London, June 5: England moved firmly into the driver’s seat in the opening Test against New Zealand at Lord’s despite suffering a dramatic middle-order collapse on a bowler-friendly pitch that continued to dominate proceedings on the second day.
At stumps, New Zealand were struggling at 36-3 in their second innings, still requiring another 218 runs to reach a victory target of 254.
England’s bowlers struck crucial blows late in the day, dismissing captain Tom Latham, star batter Kane Williamson and nightwatchman Will O’Rourke to leave the visitors in deep trouble. With 33 wickets falling in just two days, the match appears certain to produce a result despite forecasts of rain later in the Test. England are now overwhelming favourites to claim a morale-boosting victory following their disappointing Ashes campaign.
Earlier, England secured a first-innings lead of 27 after bowling New Zealand out for 113. Fast bowler Ollie Robinson marked his return to the Test side in style, claiming 5-39 as the hosts capitalised on a pitch offering extravagant movement and uneven bounce.
England looked set to build a commanding advantage in their second innings, thanks largely to debutant opener Emilio Gay, who impressed with a composed 57. The Durham batter became the first England opener to score a half-century on debut in a home Test since 2004, overcoming several close calls and benefiting from a dropped catch.
However, Gay’s dismissal triggered a remarkable collapse. Harry Brook departed for a duck before Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes followed in quick succession as England crashed from 126-2 to 127-6, losing four wickets for just one run in the space of 11 deliveries.
The collapse briefly raised hopes of a New Zealand fightback, but valuable contributions from the lower order helped England recover. Jamie Smith struck 39, while Gus Atkinson added 14 and Robinson chipped in with a brisk 29 to push the total to 226.New Zealand seamer Nathan Smith was the standout performer with the ball, claiming six wickets and exploiting the difficult conditions expertly.
The visitors were also left to rue missed opportunities in the field, having dropped several catches across the match. Gay and Ben Duckett both survived chances before making useful contributions, while New Zealand also chose not to review a successful lbw appeal against Gay early in his innings.
Any hopes of a successful chase suffered an immediate setback when Latham fell in the opening over. England then tightened their grip on the contest as Josh Tongue trapped Williamson lbw before Atkinson removed O’Rourke before the close.
While the challenging conditions make it difficult to draw broad conclusions about England’s progress since the Ashes, the hosts will care little if they can complete the job over the next two days. (Agencies)
