James Anderson celebrates the wicket of Heath Streak — the third of his five victims in the first innings — in the first Test at Lord’s Saturday. (AFP)

London, May 24 (Reuters): James Anderson took five wickets on his England debut on Saturday as Zimbabwe crashed to an innings and 92-run defeat inside three days in the first Test.

Anderson captured five for 73 in the first innings at Lord’s as the hapless Zimbabweans were skittled for 147.

Following on 325 runs adrift, they were then bowled out for 233 in good batting conditions to lose their eighth Test in a row.

The 20-year-old quick bowler, still playing club cricket just a year ago before making his mark at the World Cup, delighted a 20,000 crowd.

Anderson became the 13th England bowler to take five wickets on debut and the first since Dominic Cork in 1995.

The second innings, however, provided two unlikely wicket-takers, occasional medium pacers Mark Butcher and Anthony McGrath sharing seven victims. In all on Saturday, 19 Zimbabwe wickets tumbled for 332 runs.

Matthew Hoggard provided the early first-innings inroads, with three wickets in the morning before Anderson took over.

One delivery in particular, which began on Heath Streak’s leg stump and smacked into the middle, stood out as Zimbabwe, resuming on 48 for one, lost nine wickets for 99.

By the end, though, Butcher and McGrath were challenging for the limelight as Zimbabwe went from bad to worse, their batting reduced to a shambles. Even a couple of dropped catches by skipper Nasser Hussain could not save them.

Man-of-the-Match Butcher, who made 137, took five wickets on Saturday, including four in the second innings.

The first of those, an away swinger, found the edge of Mark Vermeulen’s bat and ended his 61-run stay while the second, an inswinger, trapped Stuart Carlisle leg before.

McGrath, another debutant and part-time bowler, underlined the paucity of the tourists’ challenge with three wickets of his own for 16, after making 69 in his one innings.

Zimbabwe, who had lost a string of first-choice players, failed to disrupt England’s batting despite seaming, swinging conditions on the first two days.

On a Saturday suited to batsmen, they crumbled twice to an attack missing Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and allrounder Andrew Flintoff.

Resuming on 48 for one, they moved on to 64 before Hoggard, wobbling the ball about in the air, induced Carlisle to drive loosely and edge to Marcus Trescothick at first slip.

Grant Flower, the batting key after his brother Andy’s retirement, then gloved to short leg for three before Dion Ebrahim, after an unconvincing 68, edged Butcher to gully. That exposed the tail and, 120 for five at lunch, the tourists quickly unravelled.

Wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu, at five despite a Test average of just over 16, looked robust enough for 25 before, facing strike bowler Steve Harmison, he aimed towards mid-wicket and ballooned a leading edge into third-man’s hands.

Anderson then bowled Streak (10) and made it 133 for eight next ball as Travis Friend played across the line.

Butcher helped out with a sharp second slip catch to dismiss allrounder Andy Blignaut cheaply before Anderson shaped another ball away to take last man Douglas Hondo’s off stump.

The second and final Test begins in Durham on June 5.