And child flu deaths reached 289, the worst recorded for any U.S. flu season this century — including that H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010.

So far this season, there have been at least 15 million flu illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. It also estimates there have been 7,400 deaths, including the deaths of at least 17 children.

Last week, 44 states reported high flu activity, down slightly from the week before. However, flu deaths and hospitalizations rose.

Determining exactly how flu season is going can be particularly tricky around the holidays. Schools are closed, and many people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.

Also, some seasons see a surge in cases, then a decline, and then a second surge.

For years, federal health officials joined doctors' groups in recommending that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine. The shots may not prevent all symptoms but can prevent many infections from becoming severe, experts say.

But federal health officials on Monday announced they will no longer recommend flu vaccinations for U.S. children, saying it is a decision parents and patients should make in consultation with their doctors.

“I can’t begin to express how concerned we are about the future health of the children in this country, who already have been unnecessarily dying from the flu — a vaccine preventable disease,” said Michele Slafkosky, executive director of an advocacy organization called Families Fighting Flu.

“Now, with added confusion for parents and health care providers about childhood vaccines, I fear that flu seasons to come could be even more deadly for our youngest and most vulnerable," she said in a statement.

Flu is just one of a group of viruses that tend to strike more often in the winter. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, also have been rising in recent weeks — though were not diagnosed nearly as often as flu infections, according to other federal data.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Pharmacy manager Aylen Amestoy administers a patient with a seasonal flu vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy in Miami, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)