WITH the clamour for his international retirement reaching a crescendo, Alec Stewart silenced his critics with a doughty unbeaten half-century to bring England back from the brink on Durham's big day.

As Riverside was anointed as the first new English Test venue for 101 years, Stewart claimed his own slice of history when he became his country's second highest runscorer behind Graham Gooch.

And after beating David Gower's total of 8,232 Test runs when he passed 19, Stewart had advanced to 67 not out by the close to lead England to 298 for five.

Stewart, 40 years young and claiming to be as fit as ever, started in cavalier fashion and announced his arrival at the crease with a blaze of strokes.

But he reined himself in after tea and, having prevented England's complete capitulation, slowly but surely seized the initiative back from Zimbabwe.

In Anthony McGrath, the England stalwart found a willing ally as the pair rescued their side from the perilous position of 156 for five.

Stewart and McGrath were faced with a massive rebuilding task after Dougie Hondo decimated England's line-up with three wickets in 11 balls.

But they will resume this morning with their unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership standing at 142 after a superb show of resistance down by the Riverside.

McGrath, who made 69 in his debut Test innings against Zimbabwe at Lord's, completed his second half-century with an impressive four through mid-wicket off Hondo.

Both batsmen had a slice of luck; McGrath had made 32 when he was dropped by Raymond Price off Andy Blignaut at deep square leg, while Sean Ervine spilled a chance Stewart gave him from Heath Streak's bowling.

Streak looked distraught when that opportunity came and went, and Stewart - on 54 at the time - looked determined to make Zimbabwe pay for their profligacy.

McGrath, meanwhile, was unbeaten on 68 at the close; he could be forgiven for thinking this Test match batting is easy.

England's top-order batsmen had earlier been guilty of gross cricketing negligence as they recklessly squandered a position of power.

Robert Key, in particular, will be worried about his position in the England team after getting out to an atrocious shot.

The Kent star, with just one fifty in seven Tests before yesterday, knew he needed a big score to stay in the side ahead of the likes of Graham Thorpe and Jim Troughton.

But after playing a sweet shot through the covers off Hondo, he attempted to pull the next delivery over mid-wicket - only to mishit it off the toe-end of the bat.

The ball looped towards Grant Flower, who dived forward and took an athletic catch just off the ground.

The decision was referred to TV umpire Peter Willey, who gave Key out - and at the same time put the 24-year-old's immediate Test future in serious jeopardy.

Michael Vaughan was perhaps over-confident, playing a handful of sublime strokes before an ambitious back foot drive brought his downfall.

Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher were going along serenely until the Somerset opener, attempting a slog sweep off Price, fell somewhat unfortunately.

In Price's previous over, Trescothick had hoisted the spinner over mid-wicket for six via Sean Ervine's outstretched right hand as he tried to pull off a miraculous catch.

But when Trescothick tried to despatch Price into the same area, the ball ballooned off his pad and glove to give a simple catch to wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu.

Still England were in a position of relative superiority at 146 for two, but that remarkable burst from the much-maligned Hondo swung the game Zimbabwe's way.

Hondo bowled 14 innocuous, wicketless overs at Lord's and was hopelessly wayward in his brief spell before lunch yesterday.

In the middle session, however, the 23-year-old went from zero to hero as he left England's hopes of posting an imposing total in tatters.

Hondo bowled well, but he was helped in no small way by some questionable shot selection from the England batsmen.

Butcher, who had already survived a huge lbw appeal against Heath Streak, played on driving at a ball that was not wide enough for the shot.

Key then came and went, and Nasser Hussain was Hondo's third victim when he edged to Taibu.

In truth, England had never looked completely comfortable, even though their total said otherwise when they were 109 for one and 146 for two.

Hussain broke the shackles after Zimbabwe had applied the brakes following Trescothick's dismissal, getting off the mark by hitting Price for four and six in the space of three balls.

But the England captain, back in the city where he went to university in the late 1980s, never imposed himself on the tourists' attack.

Streak aside, there is scarcely a Zimbabwean bowler that can claim to be of genuine Test quality.

Yet they grew in confidence as England failed to assert their advantage, and the hosts were indebted to Stewart and McGrath's gutsy counter-attack.

Thirty-one extras - including the wide from Streak's second ball of the opening over that brought the first Test run at the Riverside - helped England's cause no end.

But although England's tail still looks worryingly long, they were breathing a huge sigh of relief last night after being let off the hook by Zimbabwe.