England vs New Zealand Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, 2026, Full Score Card

OUT! BOWLED! It was Robinson in the first innings, and now a five-wicket haul for Gus Atkinson at Lord's as well. He is on the Honour's Board yet again. England win the first Test match by 115 runs. A comprehensive win for the hosts, as they were lethally efficient with the ball and just good enough with the bat. Coming to the delivery. Back of a length on off, and it jags back just enough. Henry is caught on the crease, searching for it in front of his body, and is beaten on the inside edge. The ball sneaks through and crashes into the middle stump, which is uprooted and flattened. New Zealand have been bundled out for a mere 138 runs.

Much fuller, on off, Matt Henry drives it to the cover fielder.

Good length, angling in, on off. Matt Henry blocks it to mid on.

A half-hearted appeal for a caught behind, but turned down by the umpire. Stokes ponders a lot for a review, but gets no support from anyone. And the timer runs out. Well-directed short ball, and angling down leg from middle with extra bounce. Phillips swings across to hook it away, but the ball beats the bat, and in fact, it flies over his helmet on its way to Jamie Smith behind the stumps.

FOUR! Threads the gap nicely! Good length, kicks up and cuts in on off. Glenn Phillips lets the ball arrive, plays it very late. Opens the bat face at the point of contact and splits the gully and slip fielders for a boundary.

BEATEN! By a kitten-whisker. Hard length, outside off, Glenn Phillips stays put and throws his hands at it to smash into the cover region, but the ball leaves him and whistles past the outside edge.

This one stays underground from a fuller length, nipping in on the pads. Phillips look to whip it over mid-wicket, but the ball flirts the bottom edge and hits the front pad.

Two is the call from Phillips, but he bails out. Back of a length, around off. Glenn Phillips crisply punches it to deep cover. The initial thought is to take two, but the fielder is quick to charge to the ball to his left and prevents any run. Henry, who is almost halfway through, is forced to retreat back. He does so safely, though.

Huge nip-backer on a good length, on leg. Glenn Phillips steps across and tucks it to the mid-wicket fielder.

Much fuller, on middle, Matt Henry flicks it to the fielder at leg gully. He does his job quite well.

Nice and full, on middle, Matt Henry blocks it to the right of the bowler. Matt Henry survives yet another ball.

Good length down the leg side, Matt Henry looks to flick it but the ball brushes his pads and rolls towards the fielder at leg slip. Dot.

Too full, on leg, Matt Henry flicks it to mid-wicket.

Much fuller, on off, Matt Henry blocks it to mid off.

Good length, on off, Matt Henry punches it to the cover fielder.

Width, way outside off, Glenn Phillips looks to play at it but misses. That means, Henry will be on strike in the next over.

SIX! Josh Tongue bangs it short, on middle and leg, Glenn Phillips stays back and pulls it. Doesn't quite connect it well but the ball goes all the way over fine leg for a six.

Good effort by Root in the deep! Length again, outside off, Glenn Phillips slices it through backward point. Joe Root covers a decent ground and dives to his right near the fence and stops it just before the ropes. Glenn Phillips denies the single once again.

FOUR! That races away to the fence. Hard length, outside off, Glenn Phillips latches onto it and times it perfectly through point for a boundary.

Sways it down leg, Glenn Phillips flicks it towards the fielder at short fine leg.

Back of a length, on off, Glenn Phillips pushes it to point. He denies for a single.

Nice and full, on off, Matt Henry blocks it to mid on.

England are almost there now. It's been a fabulous bowling display by Atkinson to get his fourth. Matt Henry is the last man in for New Zealand.

OUT! TAKEN! That's a sharp catch by Ben Duckett, and England are just one wicket away now. Not a threatening delivery by Atkinson by any means, as it is a long half-volley, angling in on middle and leg. Kyle Jamieson gets forward and looks to flick it off the pads, but doesn't quite connect it properly as he is not up to the pitch of the ball. Ends up chipping it towards short mid-wicket. Ben Duckett dives to his right and snaps a sharp catch in front of his face. New Zealand are 124/9 now.

Keeps it on off, Kyle Jamieson punches it to the cover fielder.

Beaten! Hard length, outside off, shaping away. Kyle Jamieson has a waft at it but misses.

Short, on leg, Kyle Jamieson ducks under it.

FOUR! That's a good-looking shot! A touch full, outside off, Kyle Jamieson leans onto it and cracks a drive through the point region for a cracking boundary. New Zealand need 130 more runs.

Keeps it full, on middle and leg, Kyle Jamieson flicks it off the inside half of his bat towards backward square leg for a single.

Nice and full, on off, Kyle Jamieson eases it to short cover.

Good length, on middle, Kyle Jamieson stays back and blocks it solidly. He gets it off the bottom of his blade.

Shaping in, on off, Glenn Phillips stays put and pushes it through cover-point for a single.

Much fuller, outside off, Glenn Phillips drives it to the cover fielder.

Nice and full, on middle, Glenn Phillips flicks it to mid-wicket.

Josh Tongue (10-2-32-2) is back on. He replaces Ben Stokes.

Good length, on off, Glenn Phillips punches it to cover for one more.

Much fuller, on off, Kyle Jamieson flicks it to mid-wicket for a single.

England close in further. The Kiwi tail is exposed from one end now. Out walks the towering figure of Kyle Jamieson to the crease.

OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! And just like that, Nathan Smith comes and goes. Another one goes down for New Zealand. Hard length, on off, and with a hint of away movement. Nathan Smith stays in his crease and tries to block it, but gets undone by the ball leaving him. The ball kisses the outside edge of Nathan Smith's blade and goes towards the keeper, Jamie Smith, who makes no mistake with a straightforward grab behind the stumps. New Zealand are now 116/8, chasing 254.

FOUR! Nathan Smith will take those. Hard length, outside off, Nathan Smith tries to block it with soft hands but gets a thick outside edge. The ball races through short third for a boundary.

Angling in, on a length, on middle. Nathan Smith blocks it back to the bowler.

Nice and full, on off, Glenn Phillips pushes it to cover for a single.

Drinks Break! That's a brilliant catch from Jacob Bethell. It was a partnership that was starting to frustrate the hosts. But now, England are almost at an arm's distance closer towards the win. The equation is simple, yet so far away from the tourists. New Zealand need 143 more runs. In the context of how the pitch is behaving, that’s a mountain to climb with just 3 wickets in the bank. England will continue their hunt for wickets, while the only plan for New Zealand right now is to bat their way out.  Nathan Smith is the new batter, in at number 9.

OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Stokes ends Conway's resistance along with the 53-run partnership. Comes from around the stump, hits the deck hard and angles the ball into the batter, on middle and leg. Conway looks to flick it to the leg side, but he closes the bat a bit too early and the ball nips away. A fat outside edge is found and it shoots towards gully where it dips on Jacob Bethell. But he does well to dive low to his left and scoop the ball before the ground. However, the umpire wants to have a check for the legality of the catch. The replay confirms that Bethell's fingers are clearly under the ball, and it is deemed a clean catch. Conway departs after a hard-fought knock on a difficult pitch. New Zealand are 111/7, needing 143 more.

In front of the stumps, full, Devon watchfully bunts it back to the bowler.

Too short and going down the leg stump line. Devon Conway misses to pull as it flies over his shoulder height. It is given as a No Ball for height.

Good length, angled in on middle. Conway tucks it to mid on.

Length ball, on the stumps, defended down the pitch.

FOUR! Top placement! Full and on the pads, Devon Conway leans on a bit and flicks it to the left of the square leg fielder. It is going down the hill and the deep fine leg fielder loses the race as the ball trickles to the ropes. This brings the 50-run partnership ​​​​​​between Conway and Phillips. In a rather quick time.

A spitting cobra, on off and middle, on a length. Glenn Phillips is squared up on the defence, and the ball hits the shoulder of the bat and rolls to the cover-point region for a quick single.

Kicks up a bit from a length, nipping from middle to off. Devon Conway's bottom hand slips off the handle as he knocks it down the pitch. That seemingly struck on the splice of the bat.

Charges in from over the stump now, does Gus. Back of a length, on middle and leg. Devon tucks it to the leg side, in front of square.

Hits the length hard, on top of off, Devon Conway lets the ball angle into him and blocks it off the back foot to point.

Beaten! In the channel of the off pole, good length, nibbling away a shade. Devon Conway hangs the bat away from his body to block and the ball zips past the outside edge.

Goes a bit full now and on off, Devon Conway leans on and stabs it on the bounce to the gully region.

Slanted on the leg stump from around the wicket. Devon Conway hops to nudge this length ball to the square leg fielder.

Cannoned in and around middle and leg, full in length. Conway gets the bat out in front of the pads and steers it wide of backward point for a single. New Zealand now need 149 runs to win.

Similar length, but the line is a bit around off now and it nips away a shy bit. Devon Conway covers the stumps and blocks it down the strip.

Shoots low from a fuller length, aimed on middle. Conway drops the bat down and stabs it to the pitch.

On a back of a length, skidding through around off. Conway fends it with soft hands in front of point.

Length ball, stays low and is angled back on the off stump, Conway defends to mid on.

Attacks the stumps, full and on middle. Conway presses in front and knocks the ball to mid on.

Cuts back in from off, Glenn Phillips tries to get on top of the bounce to punch it to the cover region. Gets an inside edge onto the boot instead, and he drags the ball away from his bat to prevent it from spinning back onto the stumps.

Nagging length, fired onto the pads. Glenn Phillips is hurried on the back foot, misses to glance it to the leg side, and is struck on the thigh pad before rolling to backward square leg.

Beauty! Angles in on the off stump and then straightens up after pitching. Glenn Phillips is drawn into the front foot drive, but gets beaten on the outside edge as the ball keeps leaving him.

Nips away from outside off, on a length. Left alone.

Wowza! Good response by Atkinson. Lands it in and around off with extravagant bounce, on top of middle. Glenn Phillips looks to defend, but is taken aback by the lift and the ball hits the gloves. But Phillips manages to keep it down and the ball rolls away to backward point.

Excellent piece of running once again by these two! Pitched fuller, on the off stump. Devon Conway's bottom hand comes off the handle while playing the straight drive, but he manages to beat the mid off fielder to his left. Shoaib Bashir sprints from mid off and manages to chase the ball before the ropes. Three taken.

Double change as Gus Atkinson replaces Josh Tongue.

Jags in a mile from off, on a good length. Glenn Phillips defends it to the leg side.

FOUR! Oh, what a timing! Length-delivery, on the leg stump line, nipping in. Glenn Phillips is still at the crease and knocks it wide of the mid-wicket fielder to pick up another boundary to his name. Stroke of high quality given the conditions. 100 up for New Zealand! They need 153 more runs.

Another one that is lasered onto the pads, on a fuller length. Glenn Phillips forces the drive to the right of mid on.

Nips in from middle, on a good length. Phillips gets across on the front foot and eases it to mid on.

A lot straighter on the pads, going down leg. Devon Conway flicks the full ball behind square on the leg side. It beats Emilio Gay to his right at leg slip and is mopped up by Shoaib Bashir in the outfield. Just a single.

From around the stump, Stokes bashes the length hard, on off. Devon Conway hangs back and knocks it solidly to the off side.

Ben Stokes brings himself into the attack.

Length-delivery, slanting into the batter. Glenn Phillips watchfully blocks this one out.

Review lost! Back of a length, and this one jags in a long, long way and stays low on bounce as well. Glenn Phillips is cramped for space as he tries to play at it. He is cut in half as the ball beats the inside edge and ramps into the thigh pad. Half an appeal for LBW, but the umpire remains unmoved. Tongue looks a bit doubtful, but Ben Stokes is keen to get it checked. He walks up to his bowler and after a mini-conference, Stokes goes for a review, challenging the on-field decision. This looks to be doing a bit too much, it seems. UltraEdge shows a clear gap between bat and ball. Ball Tracking comes up with the ball projected to miss the leg stump by a fair bit. England burn a review here.

Oh, dear! This one stays underground from a good length. Shoots low, outside off. Glenn Phillips is absolutely undone by the lack of bounce. Tries to punch it off the back foot to the off side, but the ball sneaks below the bat and rolls back to the keeper.

Nips back in hugely, in and around off, on a length. Glenn Phillips sees the ball all the way through to the keeper.

Good running! Serves it full and on middle, angling in. Devon Conway leans forward and drives it to the right of mid on. Ollie Robinson gives it a chase and manages to stop the ball with a slide as it slows down in the damp outfield. Three taken.

Hard length, onto the pads. Glenn Phillips gets across and steers it to deep backward square leg for a single.

The first half hour on Day 4 is done and New Zealand would be actually pleased to have lost just one wicket. The partnership is budding along nicely between Phillips and Conway with the two playing differently.

Indecisive again! Short of a length and around off, nips back in, Devon Conway tries to leave it very late. The ball hits the face of the bat but drops well in front of the slip cordon.

Full and angling into the pads, Devon Conway steps across and tucks it mid-wicket.

Full again and on off, Glenn Phillips just opens the bat face and pushes it towards cover for a quick run. New Zealand need 162 runs to win now.

Pitched up and on middle, attacks he stumps, Glenn Phillips knocks it with a straight bat to mid off.

Fuller and on off, angling in this time, Devon Conway tries to blocks but gets an inside edge towards square leg for a single.

Lands this on a good length and around off, holds its line, Devon Conway plays for the inward movement and gets beaten on the outside edge. Good take from Smith, who is back up to the stumps now.

Fuller delivery, on off, angling in, Glenn Phillips blocks it out solidly.

Back of a length and around off, Glenn Phillips rides the bounce and punches it through backward point. Ben Stokes gives a good chase and dives to push the ball back inside just before the ropes. Perhaps the ball going up the hill slowed it down, and the dampness in the outfield did not help either. Two taken.

Hits the deck hard, around off, nips back in, Glenn Phillips fends it onto the ground as the ball goes towards short cover.

Short of a length and on middle, angling in, Glenn Phillips pats it down on the pitch.

There is nothing he could have done about that one. Good length and around off, nips back in and keeps low again. Glenn Phillips tries to play at it, but it goes under his bat and misses the off pole by a whisker.

Fuller in length and on middle, keeps low, Devon Conway adjusts well and clips it towards mid-wicket for a single.

Ever since Phillips has arrived at the crease, there's an evident shift in intent to score runs, at least from him. Attack is the only way for New Zealand to put pressure on England.

FOUR! Put away! Slightly fuller in length and just outside off. Glenn Phillips gets his hands through the shot and smacks it through covers for another boundary. Maybe this is a sign that the Kiwis are going to be more proactive now.

Good length but going way down the leg side, Glenn Phillips fails to glance it away. It keeps moving in, but Jamie Smith dives to his left to grab it one-handed.

Pitched up and angling into the leg side, Devon Conway tucks it to mid-wicket for a run.

Fuller and on the pads, Glenn Phillips flicks it to deep backward square leg for a single. New Zealand need 172 runs to win now.

Back of a length and on off, Glenn Phillips dabs it down to point.

FOUR! Nice shot! A half-volley, just around off, Glenn Phillips, without much footwork, does his hands do the thing, driving it beautifully through extra covers for a boundary.

My goodness me, is what Conway muttered as that last ball of the over flew back to the keeper. It jumped like there's a spring underneath. The ball is doing all sorts at Lord's now.

Bashes the length hard and around off, nips back in with good bounce, Devon Conway offers no shot at it.

On a length and on middle and off, Devon Conway blocks it out.

DROPPED! That should have been the second wicket of the Day. Josh Tongue bangs this into the pitch, around off, takes off a bit. Devon Conway gets into two minds, whether to play it or leave it. He decides late to let it go but fails to get his bat out of the way. It catches the top edge and flies towards second slip, where Harry Brook leaps to grab it with both hands above his head but the ball bursts through behind him. Two taken.

FOUR! Gets it away! This is a bit fuller and around off. Devon Conway gets drawn into a loose drive but gets an outside edge that flies just past gully for a boundary.

Short of a length and on off, nips back in, Devon Conway stays deep inside his crease and dabs it towards point.

Back of a length and on off, holds its line, Devon Conway lifts his hands and lets it go to the keeper.

Dug into the surface, on off, Glenn Phillips watches it through and leaves it alone.

FOUR! Lovely shot! Hard length and just outside off, Glenn Phillips uses the width on offer this time. He gets on top of the bounce and punches it with sweet timing through covers for a boundary.

Action replay! Ollie Robinson keeps bowling in that in-between length, on off, gets it to move away with bounce. Glenn Phillips tries to defend from the crease, but the ball zips past the outside edge. Good take from Jamie Smith behind the stumps.

Beaten! On a nagging length and just on off, straightens a bit, Glenn Phillips has a poke at it but gets beaten on the outside edge.

FOUR! Streaky! Back of a length and around off, jags back in this time, a long way, Glenn Phillips pushes at it with hard hands but gets an inside edge, just past the stumps. The keeper is up to the stumps and has no chance of stopping as the ball races to the fine leg fence for a boundary.

Just short! Ollie Robinson lands this on a good length and on off, angles in but then nips away after hitting the deck. Glenn Phillips tries to play with a straight bat but gets an outside edge that goes on the bounce to a bit left of Joe Root at first slip.

Fantastic over from Tongue. Sets the tone perfectly for the hosts. New Zealand need 191 runs, with 4 wickets in hand. Ollie Robinson (10-2-18-2) to continue from the far end.

Back of a length and angling into the leg side, Glenn Phillips nudges it off his hips through square leg for a run.

FOUR LEG BYES! Runs for New Zealand! Josh Tongue bangs this into the pitch, on middle, gets it nip back again with bounce around the ribs of the batter. Glenn Phillips tries to glance it away but misses as the ball brushes his body and goes past the diving keeper to the fine leg fence

Well, it didn't take long enough for the hosts to strike. New Zealand's misery pile up further. In walks Glenn Phillips to the crease, at number 8. Was one of the few Kiwi players who played positively in the first innings. Let's see how he goes about on a pitch that has only got more difficult since then.

OUT! LBW! Josh Tongue strikes early on Day 4, and the Kiwis slip further. This is a good-length delivery, just around off, jags back in a long, while keeping low as well. Tom Blundell gets stuck in his crease and fails to get his bat down in time and gets wrapped on the pads right in front of the stumps. There is a big shout for LBW, and the finger goes up right away. Blundell has a chat with his partner but does not take the review, as this is as plumb as it gets. New Zealand are 58/6, still needing 196 runs to win.

Comes over the wicket for the right-hander, serves this full, on the pads. Tom Blundell flicks it a bit uppishly but over and wide of short leg for a couple of runs.

Hard length and on middle, angling in a bit, Devon Conway stays back and clips it off the inner half of the bat through square leg for a single.

Fuller in length and around off, Devon Conway opens the face of his bat and steers it towards point.

Assuming Tongue to bowl from the opposite end. Though live visuals showed Shoaib Bashir stretching out his arms and shoulders. But here's Josh Tongue to bowl now.

Back of a length and on off, Tom Blundell rides the bounce well and keeps it out to the off side.

Touch fuller and on off, angling in, Tom Blundell gets behind the line of it and blocks it out.

Ollie Robinson starts the day with a good-length delivery, on off, Tom Blundell gets half-forward and pushes it to cover.

All set for Day 4 to get underway at the Home of Cricket. It continues to be overcast out there, but it is bright enough, which is indeed a pleasing thing to watch after the way rain swamped the park yesterday. Perfect bowling conditions and the seamers will be licking their lips once again. The English players have taken their spots on the field, with Ollie Robinson all set to complete his remaining over. Devon Conway and Tom Blundell bump fists and make their way to the middle to resume their batting. So the Kiwis need 199 runs, and England are 5 good balls away from winning. Let's play...

Hopeful morning at Lord's - A bit more hopeful morning at Lord's compared to Day 3, as the rain has stayed away and the surface is currently dry. While there is still some typical dark clouds hanging over the ground, conditions are far more encouraging this time around, and everything suggests that play should get underway on schedule.

England scenting victory - On the other side of the coin, England are firmly in the driver's seat. With clear favourites as of now, Ben Stokes and his men will be sniffing blood. The pitch has offered plenty of assistance to the bowlers throughout this match, as we saw with Kyle Jamieson's five-for and Nathan Smith's incredible 6 for 70. Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson will be raring to exploit the early morning moisture. Grab your coffee and settle in, folks! Will England’s bowlers clinical finish the job, or do the Kiwis have a historic fightback up their sleeves? Let's find out soon...

The task ahead for the Kiwis - It is an uphill task for the visitors, but they aren't out of it just yet. Opening batter Devon Conway has shown immense grit, fighting his way to an unbeaten 19 off 55 balls. He holds the key for New Zealand. Joining him is Tom Blundell, who is fresh off a career-best century against Ireland last week and knows exactly how to navigate tough situations. This pair needs to dig deep, weather the initial storm from the English pacers, and build a partnership if New Zealand are to harbor any hopes of chasing down 254.

Yesterday's short but spicy session - Day 3 was heavily dominated by rain, but the brief afternoon session we did get was pure gold for England. Ollie Robinson was the chief destroyer after changing ends, steaming in to dismantle the Kiwi middle order. He removed the dangerous Rachin Ravindra for 8 and then sent Daryl Mitchell packing for a duck. That clinical burst left New Zealand reeling at 55 for 5 before the heavens opened up again and forced an early Stumps. England will localise all their energy on carrying that exact momentum into this morning.

Welcome back to Lord's for Day 4! A very warm welcome back to the Home of Cricket for what promises to be a riveting and potentially decisive Day 4 of this first Test between England and New Zealand. After the frustrating, rain-marred day we endured yesterday, where the weather gods permitted less than ten overs of play, the clouds have cleared, and we are all set for an intriguing battle between bat and ball. The equation is crystal clear. New Zealand need 199 more runs to pull off a brilliant chase, while England require 5 wickets to wrap up a memorable victory.

... DAY 4, SESSION 1 ...

Sunday's plans? Aha. You can still have your Sashas. You might still want to watch your Hamiltons or Russells. Who knows, even before these legends begin their respective sport, this Test match might be done and dusted. But we are having a Sunday at Lord's as its 150th Test enters into its fourth day. England would be pumped up to finish the game off quickly, lest they are forced to wait once again by the weather, but the forecast looks much better, even though I have been denied a certificate in reading it. From New Zealand's point of view, this would be a perfect time for them to reassess the grit they famously possess. Can they make a fist of this target and give the crowd a much-needed spectacle? Day 4's first ball on Sunday, 7th June, 2026, is scheduled to be bowled at 10 am GMT (weather permitting) but our updates will begin well in advance. So do tune in early to catch all the news beforehand. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

10 balls of pain - Saturday had only 58 balls of action in store. Not even an innings of T10 cricket. But that is not quite the problem. The first session was wiped off and due to unfavourable ground conditions, the players were forced indoors for lunch amidst bright sunshine. Rain then kept playing hide and seek but even amidst that game of musical chairs, the Kiwis did fairly well, not losing any wickets for around 6 overs. Then, the real fun began. Ollie Robinson got through the defenses of Rachin Ravindra and in his next over, got Daryl Mitchell trapped in his crease. Ironically, 2 overs after the Mitchell dismissal, the players were taken off the field, never to return. Without a doubt, 254 is a massive ask in testing conditions. But given the amount of play that we had on Day 3, if the Kiwis had not lost those two quick wickets, they would have entered Sunday with a bit more hope.

Stumps on Day 3! Our misery comes to an end. We waited and waited and waited for some play to happen only to keep longing for more. And what we got instead is a prolonged wait for play. The umpires have officially drawn Stumps on Day 3 and that ends a very damp, damp Saturday at Lord's.

Rain's back again - 4.30 pm GMT update - Forget the inspection. The weather is forcing the inspectors to take a holiday. The umpires came out for the inspection as scheduled, but no sooner did they enter the ground than the drizzle returned. That started to get heavier and eventually, the discussion between them and the groundstaff started to look pointless. They are off the ground and one suspects that the final word might be around the corner.

Hope rising higher - 4.10 pm GMT update - Of course, Shai Hope has already risen a lot through his ranks but this is not the proper noun. This is the verb hope that we are talking about. The work being talked about in the previous para has quickly speedened up, with an official inspection scheduled for 4.15 pm GMT. That's not too far away!

4:08 pm GMT update - Hope peeks through! Just when it felt like the rain had settled in for a permanent residency, there is a bit of activity. We are hearing that the rain has eased and the groundstaff are hard at work clearing water off the covers. The umpires can also be seen. Now, before anyone gets too excited, the rain has teased us before, only to return a few minutes later with renewed enthusiasm. Still, the sight of people actually doing something other than staring at the weather radar can be counted as progress. Yawn.

A left-handed Joe Root - With no cricket to watch, I did what any desperate cricket lover would do and went scrolling through social media. There, hidden among the rain updates, was a little clip from the England dressing room featuring Joe Root. Front and centre was Joe Root, no longer in his whites and comfortably settled into his training kit. And what was he up to? Doing left-handed shadow batting. Root mimicked a stylish drive, then immediately set off as if stealing a quick single. Even during a rain break, the cricket brain never quite switches off. The mood inside the camp seemed pretty laid back. Given what the weather radar is showing, this Test match, in all likelihood, will stretch into a fourth day.

3.39 pm GMT update -  Don't be too excited about the prospect of a fresh update coming. Yes, this is a fresh para, but it's the same old update. It's like selling the old product in a new package. If it interests you, I can share that one of my colleagues is off for his dinner break. He has officially waved the white flag.  Meanwhile, I am still here, staring at the covers and wondering, what to update next? The rain is falling, the ground is covered, and the most intense contest at the moment is between patience and boredom. At this rate, my next update might be a review of the dinner menu rather than the cricket.

Raining again - 3.10 pm GMT update - Whatever little optimism was being generated in the previous rain stopping update has been crushed as the rain returns. A sequel no cricket fan is interested in viewing. Chances look extremely bleak of any further play happening tonight, but let's hope the glass is half filled.

Tea done. Now? The wait resumes. If any, the conditions seem to have gotten a bit better at Lord's, with the rain taking a break as well. But it is very heavily overcast. The groundstaff keep trying its best to get the conditions fit for playing.

Ruthless? Or practical? March 2026 - Suryakumar Yadav helps India become the first team to win back-to-back T20 World Cup titles and claim their third crown in this format. June 2026 - After a fairly quiet World Cup by his standards and a quieter IPL, the 2026 World Cup winning captain finds himself relinquished of captaincy and even out of the squad. Unfair? Not giving the captain a longer run to find his mojo back? Maybe, in some views. But in other views, it is the best way to utilize form and talent in your country. Just have a look at the depth of talent in the Indian camp and you would find at least 10-15 players deserving a place in the squad. So, if they come in, some have to go out, right? It may sound harsh or surprising to Indian fans as they are not used to this kind of treatment to Indian players in the past. But for those who have been following global cricket, this is more or less a norm in other countries. Legends have famously quoted, 'You are as good as your latest match.'  Even someone like a Steve Waugh was politely (debatable) asked to step down, to welcome a more aggressive Ricky Ponting. That led to another era of Australian dominance. Some talents like Brad Hodge did not even get much chances to play for their country. Maybe, this is the start of long-term dominance for Indian cricket. Selection or removal is not a problem, as long as it is consistent. Welcome to the world of dominance, India.

Tea at 2.40 pm GMT - This was coming. With the rain unrelenting, the umpires have been forced to call for Tea at the original time, which is at 3.40 pm local. There is nothing much anyone can do, apart from waiting for this rain to stop. England will feel miffed, as they are in pole position in this match, but given the vagaries of this pitch, they will back themselves to finish the job as and when they get the chance. The Kiwis, on the other hand, will welcome this break and focus on how can they try and make a match out of this.

No effect on WC warmups - London has not been spared by the rain gods but it is not the same story elsewhere. The warmup matches for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup have kicked off and barring a couple of showers in the opening two games, we have largely had uninterrupted action over there.

Rain and more rain - 2 pm GMT update - There has been no positive change in the conditions from the previous update. If any, the conditions have gotten gloomier. Proper rain seems to be in the offing now, with the forecast staying true.

Imperfect pitch? That's more or less the joint opinion of two of English cricket's greatest ever captains in Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan. Neither is happy with the way the pitch has played so far. Irrespective of the overhead conditions, it is the indifferent bounce that has caught everyone's attention, with no batter seemingly confident in the middle for too long. As per the current situation, as many as 147 overs have been completed in this match and 35 wickets have gone down. Doing the math, on an average, a wicket is falling roughly every 25 balls. That's not even 5 overs. Not surprisingly, only two batters have managed to touch the 50-mark across 3-and-a-half innings. It is not a problem to see batters struggle. Neither is it to see not a single over of spin being bowled across 2-and-a-half days. The problem is the batters are forced to guess the bounce in a pitch, which should never be the case in any format.

Keep working - 1.30 pm GMT update - The groundstaff is doing all it possibly can to try and keep the covers less soaked. But the weather gods are just not kind enough. The rain has intensified and the people in the stands are moving to protected places for cover. As per the updates by the ECB which now seems eons ago, Tea was scheduled to be taken at 3.10 pm GMT, which is still roughly 90 minutes away. I am sure we will have another revised itinerary if and when we get a chance to get back on the field. Hoping for the best. Oh yes and by the way, plenty of covers are on the ground now.

Up and close - That's what England's coach Brendon McCullum seems to have been suggesting to his bowlers since Day 2. He has been animatedly gesturing to his players to have more players in catching positions and it has had a remarkable effect. The latest example is that of Daryl Mitchell playing from his crease, to a ball which he would have otherwise been forward to, simply because Jamie Smith was standing upto the stumps. Going further, there have been 22 dismissals of bowled and LBW combined in this match, with as many as 10 LBWs. A couple more, and which seems highly likely, going by this match so far, and we would end up creating a new record for the most number of dismissals as bowled and LBW in a Test match at Lord's.

Time for another visit to the dressing rooms - 1.10 pm GMT - It is not as bad as the previous rain, but it is still an interruption. The rain droplets are getting bigger and the umpires are taking the players off the field again. The good thing is that only the hover cover is on, with the rest of the outfield uncovered, meaning that we can resume quickly, as, if and when the light gets better. The bad thing is now, the umpires will have to deal with both, rain and bad light before coming back onto the field. Additionally, the poor forecast for the evening is already lingering. Fingers crossed.

Game stopped due to : Rain Stoppage

Game stopped due to : Rain Stoppage

Serves it on a length, on off, Blundell gets forward and defends it to the off side.

Excellent accuracy from Ollie Robinson. He lands it on a testing length in the line of the stumps, and the ball keeps a little low after pitching. Blundell is quick to adjust, crouching into his defense and getting his bat down in time to smother it.

Oh dear. The light meters are out. It has gone dark again and there are rain drops in the air. The umpires get together, take the reading, observe it, have a chat but deem light fine to continue playing.

Shaping into the batter, from a good length around off, Tom Blundell defends from the back foot with Jamie Smith standing up to the stumps.

Tongue targets the pads but gets it too straight. Devon looks to flick but falls over a touch and misses, getting hit on the pads. Going down the leg side.

Better line and length. Fuller and closer to the off stump, 140 kph, Conway shoulders arms.

A bouncer, but misdirected. Down the leg side, from around the wicket, Devon Conway ducks comfortably.

This time, Tom gets the run. Back of a length, outside off, the batter stays back and dabs it towards gully with soft hands. Calls for the single and Conway's immediate response makes the single comfortable. For the numbers, New Zealand now require under 200 runs to win.

On a good length this time, outside off, Blundell pushes it towards the slip cordon, with an open bat face. Ben Duckett dives to his right from third slip and makes a half stop. Blundell looks for the run but gully comes across quickly.

Full and outside off, 140 kph, zoning in threateningly, Tom Blundell watches it closely all the way and blocks it off his front foot towards point.

Fuller and on off, shaping in, Conway is not looking convincing as he defends it from the inner portion of his bat.

In the zone outside off, skidding away, Conway pushes at it and misses.

Identical to the wicket delivery, but Tom Blundell is lucky to get some bat on it as he clips it behind square leg for a single.

And just like that, two batters have come and gone. 53/3 has quickly become 53/5 in the span of 10 balls. Tom Blundell walks in at number 7 now, replacing Daryl Mitchell. These are perfect bowling conditions and England have New Zealand under the cosh. Maybe, the best way now is to play Bazball against Baz' team?

OUT! GIVEN LBW! The moment the keeper came up to the stumps, it added another layer of pressure on the batter. Mitchell could no longer freely leave his crease to counter the movement, and Robinson makes full use of it. He slips in an inswinger from a probing length around off, beating the inside edge of the defensive push. Mitchell's footwork leaves him stranded, neither fully forward nor comfortably back. The ball thuds into the pads, the appeal goes up, and the finger follows almost immediately. Mitchell reviews, hoping for a reprieve, but the replay only confirms England's celebrations. Impact is in line, and Ball Tracking shows it is clipping the leg stump. Umpire's call stays. New Zealand are now five down, with another 201 runs still required. England, meanwhile, are halfway to the ten wickets they need.

Ollie Robinson bowls it on a length and close to off, angling in, Daryl Mitchell stays on the back foot and defends it down.

Robinson bowls it on a length and outside off, Daryl defends it off his front foot.

Seeing the stumps rattled is a wonderful sight for a bowler. But it is death rattle for a batter. Of the 12 bowled dismissals in this match, 7 have been that of the Kiwi batters. They seem to have found it more difficult to adapt to the seaming conditions. It is more of the movement off the deck than the air which has been catching the batters off guard.

Sliding down the leg side, Conway tries to clip it late but misses. It goes off his pads to leg gully. End of a testing over.

Extra bounce again, around off, DC defends it to the leg side with a loose bottom hand.

Around off on a length, defended from the back foot.

Ouch, that would have hurt! A lively delivery once again. Back of a good length around off and shaping in, Conway presses forward to defend, but the ball kicks up unexpectedly after pitching. It climbs sharply and strikes him high on the gloves, forcing him to take his bottom hand off the bat immediately. The surface has certainly come to life, and batting is becoming an increasingly uncomfortable task.

Shortish and on off, dabbed down in front of the slip cordon.

What was that! That one reared up like a spitting cobra. Pitched in the corridor outside off, it explodes off the surface and climbs sharply at Conway. Caught by surprise, he attempts to sway out of the way while also half-thinking about playing at it, but ends up doing neither convincingly. The ball flies past him, leaving the batter beaten by both the bounce and the pace off the pitch.

So Ollie Robinson keeps one of his traditions intact - of never going wicketless at Lord's. Now, for the other tradition, from England's point of view - to at least take 2 wickets in every innings at this venue. Daryl Mitchell walks in next, at number 6, replacing Rachin Ravindra. By the way, that was the 12th bowled dismissal of this match!

OUT! SOUND OF TIMBER! Robinson had beaten Ravindra on a couple of occasions in this over and this time he has found the top of the off stump. Not the first bowled dismissal of this Test match and believe us, not the last either. A beauty from the bowler, and Ravindra is left rooted to the spot. Angled across from a probing length just outside off, the ball straightens enough after pitching to find a way through. Ravindra's footwork is caught in between, neither fully forward nor properly back, and he ends up hanging on the crease. He pushes tentatively inside the line, only for the ball to whistle past the outside edge and crash into the stumps. The timber is disturbed, and New Zealand lose their fourth wicket at a crucial stage. Ravindra departs after being drawn into indecision, and England tighten their grip on the contest. The visitors still need another 201 runs, while England are now just six wickets away from taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

Fuller and on off, angling in, Ravindra wrists it towards short leg and the fielder there fails to stop. The ball goes in the wet outfield and they take two.

Shortish and on off, angling in, this time Rachin Ravindra goes on the back foot and blocks it down.

Beaten again! This one is quite wide outside, and could have been left alone without any threat. But Rachin Ravindra gets on the front foot, tries to push at it and misses.

Nearly takes the outside edge. Robinson serves it on a length and around off, angling in and staying low as well. Ravindra pushes inside the line and is beaten around the toe end of his bat.

Gentle hands at work. Length delivery outside off, Ravindra brings an angled bat into play and pushes it softly through the gap between gully and backward point. Two taken. 203 needed more.

Back on! The game of musical chairs continues. The players are back on the field and we are ready to resume. Ollie Robinson gets a change of ends. 7-1-13-0 so far.

Not a lengthy delay (hopefully) - Well, Shai is busy captaining the West Indies against the Sri Lankans at home but England would need a lot of hope right now. And not just England, any cricket fan would hope the same. Michael Atherton on air informs that when the rain began, things looked pretty bleak but as quickly as the gust came, it seems to have gone as well. The rain has already reduced to a drizzle. Not far from resumption, one would say.

Off we go again - 12.37 pm GMT - The wind has picked up in intensity and the flags have started to sway around a bit. In fact, it has become pretty gusty. This could be a good as well as a bad sign. The immediate assumption would mean that rain is around the corner. In fact, the rain is sweeping in now and off go the players again. The good sign could be that, given that this is a gust, this might just be a passing shower and some rain clouds might get blown away. So we wait again.

Game stopped due to : Rain Stoppage

That was nearly costly. Josh serves it on a good length outside off, the ball jags and wobbles a touch after Ravindra shoulders arms. Smith cannot gather it cleanly behind the stumps, and it trickles away behind him. For a moment, it threatens to run into the unattended helmet on the ground, placed behind the keeper, but it misses by a whisker. A bye is taken, and England escape without the five-run penalty. The replays show that Root had reacted to his right to stop the ball with a dive and on closer look, it appears that the ball anyway was heading wide of the head gear.

This one is fired in at 88 mph with a bit of extra pace behind it, but the line is well outside off stump. Ravindra watches it closely all the way and is happy to let it pass. An easy leave and nothing to trouble the batter there.

Shortish and outside off, left alone.

Back of a length, on off, defended off the back foot.

FOUR! That's a lovely way to get off the pair. Full and around off, angling into the batter, and Ravindra is quickly into position. He leans forward, presents the full face of the bat and drives beautifully through mid off. The timing is exquisite, and the ball races away to the fence. A classy stroke to open his account, and one that will ease any nerves.

Tongue begins with a gentle loosener, full and outside off at 84 mph, it curls away a bit as well. Ravindra looks at it after pressing forward and then leaves it for the keeper.

The mystery of zero - Zero is such a intriguing digit. Place it after a number and the former's value increases magnificently. But place it without any number and 0 has no value. That's exactly how Rachin Ravindra would be feeling at the moment. He has faced just 9 balls in this innings, but given that he got a first-baller in the first innings, he will be eager to get that first run of this match. Here's Josh Tongue to make things harder. 3-1-10-1 so far.

Atkinson hurls across an 85 mph delivery, in the corridor outside off, Devon Conway has nothing to do with it.

Targets the off stump with a length ball, around off, Conway is forward and defends it near his front pad.

Skiddy delivery, full and outside off, angling in, Devon Conway is doing a good job in judging these deliveries and leaving. We have already seen plenty of left alone and bowled in this Test, so judgment is paramount.

85 mph in pace but not much life in this delivery. Back of a length, outside off, it's left alone once more. It dies down as it reaches the keeper.

Gus serves it on a length and just around off, Conway strides forward to cover the line and leaves this time.

At 86 mph, this is pitched on a good length around off and kicks on sharply after striking the seam. Conway is drawn into a tentative push, feeling for the ball outside his body line, but it zips past the bat. A lively delivery that carries through nicely to the keeper.

4 months adrift - Eagerly awaiting October 1. Among the newly proposed rules by the ICC, one of them is to swap to pink balls in Test matches, if the conditions become overcast and floodlights need to be switched on. The lights are on in full effect at the Home Of Cricket and the last thing we need now is for players to walk off the field for bad light.

Bowled on a length and outside off, an easy leave for Ravindra again.

Robinson delivers it on a good length, close to off, and there is some extra bounce as Rachin Ravindra leaves it alone. Jamie Smith collects the ball near his face. We have seen plenty of uneven bounce in this game already.

Inviting length, there to be driven outside off, Ravindra watches closely, makes sure that it's not nipping in to target his pads and then leaves it alone.

Identical to the last delivery and once again Rachin Ravindra offers the same treatment. He is calm on the back foot and blocks it safely towards point.

This is on a testing length just outside off, Ravindra presses forward and plays with soft hands, presenting a slightly angled bat face. He guides the ball towards point.

On and around off, shaping away a touch, Devon Conway plays late and dabs it towards point. They take a quick run.

In the zone outside off, Rachin leaves it to complete the over.

Taps a length ball down to covers and takes a single.

Tom and Jerry show begins - One runs, the other tries to catch. One of our most celebrated cartoons in our childhood. Or even now. The weather is doing the same to us. We are trying to have some action but the weather is trying to drive us out of the ground. Let's hope we stay for a bit longer this time.

NO BALL AND FOUR! That's aerial but safe. Full and outside off, Conway slices his attempted drive and his bottom hand comes off the handle. The ball flies over gully-point and finds the fence.

12.22 pm GMT resumption time! Covers coming off? Well, that's what we are hearing! Nasser Hussain mentioned that we might have missed the best weather window, which was during the time Lunch was being taken. But it seems like the weather is showing some kindness to all of us. It just seems like play might resume soon, but this is England. Before we can type resume, the job might get cancelled. As of now, the resumption time is 12.22 pm GMT.

Bizarre decision? Well, that's what Nasser Hussain feels on air, regarding the umpires' decision to call for an early Lunch, when the conditions were bright and sunny. But let's not forget, there are always multiple angles to one story. It is easy to say that play should have started at around, say 11.30 am GMT and carried on, with Lunch being scrapped. Logical thinking. But what we don't know is, what was the exact talk between the groundstaff and the umpires. From what we can assume, we feel that the groundstaff might have requested for around 30-40 minutes of time to clear the outfield. Remember, it has been raining since morning today. And looking at that, the umpires might have felt it best to take the Lunch break, since play would not have been possible any which ways. Till we get the full story, unwise to comment on anything. For now, we can just request these unwanted visitors to leave.

Going in again - 12.07 pm update - 'Rain coming in now, from the southwest', another update from Nasser Hussain. The umpires have a look at the heavens, but play goes on. In fact, it does not, as the umpires have called for the covers. So after just 11 balls of play, we are back to waiting. The score has moved by a smidgeon, with a run added to the tally and now, the brollies have started to open up in the stands. The rain is getting heavier by the minute.

Game stopped due to : Rain Stoppage

Hurls a length ball outside off, Conway guards his stumps and shoulders arms.

Lands it on a good length around off, shaping in a touch. Conway gets forward and presents the full face of the bat, easing it towards cover. There is a brief thought of a single, but a quick 'wait, wait' sends Rachin Ravindra back as the fielder moves smartly around the ball.

Pulls his length back a bit, around off, Devon Conway goes on the back foot and defends it to the off side.

Atkinson goes full and angles it around off, Devon is on the front foot as he drives firmly. It goes back to the bowler, and Gus Atkinson collects it nicely.

'The rain has stopped', quips Mel Jones on air. Helpful. There is a bit of blue overhead. Helpful again. But three-fourths of the sky is engulfed with grey skies. Not helpful.

On middle and leg, Ravindra works it towards mid-wicket.

Got him, gone! Nope. My ears are twitching. Full and just outside off, Rachin Ravindra pushes at it and there is a noise as the ball shoots past the outside edge. But that did not possibly hit the bat as no one appealed.

The first run of the day. Slightly full outside off, DC pushes it towards cover point and the two batters scamper across.

On a good length, decent bounce outside off, Devon shoulders arms.

This one nips back in a long way. Conway lunges again but misses his tick, to get hit on the stomach.

Full and around off, Devon Conway leans and pushes it towards cover.

Ollie time? Without a doubt. Ollie Robinson will bowl from the other end, hunting for his first wicket in this innings.

Ohoy! We have a ball in play! On a length, around off, Ravindra, who is on a pair, bunts it out.

All set to play? We certainly hope so. The clock is about to tick past 1 pm local and the players are on the field for the first time today. However, some unwanted dark clouds have come in to spoil the fun. As long as they don't burst open, we can have some sort of action happening. Nothing is worse than sitting and just waiting for something to happen, but seeing nothing happen. Rachin Ravindra has come in at number 5, replacing the night watchman, Will O'Rourke, to join Devon Conway. Gus Atkinson will complete his over, but even before we can start, Nasser Hussain murmurs, 'It has started to rain.' Here we go again...

Ollie's London love - We are not too far from resumption (hopefully) and one bowler who would be eager to get things rolling is Ollie Robinson. Making a Test comeback after 2 years and picking up his first wicket after nearly 3 years would have given him immense pleasure. Add to it, of his 81 wickets in Tests, 33 have come in London (Lord's and Oval), which makes it a shade less than 50 percent. Delving further, 21 of those 33 have come at Lord's alone, with his lowest tally in an innings being 2 wickets! He would want to make use of the momentum and try and wrap this match tonight itself, hoping that we get at least 40 overs of play.

Runs galore in Mullanpur - 100 for KL Rahul. 103 for Shubman Gill and ongoing. 81 for Sai Sudharsan. 50 for Rishabh Pant and ongoing. Not unexpected, but Afghanistan would be happy with a bit of respite from the schooling that they have been given on the opening day of the only Test against India. After electing to bat, the hosts have piled on a mammoth 368/3 in 85 overs, with their only disappointment being Yashasvi Jaiswal missing out. Of course, critics will point at Rahul and Sudharsan not carrying on and getting bigger scores but as a team, India would be relatively pleased. A 600-plus score seems to be on the cards, with the second aim being to pick a couple of Afghan wickets before close on Sunday. Azmatullah Omarzai was the only bowler who seemed to keep the hosts under some sort of a leash while the rest of the inexperienced attack got put to the sword.

Lunch time! Technically, the first session has not been entirely washed out but the scorecards will not say so. As mentioned earlier, the groundstaff has had a discussion with the umpires and convinced the latter to call for an early Lunch, with the second session scheduled to start at Noon GMT. Of course, when this decision was being made, the conditions were bright and sunny and hopes were not shied of expecting a clear day for the remaining two sessions. If one of the peers in our group is to be believed, Saturday is forecast to have the worst weather of all the five days and looking at the radar, it seems like a massive wet band is approaching the ground, which puts the rest of the day in jeopardy. But since we don't play for the weather, the ECB has released the revised timings for today (In GMT) - Session 2 - Noon-1510. Tea - 1510-1530. Session 3 - 1530-1800. Buffer - Additional 30 minutes to make up for pending overs. As many as 86 overs are scheduled for the day! Wow. Bangladesh would willingly accept this challenge of bowling so many overs in a shorter stipulated time. All the best!

Eeni Meeni Miini Moh - 10.45 am GMT update - Remember this rhyme from our childhood days? Was fun, wasn't it? The weather at Lord's seems to be just like that. The sun is back in full glory and once again, the groundstaff is back at work. Have to feel for them, as the moment they are in their rhythm of removing the water on the covers, back comes the rain. Sometimes, feel like asking the clouds - Either stay or go away. What do you have in mind? Meanwhile, the official update from Lord's is that Early Lunch will be taken at 11.20 am GMT. Common sense has prevailed here, with the first session as good as being washed out, might as well take the break early.

Time for a radical change? Sometimes it takes a good hit to understand the path you are treading. That time, you do feel that it is better to go one step back and then leap two steps ahead. Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes had set out on a path to change the mindset of English cricket. They succeeded for a brief period, with most of that success coming by making the tracks batting friendly. India did give them a test to think about their approach away from home, but that seemed to be a one-off case. However, the recent Ashes debacle has got them thinking again, trying to bring the bowlers into play rather than batters simply bashing the ball to all parts. This Test has been a real test for all batters and even though the hosts have been found wanting in their own conditions with the bat, what it has unearthed is - a lively bowling attack which was termed as pretty weak after the retirements of Anderson and Broad. It might just be a couple of days old, but to inflict wounds on the opposition despite Jofra Archer being absent is a good sign for future. Of course, a pancake most likely awaits us at The Oval for the second Test, but this performance will definitely give the bowling group plenty of confidence. After all, as the famous seers say - It is bowlers who win you Tests, don't they?

Raining now - 10.30 am GMT update - We are not going to start anytime soon, that's for sure. From gloomy to sunny to a mizzle to proper heavy rain now, it seems like the morning session is pretty closed to getting wiped out. We understand that there are around 90 minutes left in this session, but given that the groundstaff need close to an hour to get the ground ready after it stops raining, we might as well assume the worst. Get on your tea, biscuits or anything else that you might like for a snack and be ready to bed in for a longggg day.

Hide and seek -  10 am GMT update - Oh dear. The clouds have returned and the covers are back on, as a drizzle has started to go around the ground. We get into a deeper delay now.

Gone with the wind - 9.50 am GMT update - From China, we get back to England. We get back to a phrase from English. Almost as if never happened, the gloomy skies have given way to a sunny atmosphere. The groundstaff is quick to get to work and the hopes also get brightened up of a quick resumption. Fingers crossed.

The good rain knows when to fall - Lines from a poem by the famous Chinese poet, Du Fu. We are hearing that it's gloomy and overcast in London, covers firmly on the pitch and squares, and with just around ten minutes to go for the first ball, a timely start on Day 3 looks unlikely. Here's hoping the delay isn't a long one. Stay tuned for further updates from Lord's.

What's the hurry? Absolutely none. New Zealand have got 9 sessions to bat and if they bat for even half of those, they should reach the target. But they will need to grind it out. This is definitely not an easy pitch to bat on, with only two blokes getting to a half century and the highest score being 57. England seemingly were in comfort on two occasions on Friday - against the new ball and then once the ball got softer. However, to allow the home side add 99 runs for the last 4 wickets in its second innings despite a collapse earlier, might just come back to haunt the Kiwis. Just imagine - shave off even 70 runs out of 254 and suddenly, the contest looks more balanced. It can still turn out to be, if the visitors can have a wicketless morning session. That would solve two problems - wear off the new ball and take off close to 100 runs from the target. Let's see how the third day begins.

Another short story? Seems like it. Factor these - 1st Match - 1884 - Eng vs Aus - Match ended in 3 days with England winning by an innings and 5 runs.  25th Match - 1935 - Eng vs SA - Match ended in 3 days, in addition to a rest day, with South Africa winning by a massive margin of 157 runs.  50th Match - 1965 - Eng vs SA - Match ended in a 5-day draw, in addition to a rest day, with England unable to chase a target of 191 on the final day, falling 46 runs short.  75th Match - 1983 - Eng vs NZ - Match ended in 4 days, in addition to a rest day, with England winning comprehensively by 127 runs.  100th Match - 2000 - Eng vs WI - Match ended in 3 days with England just about scraping past a target of 188 with just 2 wickets in hand.  125th Match - 2012 - Eng vs SA - Match lasted the distance of 5 days, with England falling short of an imposing target of 346 by just 51 runs, in the final session. These are the previous 6 milestone matches at Lord's, in which, thrice has a Test match ended in 3 days. Additionally, only 4 times has a team successfully chased down a target in excess of 250 in the 4th innings here, in the previous 53 occasions.

254 too steep? Hmmm... we get it. We get it. We have just come out of a tournament where 220s were scored for fun and a score in excess of 250 gunned down once. But this is Test cricket. The ball is moving around for fun and one just feels happy for New Zealand that there is no Jofra Archer around. Still, they are at the ropes, having lost 2 wickets and a nightwatchman in a chase of 254. Arguably, they have got a minimum of 294 overs to try and get another 218 runs, at a required rate of a mere 0.74, with 7 wickets in hand. But if everything could be worked out by math, life and cricket would have been much simpler.

WEATHER REPORT - Now that we have mentioned about two factors as eerie as the three messrs DLS in cricket, let's have a peek at the weather report. When in England, no umbrella will go unsold, is the thinking. So one can never be sure of a bright sunny day of cricket. There were some showers early in the morning, but they have cleared up now. And if the forecast is to be trusted, then we should not have any more interruptions till 2 pm GMT at least, which should help us cover nearly 70 percent of the second session. Enough time for England to pick up the remaining 7 wickets?

Sunday plans - How about Paris? Yeah, the city of love. Especially for Alexander Zverev, who, probably has his best chance in the last 7 years to win a Grand Slam, having been unsuccessful in three finals so far. No? No tennis? Alright. How about Monaco then? Just on the border of France. Perhaps an England supporter might like seeing a Lewis Hamilton or a George Russell win the Monaco GP. Not that either? Yeah, understandable. Switching from a slow Test format to a rapid Formula 1 action might involve major adjustments. How about Mullanpur then? Care to see a minnow team give its best against one of the world's best? Ufff... but why are we talking about other events across the world? Simple. As optimistic as one might be, don't see this Test match enter into a fourth day. Unless, unless, unless - Mr. Thunderstorm or Mistress Rain have some plans made for Saturday. On that globetrotting note, hello and a warm welcome to the third and possibly final day of the 150th Test match at Lord's, between two lands of the European and Oceania continents.

... DAY 3 ...

The conclusion is near - The first Test of the English summer, and we have had only two days, but both of them have been filled with action. As many as 16 wickets fell on Day 1, but Day 2 was even better for the bowlers as 17 more wickets tumbled. The pacers from both teams have been immaculate and the pitch has offered enough assistance throughout to create chances. On Day 2, we saw Ollie Robinson pick up a five-fer on his return to the national team, followed by Nathan Smith's amazing six-wicket haul in the third innings. Right then, England are in pole position and will be eager to seal things probably within the first couple of sessions on Day 3. However, the Kiwis are known for the grit and will look to dig deep, but with their main man, a.k.a. Kane Williamson, back in the hut, someone needs to stand up and deliver. Do join us on Saturday, June 6, for Day 3 of this first Test between England and New Zealand. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 10 am GMT, but you can join us sooner as well for the build-up. Cheers!

English pacers get the job done - Fresh off a valiant showing with the bat, England knew that a couple of wickets before Day 2 ended would give them all the momentum heading into the next day. That is exactly what Gus Atkinson delivered, picking up a wicket right after resumption of play and Josh Tongue bowled fiery spell later, picking up the prized wicket of Williamson in the process as well. Atkinson came back on for one over before the day ended and finished off a perfect day for England by picking up another wicket.

Late daggers for New Zealand - The Kiwis would not have been all that pleased getting England all out so late in the day, as they knew they had to navigate a tough period, which they haven't managed to do well. After Tom Latham got out in the very first over of the chase, Kane Williamson's wicket just 10 minutes before Day 2 ended, has made a massive difference for both sides heading into Day 3. Eevn the nightwatchman, Will O'Rourke, couldn't survive and the Kiwis are in serious danger here.

England in command - Under 3 minutes to go in the day's play, and that means it will be STUMPS ON DAY 2! Two days, 33 wickets, and this Test is heading into a pretty quick conclusion. Day 3 should probably be the final day of the game, but there is a forecast for some rain and dark clouds, so you never know. With 7 wickets needed for the win and 217 runs still left to defend, it is safe to say that the hosts are favorite to win the opening Test of the English summer on this tricky Lord's pitch.

Game stopped due to : Wet Ground Condition

Game stopped due to : Rain Stoppage

Game stopped due to : Wet Ground Condition

OUT! TIMBER! That's an absolute jaffa from Gus Atkinson. Hard length, on off, with a hint of movement. Will O'Rourke stays in his crease and looks to block it, but gets beaten on the outside edge as the ball rattles over the top of off. England manage to send the nightwatchman back into the hut. They are 36/3, needing 218 more to win. Also, that will be STUMPS on Day 2.

FOUR LEG BYES! Gus Atkinson errs his line down the leg side, Will O'Rourke looks to flick it but the ball brushes his pads and races through the right of the fielder at leg gully, and towards the fence.

On the stumps, a tad fuller, Will O'Rourke blocks it to the point fielder.

Slows it up, outside off, Will O'Rourke leaves it alone.

Three runs! Much fuller, outside off, Devon Conway drives it through mid off. The fielder has a long chase to do as the batters collect three runs.

Gus Atkinson is back on, replacing Ollie Robinson.

Tight leave! Hard length, just outside off, and it stays low. Will O'Rourke reads it well and makes a tight leave. Tongue has his hands on his head, and he cannot believe that the ball hasn't angled in enough to knock over the off pole.

Much fuller, on middle, Will O'Rourke blocks it to the on side.

A review taken more in hope than anything else, and Williamson's probable final knock at Lord's in Test cricket doesn't end on a high. That brings Will O'Rourke, the nightwatchman, out to the middle with under 10 minutes of the day's play remaining.

OUT! LBW! This finger goes up this time. That looks plumb, but Kane Williamson reviews it. Angling in, on a length, on middle, and it shapes away later. Kane Williamson looks to block it but gets beaten on the outside edge as the ball hits his pads. A loud appeal and the finger goes up straightaway. The third umpire is called into action. Ultra Edge shows a flat line, and Ball Tracking shows three reds. Kane Williamson has to walk away. New Zealand are 29/2, and they still need 225 runs to win.

Too full, on middle, Kane Williamson defends it to mid on.

Beaten! Slows it up, outside off, Kane Williamson looks to block it but misses.

Much fuller, on middle and leg, Kane Williamson flicks it to square leg.

Hard length, on off, Devon Conway blocks it to cover.

Big appeal but nothing from the umpire! Ollie Robinson has a word with Ben Stokes and decides to send it upstairs. A yard behind good length, angling in, just outside off. Devon Conway tries to block it but gets beaten on the inside edge and the ball hits his pads. A loud appeal but the finger stays down. They refer. Nothing on Ultra Edge and Ball Tracking shows that the wickets are hitting, but the impact is umpire's call. That means we have to go with the umpire's call and it stays NOT OUT.

Fullish, on middle, Kane Williamson flicks it to short fine leg for a single.

Much fuller, on leg, Kane Williamson flicks it to the fielder at short leg.

FOUR! A fine shot! Short and wide, and Kane Williamson doesn't miss these. He latches onto it and punches it through point for a boundary.

A slower one, outside off, Kane Williamson tries to punch it but misses.

A quick breather for the Kiwi batters as the 12th man comes out with some refreshments. The umpire teels the 12th man to hurry back as only 20 minutes or so are left in the day's play. Also, Jamie Smith is now standing up to the stumps.

Hard length, on middle and leg, Kane Williamson tucks it away through short fine leg for a single.

Slows it up, outside off, Kane Williamson shoulders arms at it.

Angling in, on off, Kane Williamson blocks it to short cover.

Much fuller, outside off, Devon Conway drives it through covers. Ben Stokes has a long chase to do as the batters collect three runs.

Bangs it short, on off, Devon Conway hops a bit and taps it to short cover.

Nice and full, on leg, Devon Conway flicks it to the fielder at square leg.

Full and outside off, Devon Conway drives it to cover for a single.

Just short! Nice and full, outside off, Devon Conway drives it uppishly to the fielder at cover. The ball landed just short of Ben Stokes, who dives to his right and stops it on the bounce. Dot.

Angling in, on a length, on off. Devon Conway tries to block it but gets an inside edge onto his pads.

Hard length, down the leg side, Devon Conway looks to flick it but wears it high on his pads. The ball rolls towards the fielder at square leg.

Angling in, on a length, outside off. Devon Conway reads it well and makes a tight leave.

Sways it down the leg side, Devon Conway leaves it alone.

Good length, outside off, Kane Williamson shoulders arms at it.

Too full, swinging in, on off. Kane Williamson taps it to the mid off fielder.

Hard length, angling in, on off. Devon Conway hops a bit and taps it to wide of mid off for a quick single.

Back of a length, outside off, Devon Conway reads it well and leaves it alone towards the keeper.

Hard length, on middle, Kane Williamson knocks it to mid on for a single.

FOUR! That's a fine-looking shot from Kane Williamson! Much fuller, outside off, Kane Williamson leans on and cracks a drive through wide of mid off for a boundary.

Time for some extra pace as Josh Tongue comes in to replace Gus Atkinson.

Too full, outside off, Devon Conway looks to drive it but misces it to the mid on fielder.

Slightly shorter and it bounces extra. Devon Conway is caught by surprise as he fails to bring his bat down and gets a blow on his body.

Slows it up, outside off, Devon Conway leaves the harmless delivery.

Sways it down the leg side, Devon Conway looks to flick it but misses.

Angling in, a tad fuller, on off. Devon Conway blocks it to mid off.

Beaten! Hard length, outside off, holds the line. Devon Conway looks to block it but misses.

Dug into the surface, around off, jags back in sharply. Kane Williamson drops his hands, offering no shot but takes a hit on the thigh pad.

Edgy! Hard length and on middle, straightens after hitting the deck. Kane Williamson gets turned around as he looks to play. Gets an outside edge that goes through point for a brace.

Much fuller and on off, Kane Williamson gets forward and blocks it out.

Short of a length and on off, Kane Williamson stays back and keeps it out to the off side.

On a length and on middle, Kane Williamson pats it down the pitch.

Back of a length and on middle, Kane Williamson stays back and turns it past short leg.

Big shout for LBW, but turned down! Nagging length from Ollie Robinson, on middle, angling in sharply. Kane Williamson takes a couple of steps out and looks to play at it, but misses and gets hit on the pads. Ben Stokes has a chat with his bowler and keeper before taking the review very late. UlraEdge confirms no bat involved and Ball Tracking shows it is missing leg. Review lost!

Pitched up and on middle, Kane Williamson tucks it through square leg for a brace.

Another close leave! Back of a length and around off, jags back in, Kane Williamson decides to leave it very late as the ball once again misses the off pole by a couple of inches.

On a length and on middle, Kane Williamson pats it down to mid on.

Well bowled! Touch fuller and on middle and off, straightens a bit, Kane Williamson is forced to play at it due to the line but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Brave leave! Good length and just around off, nips back in a long way, Kane Williamson trusts his judgment and lets it go as the ball brushes past the off pole. Too close for comfort.

A beauty to end the over! Gus Atkinson lands this on a hard length and on middle and off, gets it to hold its line. Devon Conway is squared up, trying to play at that as the ball zips past the outside edge yet again.

Back of a length and well outside off, Devon Conway makes an easy leave.

Short of a length and around off, Devon Conway leaves it alone.

Pitched up and on off, Devon Conway goes for the drive again but gets an outside edge along the ground towards gully. Bottom hand came off once again, and it has been an issue for Conway in recent times.

FOUR! Streaky! A fuller delivery, just around off. Devon Conway throws his hands at but his bottom hand comes off the bat. It gets sliced off the outer half of the bat through point for a boundary.

Play and a miss! Good length and on off, shapes away a touch, Devon Conway gets drawn into a defensive stroke but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Pitched up, on middle, angling in, Kane Williamson steps across and drills it to mid on. He has a look at the bottom of the bat, as many of the batters have done in this game.

Absolute peach! Ollie Robinson hits the length hard and on off, threatens to angle in but holds its line, Kane Williamson has a poke at it but gets beaten on the outside edge. Well, it would not have mattered even if he edged it, as the umpire called a NO BALL for overstepping.

Pulls his length back a bit, on off, angling in again, Kane Williamson is solid in his defense.

One out, one in from Ollie Robinson! He goes a bit fuller and on middle, gets it to shape back in now, Kane Williamson watches it well and blocks it out.

Back of a length and in the channel outside off, gets it to shape away, Kane Williamson plays well inside he line of it as the ball goes through to the keeper.

On a length and around off, Kane Williamson opens the bat face and guides it through point for a couple of runs.

Ollie Robinson begins with a full delivery, on off, shapes in, Kane Williamson strides out and steers it towards point. Conway wants the run but he is sent back.

It will be Ollie Robinson to operate from the other end.

Beaten! Keeps the length full and on off, angles in but then leaves the left-hander, Devon Conway pushes hard at it but the ball zips past the outside edge. End of a probing first over from Gus Atkinson!

New Zealand are underway in the chase! Touch fuller and around off, Kane Williamson taps it with soft hands towards point for a quick single. Avoids a pair on his last Test at Lord's.

On a length and on middle, angling in, Kane Williamson tucks it to the leg side.

The worst possible start for the Kiwis. Kane Williamson walks out to bat in the very first over of the chase, and it will be the last time he'll be walking out to bat at Lord's in Test cricket.

OUT! EDGED AND GONE! A perfect start for Gus Atkinson and England. He serves this full and just around off, inviting the batter to go after it. Tom Latham obliges and goes for the big drive away from his body, but only manages to get a thick outside edge towards second slip, where Harry Brook takes a good catch near his head. A very loose shot from the Kiwi skipper as he walks back for a three-baller. New Zealand are 0/1, chasing 254 runs.

An appeal for caught behind, but turned down! Gus Atkinson lands this back of a length and on off. He bowls this with a wobble seam and gets it to shape away. Tom Latham gets squared up as the ball goes past the outside edge, brushes the thigh pad on the way to the keeper.

Gus Atkinson starts with a full delivery, on off, angling in, Tom Latham pushes it towards cover and shouts 'Hold on'.

OUT! TAKEN! Nathan Smith wraps things up with a six-fer. England have been bowled out for 226, setting up a target of 254 for New Zealand. Smith goes fuller and on middle again. Ollie Robinson gets his front foot out again to launch it down the ground but fails to get under it and mistimes it high in the air. Glenn Phillips at short mid-wicket settles under the high ball and pouches it safely.

Pitched up and around off, Ollie Robinson clears his front leg and bunts it down the ground but fails to beat mid on.

Much fuller and on middle, attacking the stumps, Ollie Robinson blocks out well.

A bouncer at 131 kph, on middle, Ollie Robinson ducks under it.

Hard length and around off, Ollie Robinson backs away and stabs it to the left of the bowler.

Full and on middle, angling in, Ollie Robinson gets his bat down to fend it off the inner half towards square leg.

Shout for LBW, but not given! Fuller one and on middle, angling in sharply again, Shoaib Bashir tries to play from the crease but misses and gets hit on the back pad. Looks to be going down the leg side, but Tom Latham takes the review. UltraEdge confirms no bat involved and Ball Tracking does show it to be missing leg. New Zealand lose another review.

Ouch! Will O'Rourke bangs this into the pitch, around off, jags back in a long way. Shoaib Bashir tries to leave it on length, but the ball angles in to hit his midriff.

Hard-length delivery and around off, shapes away, Shoaib Bashir leaves it alone.

Much fuller and on off, shaping in, Ollie Robinson is expecting a short ball and gets hurried. He just manages to get his bat in line as the ball goes off the inside edge towards square leg. Ollie thinks he can get a double but has to settle for one. Three balls to survive for Shoaib Bashir.

Short of a length and on off, jags back in viciously, Ollie Robinson cannot get out of the way. He takes his bottom hand off and turns his head as the ball goes off the shoulder of the bat towards third man. No run taken.

Back of a length and on off, gets some extra bounce, Ollie Robinson does well to keep his hands away from the ball as it goes to the keeper.

How did that miss the stumps? Just short of a length and around off, gets it to jag back in a long way. Shoaib Bashir gets cut in half as the ball goes past the inside edge and just over the stumps. Hands on heads for Smith.

Hits the length hard, on off, nips back in sharply, Shoaib Bashir makes a good leave.

Goes wide of the crease and pitches it up, but on the pads, Shoaib Bashir tucks it away to mid-wicket.

Back of a length and on off, angles in but then moves away off the deck, Shoaib Bashir has a poke at it but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Fuller and on middle, angling in, Shoaib Bashir blocks it out well.

Shoaib Bashir is the last man in.

OUT! BOWLED'EM! A special moment for Nathan Smith as he picks up a magnificent fifer at Lord's. He lands this on a good length and just on off, gets it to straighten after hitting the deck. Josh Tongue stays back and tries to play at it, but does so down the wrong line and gets squared up. The ball goes past the outside edge and hits the top of the off stump. England are 225/9, leading by 252 runs.

Hard length and on off, nips back in, Josh Tongue pats it towards cover for a run.

Pitched up and on off, Josh Tongue chips it a bit uppishly but wide of the bowler as the ball trickles towards mid off.

Pushes this a bit fuller and around off, Ollie Robinson guides it off the outer half of the bat wide of deep third for a single. He wants the second but Daryl Mitchell is quick to release the ball to stop the batters from taking two.

Bangs this into the pitch, on off, Ollie Robinson once again gets on top of the bounce and dabs it point.

Short of a length and on off, Ollie Robinson rides the bounce and steers it towards point.

Fuller in length and on middle, angling in, Ollie Robinson steps across to clip it away but misses and it goes down leg.

A beauty to end the over from Nathan Smith. Bowled from wide on the crease, pitched full and angled into off, drawing the batter forward. Tongue leans on to drive, but the ball nibbles away and beats the outside edge.

Full again, attacking off again, Tongue blocks it off the front foot this time.

Relatively full, just outside off, and nips back in. Tongue defends it late and with soft hands towards point.

On a length, attacking the top of off, Josh Tongue blocks it from the crease.

Pitched full and on off, Tongue looks to drive but miscues it completely to mid on.

Tap and run. Good length on middle, pushed towards mid on for a single. England now lead by 250 runs.

FOUR LEG BYES! Too straight from the bowler, and England get four more extras. Fullish length, sliding down leg, Tongue gets inside the line to flick but misses. The ball brushes the pads, beats the keeper and goes into the fine leg fence.

Back of a length, shooting off the deck, Tongue hops back and keeps it down nicely.

FOUR! That's a classic shot from Tongue. On the fuller side, around middle, Josh Tongue gets his head down and plays a lovely on drive. The fielder from mid on runs after it, but the ball speeds away to the fence.

Short of a length, in and around off, Tongue presses back to keep it down.

A half-hearted appeal for LBW, but that's going down leg. That in-between length from O'Rourke, nips back in a long way as well. Tongue is beaten all ends up and wears it on the pads.

A direct hit, and he was gone. Kane Williamson is furious to have missed the stumps. Back of a length, on off, Robinson dabs it late towards gully and sets off for the single. Williamson runs to his right, picks it up quickly and fires in a throw at the keeper's end. He misses and Josh Tongue, who was nowhere in the frame, can breathe a sigh of relief.

The last recognised batter for England is gone now. Josh Tongue walks out to bat. Also, Will O'Rourke replaces Kyle Jamieson.

OUT! TIMBER! Jamie Smith walks back disappointed, but there's nothing much he could have done about it. Nathan Smith goes wider on the crease again, bowls a wobble-seam delivery and angles it a long way back into the stumps. The ball pitches around off, and darts back in, but stays fairly low as well. Jamie leans on to block, but the ball beats the inside edge and smashes into the middle pole. Jamie departs after a valiant knock and England now lead by 240 runs.

Way too short, wide outside off. Robinson goes after it with half an intent and gets it aerially over the point region for a single in the deep.

A touch fuller, slipped into the pads, tucked down to fine leg's right for a single.

Fractionally short again, straighter too, hacked away across the line to deep mid-wicket for a run.

Much better length. Pitched full and on the fourth stump line, nips away as well. Robinson stays back to cut but is well beaten.

FOUR! That's pure nonchalance from Ollie Robinson. Shorter and wide outside off, Robinson stays back, opens the bat face and uppishly guides it through the point region, picking up four runs. Robinson has moved into the 20s now.

Back to over the wicket for Smith. Good length, in the channel, blocked late and with soft hands by Smith.

Kyle changes the angle to cramp up the batter. Bowled from around the wicket, a tad bit short and on leg. Robinson pulls it away to deep mid-wicket and turns the strike over.

A straight bouncer now, over middle, Robinson backs away and tries to uppercut but misses.

That's nicely played. Full and around off, Robinson gets into a side on stance, hangs back and opens the face of the blade, guiding it to the right of deep point for a couple of runs.

FOUR! Streaky, but that also brings up the 200 for England. A proper bumper, following the batter down leg. Ollie Robinson throws his bat at it and gets a top edge that goes over the keeper and into the fence on the fine leg side.

Ollie Robinson signals to the dugout for a new bat. He gets the replacement and we are good to go.

Jamieson keeps banging it in short, and Robinson keeps playing his shots. Short of a length, outside off, swatted away wide to the right of the mid on fielder for a brace.

Length again, on off, solidly blocked off the front foot by Jamie Smith.

Bowled from wider on the crease, targeting the top of middle. Jamie Smith defends it with a straight bat.

Short ball, pulled flat and on the bounce to the man at deep square leg for a single.

No ball! Nathan Smith has overstepped here. Back of a length, over middle, Robinson looks to drag the pull away but gets an inside edge and the ball goes on to hit him straight in the box. A bit of a blow as Nathan Smith too falls over in the follow-through.

Again, the intent from Robinson is very positive. Hammered on a length, around off, Robinson backs away and lofts it off the toe end of the bat, and back over the bowler's head towards long off for a couple of runs more.

FOUR! Up and over. Slightly pitched up on middle, Robinson plants his front foot ahead and just clubs it over mid on for a boundary. England's lead now grows to 220.

Full and straight, targeting the toes. Robinson flicks it firmly but straight to Rachin Ravindra, who is standing just in front of square on the leg side.

Fullish length, wide outside off, dabbed away to the left of Devon Conway at deep point for a couple of runs.

Good length, around the top of off, blocked to covers.

Wow, that's moved quite a bit off the deck. Dug in again, outside off, looks to be seaming in, but just keeps going away. Smith leaves the ball which ends up at first slip.

Intent from Ollie Robinson right away. Dug in short again, just outside off. Robinson rocks baxck, gets on top of the bounce and muscles the pull shot through wide mid on, picking up three runs.

The threatening 57-run partnership has been broken and New Zealand needed that. Ollie Robinson comes out to the middle now.

OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! And just like that, out of nowhere, Gus Atkinson gifts his wicket away. Kyle Jamieson bashes the ball into the deck, just short of a length and over the stumps. Gus Atkinson leans back and looks to pull, but the ball gets big on him and Atkinson ends up miscuing it badly. The ball lobs straight back up and Jamieson hardly has to move an inch as he pouches it safely. Atkinson departs after a handy stand and England now lead by 211 with 3 wickets remaining.

Fullish length around off, Atkinson gets well forward and blocks it off. The lateral movement seems to have dried down a lot and the Kiwis need some inspiration here, otherwise England are piling on a substantial second-innings lead.

Good running, forcing an error in the field. Good length on the pads, Jamie misses the flick and the ball deflects off the pads down to fine leg. The batters push for two and force a misfield, eventually getting it with ease. Given as leg byes.

A bit full and well wide outside off, Jamie Smith stands tall and looks to hit on the up. He gets it off the toe end of the bat and in front of square on the off side for a couple of runs.

Hard length, over off stump, Smith watchfully defends.

Half an appeal for LBW, nothing more. Just back of a length, slanted back into the batter. Jamie plays around it a bit and gets struck on the thigh pad.

Wide of the crease again from Smith, angled back in. Atkinson comes forward to negate the angle and shovels it into the leg side for one more.

That in-between length, attacking the stumps, Atkinson nudges it across to the on side.

Jamieson keeps the length short again, attacks the bodyline this time. Gus Atkinson gets inside the line and angles the pull down to fine leg for one.

Shorter in length, outside off, and shaping away. Atkinson looks to play at it but gets beaten.

Short of a good length, on middle and leg, just tucked away through mid-wicket for a run.

Hard length, Atkinson walks down the pitch, but gets a bit of an extra bounce. He does well to fend it through backward point and picks up a single. The 50-run stand is up between these two as well.

Length again, pushed in towards the batter, trying to shape it away. Atkinson gets right behind the line and blocks it off.

On a length and outside off, straightens a touch. Atkinson shoulders arms at it.

FOUR BYES! Simply unplayable, but it's cost the bowling team 4 extra runs. Nathan goes wider on the crease yet again and bowls the big in-dipper. The ball pitches around off, Jamie Smith stays back to block, but it just keeps coming in. Goes between bat and pad and misses the leg stump, running away towards the fine leg fence as well. England's lead now goes past 200 runs.

Nicely worked away. Nathan Smith goes wider on the crease and angles in a full ball on middle. Atkinson taps it between square leg and mid-wicket and picks up a single.

Good-length delivery, around the fifth stump line, and darts back in. Atkinson pushes it off the inside half of the blade and back down the pitch.

Not all that full, in and around off. Jamie Smith looks to cover drive but gets it off the outer half of the blade, to the left of deep backward point and collects a single.

Pitched up outside off, driven on the up but straight to short cover.

Back of a length, angled in from wider on the crease. Smith looks to punch off the back foot but gets an inside edge towards the on side.

Who bowls now? It will be Nathan Smith.

Another one, and Atkinson nearly chips it straight to the fielder. Full, angled in from outside off. Atkinson gets inside the line and clips it on the bounce to Matt Henry at mid on.

There's the nip-backer. Good length, darts back into middle, Atkinson manages to keep it out towards mid on.

Played with soft hands. Pitched fuller and in the channel, Atkinson leans on and pushes at it, gets an outside edge, which goes to the left of a squarish deep third and the batters get two runs.

Dug in a bit shorter, Smith has the time to press back, and he gently dabs it wide of the gully fielder for one more.

Aerial but safe! Bashed into the turf, wide outside off. Atkinson walks down the pitch and plays it tentatively over the point region for a single.

Let down the off side. Back of a length, on the fifth stump line, going straight on. Gus Atkinson leaves it alone.

We are back for the last session! The players are already out in the middle now. Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith to resume batting for England. Kyle Jamieson will start proceedings with the ball. Here we go...

... DAY 2, SESSION 3 ...

Kiwi seamers trigger middle-order collapse - Dark clouds hovered over the ground as New Zealand’s seamers made full use of the conditions, ripping through England from 126/2 to 127/6. Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke did the bulk of the damage with three wickets in consecutive overs, dragging the Kiwis back into the contest. Jamie Smith then counter-attacked with a quick 31, with Atkinson offering support as England reached Tea without further loss and tightened their grip on the game. New Zealand will aim to wrap things up quickly in the final session, while England look to add crucial runs and set a testing target for the visitors. Join us in a bit to catch all the action of the final session.

Early drama sets the tone - Things began in dramatic fashion as Matt Henry struck Emilio Gay in front, only for the decision to go the batter’s way and New Zealand to miss a review they soon regretted, with Ball Tracking showing three reds. Devon Conway then put down Jacob Bethell, and England cashed in on the lifelines, with Gay bringing up a classy maiden fifty at Lord’s. The pair added a crucial 47-run stand to steady the innings, before Bethell’s stay was ended by a delivery from Matt Henry that stayed alarmingly low and left him with little chance to respond.

Tea, Day 2! A gripping session of Test cricket unfolded after the drinks break, with momentum swinging quickly on a surface that continues to challenge batters. Despite a middle-order collapse, England have edged ahead and stretched their lead to 193 runs, a strong advantage on a pitch where run-making remains difficult. With conditions still favouring the bowlers, England now hold a firm grip on the contest heading into the final phase.

Slightly shorter again, on leg, Jamie Smith stands tall and blocks it back to the bowler. That will be Tea Break on Day 2.

Back of a length, on middle, Jamie Smith blocks it to the left of the bowler.

FOUR! Brilliant from Jamie Smith! Much fuller, just outside off, Jamie Smith goes forward and knocks it down through mid off. The fielder chases but the ball wins the race.

Good length, outside off, Jamie Smith leaves it alone.

FOUR! Beautifully timed through the cover! Hard length, on off, Jamie Smith takes a step forward and drives it through covers for a boundary.

Hard length, on off, Jamie Smith blocks it to mid on.

Oh! A yorker, down the leg side, Gus Atkinson fails to get his bat down in time and wears it on his shoes. A loud appeal but nothing from the umpire. Tom Latham sends it upstairs to have a check. Ball Tracking shows that the ball was pitching outside leg. The on-field decision stands NOT OUT.

A tad fuller, on off, Gus Atkinson blocks it back to the bowler.

Short again, on off, Gus Atkinson hops a bit and blocks it to short cover.

Bangs it short, on leg, Gus Atkinson ducks under it.

Slows it up, on off, Jamie Smith punches it to left of cover for a single.

Good length, on middle and leg, Jamie Smith blocks it to mid on.

A tad fuller, on off, Gus Atkinson blocks it to the left of the bowler.

Back of a length, on middle and leg, Gus Atkinson eases it to the mid on fielder.

On the stumps, a tad fuller, Jamie Smith taps it down the ground for a single.

Back of a length, outside off, Jamie Smith leaves it alone. The ball hits the keeper's glove and rolls towards the slip fielder.

Angling in, on a length, on middle. Jamie Smith blocks it to mid on.

Nice and full, on leg, Jamie Smith looks to flick it but gets a leading edge as the ball rolls towards backward point. They collect two runs.

A sharp bouncer, on leg, Gus Atkinson ducks underneath it.

Good length, down leg, and it keeps low. Jamie Smith looks to flick it but misses. The keeper fails to collect it as the batters collect a bye.

Back of a length, on off, Jamie Smith blocks it to short cover.

FOUR! That's a beautiful shot from Jamie Smith! Hard length, just outside off, Jamie Smith rides the bounce and punches it in the gap through covers for a boundary.

Back of a length and on off, nips back in, Jamie Smith looks to pull it away but this is not that short. He gets an inside edge onto his pads as the ball goes nowhere.

Good length and on the pads, Gus Atkinson glances it to deep fine leg for a single.

On a length and on middle, Jamie Smith fends it back to the bowler. Maiden over!

Short of a length and outside off, shoots up off the deck and moves away a long way. Jamie Smith fails to reach out to it. Tom Blundell, who is standing up to the stumps, grabs it sharply to his right above his head.

Hard length now, on off, shapes away a touch, Jamie Smith keeps it out to the off side.

Back of a length and on off, moves away with extra bounce, Jamie Smith dabs it towards point.

Back of a length, on middle and leg, Jamie Smith eases it to the mid on fielder.

Fuller delivery, on off, shapes away but not at express pace, Jamie Smith gets forward and blocks it out.

Matt Henry is back on.

Back of a length and on middle, nips back in, Jamie Smith controls his flick along the ground to deep backward square leg for a run. England lead by 175 runs now!

FOUR! Nicely played! Back of a length and around off, Jamie Smith gets on top of the bounce and punches it with sweet timing through cover-point for a boundary.

Good length and on off, Jamie Smith stays back in and pats it towards short cover.

Fuller one and angling into the leg side, Gus Atkinson clips it past leg slip and towards fine leg for a single.

A good bouncer now, on middle, Gus Atkinson manages to duck under it.

Bangs this into the pitch at 138 kph, on middle, skids through and angles in. Gus Atkinson cannot get out of the way and takes a blow on his shoulder.

EDGED AND FOUR! Fortuitous for Jamie. On a fuller length, fairly outside off, and nipping away off the seam. Jamie Smith is sucked out to play the cover drive, but gets a fat outside edge. It flies flatly between gully and second slip. Glenn Phillips puts in an acrobatic dive to his left from gully, but it stays out of his reach and races away.

Hits the deck very hard, on top of middle. Jamie Smith gets on the toes to block it in front.

FOUR! Precious runs for the hosts. Not in complete control, though. Lands it around off, on a fuller length. Jamie Smith tries to drive it in the cover gap, but the ball moves away and he ends up slicing it wide of gully. Beats the chase of a couple of fielders and races away to the fence.

In-angler on the pads, Gus Atkinson clips the length ball to deep mid-wicket for a single.

FOUR! Gloriously hit! Hard length, outside off, shaping away. Gus Atkinson walks out of the crease, taps the front foot forward, hits through the line and creams it through point for a boundary. Right off the meat of the bat. England lead by 160 runs.

Fires it full and on off, Gus Atkinson draws the front foot ahead and blocks it to the off side.

A rib-tickler going down leg, on a short length. Jamie Smith gets inside the line to leave.

Slight halt! Jamie Smith looks unhappy with his bat, and he replaces it.

Nip-backer again, on off, Jamie Smith awkwardly knocks the length ball off the splice of the bat to the point region.

Bangs it short, but the line is wayward, down leg. Jamie Smith lets it pass. Tom Blundell leaps a bit to his left to gather the ball around his face.

Jags back in on top of off. Jamie Smith gets on top of the bounce and taps it back to the bowler.

Nips in from outside off, short in length. Jamie rides the bounce and bunts it down the pitch with soft hands.

Tails in from middle to leg, full in length. Jamie Smith's bottom hand comes off the handle, but he manages to tap the ball through mid on for a couple of runs to get off the mark.

Hard length, swinging away, Gus Atkinson leaves it alone.

Full and just outside the off stump. Atkinson gets forward and drives it back to the bowler.

What an absolute ripper from Nathan Smith. Ben Stokes shakes his head and walks back for a duck. Gus Atkinson is the next batter.

OUT! CLEANED HIM UP! Another corker of a ball from Nathan Smith and he is over the moon. Stokes helplessly watches his undoing. From around the stump, Smith lands it somewhere around the off stump line and gets it to nip back in sharply. Stokes is squared up slightly while blocking it off the back foot. But he plays the wrong line and is beaten on the outside edge before the ball rattles the stumps behind. 126/2 becomes 127/6 for England, as they lead by 154 runs.

Good length, swinging away outside off, Stokes leaves it.

Touch fuller, around off, Stokes leans across and eases it to cover.

A superb passage of play for New Zealand as they reduce England from 126/2 to 127/5. Skipper Ben Stokes comes out to the middle with his team in a spot of bother.

OUT! LBW! An absolute peach of a delivery from Smith and what a fantastic passage of play this has been for the Kiwis. Pitched slightly fuller and it jags back in very sharply, hurrying Root up. He is rooted in the crease and looks to block, but the ball sneaks past the inside edge and hits on the flap of the front pad. A big, confident appeal for LBW and up goes the finger instantly. Joe Root doesn't look that confident, but he has a chat with Jamie Smith and then opts for a review. Looks to have gone too close to the inside edge. UltraEdge shows a flat line. Ball Tracking projects the ball to clip the top of middle and leg stumps, on umpire's call. So the on-field decision is upheld. England do not lose the review but they lose a vital wicket in the form of Root. The hosts are 127/5, leading by 154 runs.

Two wickets in two overs and New Zealand are right back in the game. Jamie Smith walks out to bat now.

OUT! LBW! The finger goes up. Harry Brook goes upstairs to have a check. Hard length, on middle, shaping in a long way. Harry Brook is caught by surprise and is late to get his bat down as the ball hits his pads. A loud appeal and the finger goes up straightaway. Harry Brook refers. Ball Tracking shows three reds with the ball hitting the top of the leg stump. The on-field decision stands. Harry Brook walks back for a duck.

Short, on middle, Harry Brook ducks underneath it.

Good length, on off, Harry Brook pushes it to the gully fielder.

Bangs it short, outside off, Harry Brook leaves it alone.

Hard length, on off, Joe Root pushes it to short cover for a single.

Back of a length, angling in, on leg. Joe Root looks to block it but gets a blow on his body. The ball rolls back towards the bowler. Dot.

End of a fine knock from the newest member of the England Test team. That brings the highest scorer from the first innings, Harry Brook, out to the middle now. Also, Will O'Rourke comes back into the attack.

OUT! CAUGHT! A fine innings from Emilio Gay comes to an end. Nathan Smith bowls it on a length, just outside off, with a hint of away movement. Emilio Gay stays in his crease and loosely pokes at it. The ball kisses the outside edge of Gay's bat and goes behind towards the keeper, Tom Blundell, who makes no mistake. England are 126/3 and they lead by 153 runs now.

A tad fuller, on off, Joe Root blocks it to short cover.

Slightly shorter again, just outside off, Emilio Gay hops a bit and punches it through left of point for a single.

Back of a length, outside off, Emilio Gay shoulders arms at it.

Good length, outside off, Emilio Gay tries to leave it but the ball hits his bat and bounce towards the fielder at gully, who does well to stop it. Dot.

Halt! Nathan Smith is not happy with the landing area. He is trying to flatten it by scratching his boot at it, but is still not convinced. Now, one of the ground staff comes out with the rammer and smacks a few times, which seems to have done the job. We are good to go again.

Much fuller, just outside off, Emilio Gay plays it with soft hands towards the slip fielder.

Nice and full, on middle, Joe Root eases it to the left of mid on. Dot.

A tad fuller, outside off, Joe Root lunges and drives it through covers for a brace. England's lead goes past 150!

Length and outside off, Joe Root leaves it alone towards the keeper.

Slows it up, just outside off, Emilio Gay pushes it to short cover for a single.

That kept low. Hard length, outside off, and it keeps low. Emilio Gay tries to slap it but misses.

Kyle Jamieson bowls a fuller one, on middle, Emilio Gay blocks it to the left of the bowler.

DRINKS! England have extended their lead to 148 runs in the first hour or so of this session. Leading the way is the debutant, who notched up a fine maiden fifty and is looking in fine touch. New Zealand only managed to pick up one wicket in this phase, but it should have been more. They did not take a review for an LBW call, which was out, and then Devon Conway dropped a sitter. Catching has been an issue for them in this game, and that has cost them dearly. The Kiwis will hope that they can pick up a couple of wickets before Tea as the pitch still has plenty for the bowlers to exploit. A few dark clouds are hovering over Lord's as well, but we hope that the rain stays away.

Slightly shorter, outside off, Joe Root shoulders arms at it. England are 121/2, and they lead by 148 runs now.

On the stumps, a tad fuller, Joe Root stays in his crease and blocks it to mid off.

Good length, outside off, shaping away. Joe Root leaves the harmless delivery.

Drags his length back, on middle. Joe Root hops a bit and blocks it to the right of the bowler.

Hard length, shaping in, on off. Emilio Gay eases it to the right of point for a quick single.

Nathan Smith goes full, just outside off, Emilio Gay blocks it to short cover.

Pitched full in front of middle. Joe Root clips it straight to the mid on fielder.

Cuts in from off, on a length. Root covers the stumps with just a little shimmy down the pitch and blocks it to the leg side off the inside edge. Good bit of adjustment from Root there after being trapped in the previous ball.

Kyle attacks the pads and gets the ball to tail in on a fuller length. Joe Root's head falls over while attempting the flick shot. He plays over it and is struck on the front pad. A muted appeal for LBW, but nothing doing.

Hits the deck very hard, does Jamieson, on top of off. Root hops back and blocks it to the off side.

Shaping away ever so slightly, outside off, Root lets it be.

FOUR! Edged, but through! Touch full and around off. Joe Root is drawn forward to block but the ball straightens up and takes the outside edge. Root is known for playing the ball right under the eyes, and he does so on this occasion as well. Plays with soft hands and the ball scoots through the turf, to the right of the diving second slip fielder for a boundary.

An expensive return into the attack for Nathan Smith. England are putting themselves in a commanding position in this game now.

FOUR! Elegance written all over it! Full again by Nathan, on the pads. Emilio Gay uses his wrists and flicks it along the ground, and through the mid on and mid-wicket gap for a boundary.

FIFTY FOR EMILIO GAY! A perfect venue to bring up his maiden Test fifty. The crowd at Lord's cheers for this brilliant knock from the debutant, who is growing in confidence on a difficult pitch. Fuller and swinging in from middle. Emilio Gay flicks it to deep backward square leg for a couple of runs to get to his milestone. A special moment for Emilio and he will cherish this for his lifetime.

The stumps are attacked, skidding through on a fuller length. Gay is rushed on the shot and knocks it back to the bowler.

FOUR MORE! Much deliberation on this occasion! Fuller now, on off, Emilio Gay presses in front, plays the ball right under his eyes, opens the bat face at the point of contact and guides it through gully and second slip for a boundary.

FOUR! Helped away! Good length, outside off. This one kicks up while nibbling away. Emilio Gay throws his hands at it and scythes it between gully and second slip for a boundary. Emilio Gay is inching closer to his maiden Test fifty. He moves to 44.

Two is the call and they will get it. On a back of a length, on off, Emilio Gay lets the ball nip away and then eases it through backward point and hurries back for the second.

Change? Nathan Smith was seen warming up before this over. Yes, he replaces Matt Henry.

Nagging length, slightly outside off, Root offers no shot.

Wide outside off, Root ignores the length ball through to the keeper.

Shade fuller in length, just outside off. Emilio takes a big stride across and creams it through cover for a single. 100 up for England, and they lead by 127 runs.

Sprayed down the leg stump line, on a good length. Gay misses to glance it away.

Full and tailing in on the pads. Emilio Gay brings his bat in front and pushes it to mid on.

Good length, around off, Gay defends this to cover.

That kept way too low. Really unfortunate for Jacob Bethell, but he has to walk back. Joe Root walks in at number 4.

OUT! BOWLED'EM! Very little could Bethell do about this pea-roller. Henry comes from around the stump, lands this around off, on a good length. It lands on the seam and jags back in and also stays underground, barely rising at knee height. It outfoxes Bethell completely, who draws his bat in front to block, but is squared up. The ball sneaks below the blade and crashes into the off pole behind him. Bethell did work really hard out there, but has to walk back. Henry has a wicket to his name and England are 99/2, leading by 126.

Angled into the batter, Bethell nudges the length ball to wide mid-wicket.

Nips away now, full and around off. Jacob gets on the front foot to defend, but gets a fat outside edge. Since he plays it with soft hands, the ball goes through the floor, between second slip and gully for a couple of runs.

Half an LBW appeal, and not given. Length-delivery that nips back in from middle to leg. Jacob Bethell is beaten on the inside edge is hit on the thigh pad.

Length ball, on off, Bethell presses back and eases it down to mid on.

Fuller and outside the off stump. Jacob Bethell is drawn forward for a block, gets a thick outside edge, on the bounce to the fielder at gully.

Way too short, angling in and on top of middle. Emilio Gay safely ducks underneath it.

In the channel, on a length, Emilio Gay hangs back and knocks to backward point.

Back of a length with a tired bounce off the surface. Emilio Gay tucks it off the back foot to mid-wicket.

Full and on off, Emilio Gay pushes at it, looking to drive down the ground. Gets an inside edge and the ball squirts to the mid-wicket region.

Pitched full and attacking the front pad, Emilio Gay gets across and flicks it to short mid-wicket.

Kyle Jamieson is back into the attack. Around the stump, hard length, slanting into the batter with some bounce. Emilio Gay gets squared up and bunts it down the pitch. Gets more off a leading edge back to the bowler.

Fairly outside off, on a length. Jacob lets the harmless delivery go through.

Touch full, around off, Emilio lunges forward and taps it behind point for a single.

Good length, nibbling away from off. Gay is squared up and is beaten on the outside edge, trying to block off the back foot.

Full and outside off. Gay leans forward to drive on the off side, but ends up getting an inside edge to short mid-wicket.

Full on middle, Gay pats it back to the bowler.

Risky running! Back of a length, cutting sharply back in from off. Emilio Gay hops and cuts it to deep backward point. Emilio rushes back for the second but he plonks the bat instead of sliding it in at the batting end. Eventually makes it through as the throw from the deep is a bit wide of the keeper, where Tom Blundell collects it to his right.

Into the surface, around off, shaping away, Jacob Bethell offers no shot at it. Good carry through to the keeper.

On a length and on middle, angling in, Jacob Bethell blocks it back to the bowler.

Hits the deck hard and on the sixth stump line, Jacob Bethell gets on top of the bounce and keeps it out.

A well-directed bouncer, on middle, Jacob Bethell is just a bit late to duck under. It hits his back and flies behind, where Tom Blundell dives to his left to grab it.

And again! Short of a length and on off, much closer to the body of the batter. Jacob Bethell goes for the cut but gets a bottom edge onto the pitch. He needs to be careful as he could easily drag one of those back onto the stumps.

Back of a length and around off, stops on the surface, Jacob Bethell looks to punch it away but ends up chopping it down onto the off side.

Full again and on middle and off, Emilio Gay drills it towards mid off.

FOUR BYES! Matt Henry is really struggling to find his rhythm! He errs in line and serves this full and way down the leg side. Emilio Gay lets it go and the keeper, Tom Blundell, has no chance of stopping that as it races to the fine leg fence for a boundary.

Short of a length and around off, Jacob Bethell opens the face of his bat and guides it through point for a single.

Back of a length and on off, angles in, Jacob Bethell stays back and blocks it out solidly.

Good length and on off, nips back in, Jacob Bethell steps across to play at it but gets an inside edge past mid-wicket for a couple of runs. England lead by 116 runs now!

Fuller in length and on middle, Jacob Bethell takes a couple of steps out and knocks it down the pitch.

Another bumper, on middle and leg this time, Emilio Gay ducks underneath again.

Full again and outside off, shaping away, Emilio Gay shoulder arms to it.

Slightly fuller in length and around off, keeps low, Emilio Gay adjusts well and fends it towards cover.

Back of a length and on middle and off, Emilio Gay rides the bounce and pats it down in front of point.

A bouncer at 141 kph, on middle, Emilio Gay ducks under it well.

Bangs this into the pitch, just around off, gets some steep bounce. Emilio Gay plays inside the line of it as the ball goes through to the keeper.

On a length and on off, Emilio Gay opens the bat face and guides it towards point for one.

Short of a length and around off, Emilio Gay lets it go to the keeper.

Hard length and around off, nips back in, Jacob Bethell looks to play at it but gets an inside edge through backward square leg for a run.

Touch fuller and on the pads, Emilio Gay clips it to deep fine leg for a single.

Beauty! Matt Henry lands this in that in-between length, on off, gets it to straighten a bit. Emilio Gay is neither forward nor backward and just pushes at it but the ball zips past the outside edge.

Good length and just around off, Emilio Gay gets forward only to leave it alone.

DROPPED! What is happening to New Zealand's fielding? They are known to take screamers but are dropping sitters in this Test. Will O'Rourke goes fuller and on off, Jacob Bethell does not get his weight behind the shot and tries to drive it away. Gets a thick outside edge that flies towards backward point, where Devon Conway leaps up a bit to grab it with both hands above his head but spills it out as the ball bursts through. That's his second drop of this Test, having also put down Brook's catch earlier in the first innings.

Dug into the surface, just on off, takes off a bit, Jacob Bethell manages to sway from it this time.

Beaten! Hard-length delivery in the corridor of uncertainty, holds its line, Jacob Bethell has a tentative poke at it, but gets beaten on the outside edge.

On a length and on off, Jacob Bethell covers the line of the ball and blocks it out.

Back of a length and in the channel outside off, moving away, Jacob Bethell leaves it alone.

Ouch! Will O'Rourke bangs this into the pitch, on middle, angles sharply into the body of the batter. Jacob Bethell tries to sway away, or perhaps duck, but the ball follows and keeps coming at him. It hits his left shoulder and pops up in the air towards short square leg, where Rachin Ravindra dives forward to grab it.

A bit fuller and around off, does not bounce at all, Emilio Gay looks to push it away but misses as the ball rolls to the keeper.

Short of a length and well outside off, Emilio Gay once again is not interested in playing at that.

Very full and on middle, angling in, Emilio Gay drills it towards mid on.

Lands this on a hard length and around off, holds its line, Emilio Gay makes an easy leave.

Pitched up and around off, Emilio Gay strides out and drills it wide of deep point. Devon Conway runs to his left and dives to make the stop. Two taken.

FOUR LEG BYES! The runs keep flowing! Fuller delivery, on middle, shaping a long way down the leg side. Emilio Gay looks to flick it away but misses as the ball clips his pads and flies past the keeper's dive to his right for a boundary.

On a length and around leg, Emilio Gay nudges it off his hips towards deep fine leg for a single.

Hard length and on middle, Emilio Gay rides the bounce well and keeps it out towards point.

Pulls his length back and keeps the line outside off, Emilio Gay offers no shot at it.

FOUR! Fine shot! Much fuller and around off, Emilio Gay plays it right under his eyes and with a bit of a flourish, carasses it through cover-pont for a boundary.

Back of a length and well outside off, holds its line, Emilio Gay lets it go to the keeper.

Short of a length and around off, shoots up off the surface, Emilio Gay leaves it alone.

A pretty eventful first over after the break. Henry looked a long way away from being on song before Lunch, and it was a kind of surprising move to bring him on right away, but he looked in a far better rhythm this time around. Now then, Will O'Rourke (4-1-18-1) to bowl from the other end.

Another shout for LBW, not given! This time, Tom Latham goes for the review with the previous ball in mind. Matt Henry serves this a bit fuller and on off, gets it to nip back in sharply again. Jacob Bethell gets across to play but misses and gets hit on the pads. Ball Tracking comes up and shows two reds and wickets on the umpire's call. Bethell survives.

Review time. Tom Latham has challenged the on-field decision for LBW not given, with just a few seconds left on the timer. UltraEdge shows a clear gap between bat and ball. Ball Tracking shows the ball is clipping the top of the middle and leg poles. on umpire's call, though.

On a length and on middle, Jacob Bethell is solid in his defense again.

Good length and on off, Jacob Bethell gets behind the line of it and blocks it out.

Overpitched and around off, Emilio Gay jams it out towards cover-point for a single. England lead by 100 runs now!

Appeal for LBW, but turned down! This is on a good length and on off, nips back in sharply, Emilio Gay steps across to block but plays down the wrong line, getting hit on the front pad. Tom Latham has a chat with his bowler but does not take the review. The question was whether it hit Gay outside the line, or maybe the ball went over the stumps. Oh, dear! Ball Tracking after the ball, shows three reds and the Kiwis let go of a big opportunity.

A tempter from Matt Henry! He serves this fuller and around off, inviting the batter to drive, but Emilio Gay shoulder arms to it.

Welcome back for the post-Lunch session. The players have punctually made their way out as the sun peeks through nicely now. Although it is fairly overcast in the background. Jacob Bethell and Emilio Gay walk to the crease to resume their partnership with England effectively on 99/1. Matt Henry (2-0-18-0) will get us underway in this afternoon session. Emilio to face. Here we go...

... DAY 2, SESSION 2 ...

What a way to make a comeback - Both Kyle Jamieson and Ollie Robinson had been away from Test cricket for a couple of years, and both announced their return in the most emphatic fashion possible, each picking up five-wicket hauls in the first innings at Lord's. Jamieson also contributed some handy runs with the bat this morning as well, part of a late lower-order resurgence that saw New Zealand add 48 for their last four wickets after being reduced to 65/6. So it's been so far, so good for England, but this game is a long way from safe. Runs have not come easily in the overcast conditions, and the surface continues to offer the seamers more than enough to keep the batters honest. With England's lead reading 99 runs, it sets up for a gripping post-Lunch session. Play is expected to resume at 12.55 pm GMT. Stay tuned.

Graft over glory at Lord's - With a 27-run lead at their disposal, England started off watchfully against the new ball spells from Nathan Smith and Jamieson. Ben Duckett just started to look dangerous, though he was not fluent to start with, but was finding his touch. However, a judgmental error in picking the length cost him his wicket. It has not been easy out there to bat by any means, and through baptism by fire for Gay on debut, he has come through it well so far. Perhaps it's the sort of match when any runs you score count double. If you get 40 here, it's the equivalent of getting 80 on a truer surface.

England's spot-on execution with the ball - New Zealand hoped for Glenn Phillips to shrink the 79-run deficit, but Josh Tongue started the day off by removing both overnight batters. Kyle Jamieson did show some intent with the bat, and actually, he was the lead scorer for the tourists, with a cameo of 38, but his resistance was short-lived, and his dismissal saw New Zealand getting bundled up on 113, with still a fair bit of deficit left. Robinson and Tongue tore apart the Kiwi lower order with the former completing a spectacular five-for.

Lunch, Day 2 -  England have had the better of the session in all senses. They bundled New Zealand out in the first half, and then extended the lead to 99 runs with just one wicket down. They did lose Duckett, but have added a handy flurry of runs, and Emilio Gay has looked very promising so far. The pitch seemed to have eased out as the session wore on, and England were also handed a lifeline when Ravindra grassed one in the infield. Overall, a promising morning for England on the Ruth Strauss Day.

Absolute ripper to end the session! Will O'Rourke lands this short of a length and on middle, gets some extra bounce and away movement as well. Jacob Bethell is taken aback as he tries to keep it out, but the ball brushes his thumb before hitting his chest on the left side. That probably saves the ball from carrying to the slip cordon and Bethell survives. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 2!

Bangs in a quick and sharp bouncer, on middle, Jacob Bethell ducks under it.

FOUR! Another boundary! Hard length and just around off, Jacob Bethell plays with soft hands with an angled bat. It goes off the outer half wide of gully, beating the dive of Glenn Phillips and running to the deep thrid fence for four runs. England lead by 99 runs now.

Nicely bowled! Will O'Rourke bowls this on a good length and on middle, angles in but then straightens, Jacob Bethell stays back to play at it but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Back of a length and around off, holds its line, Jacob Bethell watches it through and leaves it alone.

FOUR! Gets off the mark in style! Fuller delivery and around off, Jacob Bethell takes a good stride out and drives it with nice timing through covers. It runs down the slope quickly and beats the chase of the fielder to the fence.

Henry has looked off-rhythm in his two overs so far. The lead for England is now 91 runs​​. Probably the last over before Lunch, then. Will O'Rourke (3-1-10-1) to continue.

FOUR BYES! More runs! Fuller but angling down the leg side, Emilio Gay fails to glance it away and the keeper, Tom Blundell, perhaps being blinded by the batter, also fails to locate and stop the ball to his right as it races to the fine leg fence.

On a length and on middle, Emilio Gay blocks it out.

Pitched up and on middle, Emilio Gay turns it to the leg side.

Good fielding! Back of a length and around off, Emilio Gay steers it wide of gully, where Glenn Phillips dives to his right to make a fine stop.

EDGED AND FOUR! Matt Henry lands this on a hard length and just around off, gets it to shape away a bit.  Emilio Gay stands in his crease as the keeper is up to the stumps. He tries to play at it but gets a thick outside edge. It flies between first and second slips, where Tom Latham at the former position leaves it, and Daryl Mitchell is late to react as the ball runs behind to the fence.

It looks like Matt Henry is not happy with the shape of the ball. But it passes the gauge test done by the umpire, with Kane Williamson having a close look. Good to resume.

FOUR! Nice shot! Very full delivery and around off, not troubling the batter at all. Emilio Gay gets his front foot closer to the pitch of the ball and plays a glorious cover drive to pick up a boundary.

Beaten! Good length and on the sixth stump line, straightens a bit, Jacob Bethell has a poke at it but the ball zips past the outside edge again.

A nasty one to get upfront! Short of a length and just around off, takes off sharply. Jacob Bethell plays inside the line of it as the ball goes well past the outside edge.

Just when the opening partnership was starting to frustrate the Kiwis, they have got a breakthrough just before Lunch. Jacob Bethell walks in at number 3.

OUT! TAKEN! Will O'Rourke strikes the first blow. He goes much fuller and just around off. Ben Duckett sets himself up for the short ball and decides late to play at that ball. He just throws his hands at the ball with his feet going nowhere. The bat gets skewed in his hands as the ball flies off the face of the bat towards gully, where Glenn Phillips takes a sharp low catch to his front. England are 52/1, leading by 79 runs.

FOUR! Put away! Short of a length and on middle, Ben Duckett rides the bounce and rolls his wrists to pull it away. He takes his eyes off but hits it well over short square leg as the ball races to the fence for a boundary. 50 up for England.

Lands this on a good length and on off, Ben Duckett shows the full face of the bat and taps it to short cover.

Fuller delivery and around off, Ben Duckett drives it square and firmly wide of deep point for a couple of runs.

Fullish again, on off, Emilio Gay eases it back to the bowler.

Too full, on leg, Ben Duckett flicks it off the inside half of his bat towards square leg for a single.

A tad fuller, on leg, Emilio Gay taps it to mid on for a single.

Back of a length, on off, and it seams back in prodigiously, cutting Duckett in half. Ben looks to cut it but gets beaten on the inside edge. Tom Blundell fails to collect it cleanly behind the stumps and the ball is parried away. The batters collect a bye.

FOUR MORE! Back-to-back boundaries from Ben Duckett! A little too full, on middle, Ben Duckett latches onto it and thumps it past mid on for yet another boundary.

FOUR! Fine shot! A real loosener to start the spell. This is a slower one from Matt Henry, just outside off, Ben Duckett picks it well and drills it to the left of mid off for a cracking boundary.

Matt Henry is introduced into the attack. He stayed off the field due to lower back spasms in the first inning, and could only bowl 4 overs in his spell.

FOUR! Through the gap and it races away. Nice and full, outside off, Emilio Gay leans on and steers it in the gap through backward point and gully for a boundary.

A bouncer, on leg, Emilio Gay ducks underneath it.

Back of a length, on middle and leg, Emilio Gay turns it to the fielder at short leg.

Angling in, on a length, on off. Emilio Gay blocks it to the right of mid off.

Past the edge! Slower one, a tad fuller, and outside off. Emilio Gay tries to drive it but misses.

Will O'Rourke bangs it short, on leg, Emilio Gay ducks under it.

Hard length, on middle and leg, Emilio Gay flicks it through backward square leg for a single.

FOUR! That's a fine shot! Back of a length, just outside off, shaping away. Emilio Gay rides the bounce by arching his back and punches it magnificently through backward point for a boundary.

Slows it up, on leg, Ben Duckett turns it to square leg for another single.

Fullish again, just outside off, Emilio Gay eases it to the left of cover for a quick single.

Keeps it full, on middle, Emilio Gay blocks it to the mid on fielder.

Nice and full, on middle, Emilio Gay looks to block it but miscues it to the point fielder.

Hard length, on top of off. Ben Duckett stays back and blocks it to the right of the bowler.

Will O'Rourke goes full, on leg, Ben Duckett flicks it to the fielder at mid-wicket.

Past the edge! Slightly shorter, outside off, shaping away. Ben Duckett has a lazy waft at it but gets beaten.

Back of a length, on leg, Ben Duckett tries to flick it but gets a blow on his body.

Angling in, on a length, on off. Ben Duckett looks to block it but gets an inside edge onto his pads. The ball rolls towards the fielder at point. Dot.

That must have hurt him. Duckett removes his gloves after being hit hard on the fingers of his left hand. He immediately whips his hand off and needs some medical attention. The physio is out in no time and is taking a closer look. It is the index finger that has taken the hit and Duckett is grimacing in pain. The magic spray, as usual, does the job and he is good to continue.

Hits the coin right away, does Will O'Rourke. He starts with a shorter one, on top of off. This one rises up sharply and takes Ben by surprise. Duckett gets on his toes and looks to block it but the ball hits his left glove and rolls towards point. He looks in some pain here.

England lead by 51 runs. Now then, time for the first bowling change from New Zealand. Here's Will O'Rourke into the attack, replacing Kyle Jamieson.

Much fuller, just outside off, Emilio Gay looks to block it but edges it to the fielder at gully. A dot to end the over.

Full, on off, Emilio Gay blocks it to the right of the bowler.

A tad fuller, just outside off, deviating sharply back in. Emilio Gay looks to block it, but plays over the line and wears it on his front pad. An appeal from Nathan Smith for LBW, but turned down. Perhaps the impact is outside off here. New Zealand do not take the review. And a right decision, as the Ball Tracking later shows that it is projected to miss the off pole by a fair bit.

Back of a length, on off, Emilio Gay gets on his toes and blocks it to short cover.

Too full, outside off, Ben Duckett taps it to the right of cover for a single.

Nice and full, on leg, Ben Duckett flicks it through square leg for a brace. England lead by 50 runs!

A touch fuller, way outside off, Emilio Gay leaves it alone.

Sways it down leg, Ben Duckett looks to flick it but the ball brushes his pads and rolls towards short fine leg. The batters collect a leg bye.

Beaten! Back of a length, shaping away, Ben Duckett tries to block it but gets beaten.

Three runs! Hard length, on middle, Emilio Gay tucks it away through square leg. Rachin Ravindra has a long chase to do, which he does, and flicks the ball in just before the fence. The batters collect three runs.

Much fuller, on off, Emilio Gay tries to block it but miscues it to the point fielder.

Good length, on middle and leg, Ben Duckett tries to flick it but gets a leading edge. The ball goes past the left of the diving gully fielder and rolls in the deep. The batters collect a single.

Edged, short! Full, angling in, on off. Emilio Gay blocks it with soft hands but gets a thick edge. The ball lands short and goes towards the fielder at second slip. A dot to end the over.

Good length, on middle, Ben Duckett flicks it off the inside half of his bat towards backward square leg for a single.

On the stump, a tad fuller, Ben Duckett covers his line and blocks it watchfully.

Much fuller, on off, Ben Duckett eases it to the cover fielder.

Nathan Smith goes fuller, on middle and leg, Ben Duckett knocks it to the fielder at mid on.

Angling in, on a length, on off. Emilio Gay pushes it to cover and scampers across for a single.

On a length and around leg, Ben Duckett clips it towards short mid-wicket.

Did that carry? Yes, it did! That will go down as a DROPPED chance. Kyle Jamieson goes fuller and on middle, angling in, holds up on the surface. Ben Duckett flicks it but fails to keep it down. It flies straight towards mid-wicket, where Rachin Ravindra gets low, but the ball hits his wrists and drops on the ground. He is not having a great Test match. He dropped Harry Brook in the first innings as well, then walked back for a golden duck and now this here.

Good-length delivery, on middle, Ben Duckett pats it down the pitch.

Back of a length and on middle, shoots up off the surface, Ben Duckett gets a bit surprised by it. He takes off his bottom hand as the ball hits the sticker of the bat and drops on the pitch.

Fuller but angling down the leg side, Ben Duckett fails to glance it away. Tom Blundell, the keeper, dives to his right but fails to collect it cleanly.

FOUR! Top shot! A half-volley and around off, there to be put away. Ben Duckett leans onto his drive and creams it through extra covers for his third boundary.

Hard length and on middle, angling into the body of the batter, Ben Duckett fails to flick it away as the ball goes off his pads to the leg side. The batters set off for the leg bye. Smith runs towards the ball and tries to flick it to the stumps, but misses. Gay was safe anyway.

FOUR! Gets it away! Nathan Smith lands this on a good length and just around off. Ben Duckett flashes his blade hard at it, carving it over point for another boundary. An applause from the slip cordon as the Kiwis won't mind Ben playing this shot.

Goes back to the fuller length, on middle and off, Ben Duckett gets half-forward and knocks it towards mid off.

Pulls his length back a bit, on middle, Ben Duckett steps across and clips it towards mid-wicket.

Fuller in length and on off, gets it to nip back in sharply, Emilio Gay looks to push it away but gets an inside edge onto his pads as the ball rolls towards cover-point. A single taken. There is a slight appeal for LBW, but turned down. That inside edge saves Gay here.

Play and a miss! Pitched-up delivery and around off, shapes away, Emilio Gay takes a big stride out to drive it away but once again gets beaten on the outside edge.

Well played! Fuller again, but Kyle Jamieson pushes the line closer to the stumps, keeps low again. Ben Duckett manages well to get his bat down to keep it out.

FOUR! England are finally underway! Fuller in length and way outside off, offering width to the batter. Ben Duckett gets the chance to free his arms and slices it well over point for a boundary.

On a length and on off, Ben Duckett opens the bat face and guides it towards point.

Lovely bowling! Kyle Jamieson lands this on nagging length, on off, threatens to angle in but straightens after hitting the deck. Ben Duckett gets squared up trying to play it, but is beaten on the outside edge.

Still no runs for England! Back of a length and well outside off, moves away but keeps low too. Ben Duckett looks to cut it away, but the ball goes under his bat to the keeper.

Good-length delivery, on middle, angles in, Ben Duckett defends it with a straight bat down the pitch.

Both the NZ bowlers start off with maidens. England are yet to get underway.

Beaten! Nathan Smith serves this fuller and around off, shaping it away. Emilio Gay gets tempted into the big booming drive but the ball zips past the outside edge. Maiden over!

On a length and on middle, angling in, Emilio Gay gets behind the line of it and blocks it out.

Lands this on a hard length and on the imaginary sixth stump line, gets it to shape away a bit, Emilio Gay offers no shot at it.

Back of a length and well outside off, Emilio Gay makes an easy leave.

A bit fuller and on off, keeps a bit low, Emilio Gay tries to fend it away but hits it with the cue-end of the bat as the ball rolls to third slip. He too, has a look at the bottom of his bat, just like Duckett in the first over.

Edged but short! Nathan Smith begins with a good-length delivery, just around off, holds its line. Emilio Gay plays with an angled bat with soft hands. It catches the outside edge but goes on the bounce to second slip.

Tidy start from Kyle Jamieson. Nathan Smith to share the attack.

Beaten again by a whisker! A yard or so fuller than the previous ball, in the channel of off, straightening up a bit with some bounce. Duckett is forced to play with the angle, tries to block it out, but the ball threads past the outside edge by a hair's breadth.

Beauty! Jamieson bashes the length hard, pitches in front of the off pole and then deviates away from Ben who gets squared up on his defensive shot.

Fuller and closer to the off pole, lands and then nips away. Duckett is not interested to go fishing at that.

Hard length, outside off, Ben Duckett mistimes the back foot punch. Plays off the toe end to short cover, and Duckett immediately turns his bat over to inspect it. That was a really bad sound off the willow.

The stumps are attacked, on a fractionally fuller length. Ben Duckett blocks it out from the crease.

From around the stump, Kyle serves a full ball that curves into the batter, on middle and leg. Ben Duckett drops his bat down and drills it to mid on.

OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! New Zealand are bowled out on 113. A perfect delivery from Ollie Robinson to complete the 5-for and get the name etched on the Lord's Honours Board. Good length, angling in on middle and straightening after pitching. Henry is undone as he stays leg side of the delivery, feet rooted in the crease, and pokes at it from the inside, hoping to meet the ball. But the ball flirts with the outside edge and the middle stump gets flattened. Robinson is mobbed by his teammates as he walks off, pats on the back all around. He holds the ball aloft to the Lord's crowd on his way in, and they give him a warm applause.

Now, they take a single. Shade fuller and into the batter. Jamieson heaves it down to long on for a single. Exposes Henry for the last two balls.

Hard length, angled into the batter. Jamieson stands tall, stays leg side and punches it wide of long off, but denies the run.

Back of a length, outside off. Kyle Jamieson wildly swings the bat to loft it over cover, but is beaten all ends up.

FOUR! Jamieson keeps churning on! Good length, outside off at 131 kph. Jamieson clears his front leg and launches it back over the bowler's head, bisecting the infield. Stokes gives chase from long on but cannot get there, and the ball lands just short of the rope. Stokes signals four immediately, and the TV umpire confirms it after checking the replays. New Zealand now trail by 28 runs.

Bump ball! Almost a yorker, outside off. Matt plays with soft hands and jams the bat down. Gets the ball bumped towards Brook at second slip.

Fuller in length, outside off. Henry gets on the front foot and chops it to gully.

Wide outside off, back of a length. Left alone by Henry as it keeps nibbling away.

Hard length, on off, Matt Henry blocks it down the pitch.

Matt Henry is the last man in for New Zealand. He only bowled 4 overs in the first innings and had to go off due to back spasms.

OUT! EDGED AND CAUGHT! Brilliant piece of bowling by Atkinson. Very full and just outside the off stump. It lands and jags back in a touch due to the slope. Will O'Rourke does not move his feet much and goes through the shot to drive it away to the off side, opening the face of his bat. Gets a thick outside edge and it goes flat to the second slip, where Harry Brook does the rest. New Zealand are 108/9, trailing by 32 runs.

Ben Duckett has been placed at silly point. A short leg is there too.

Not that short, just outside off, Kyle Jamieson gets on top of the bounce and drives it crisply to deep point for a single.

Gus Atkinson replaces Josh Tongue. This 9th-wicket stand is starting to get a bit frustrating for England.

Attacks the stumps, on a fuller length. Will O'Rourke drags the bat out in front of the pads and blocks it solidly to the off side.

Jumps up from the deck, on the leg stump line, Will O'Rourke looks to flick it to the leg side, but gets beaten and is hit on the front pad.

Hits the hard length by attacking the pads. Will O'Rourke gets a bit across and knocks it down the pitch.

Relatively fuller, outside off, Will O'Rourke leaves as the ball springs up and Jamie Smith has to hop a bit to gather it around his chest. Good carry.

Back of a length, on off and middle. Kyle makes room and slaps it down to mid off's right for a run.

Big swing and a miss! Fractionally fuller and angled on top of the leg stump. Kyle Jamieson has a wild swing across the line to heave it over mid-wicket, but gets beaten on the inside edge.

And again! At 141 kph, this is bashed hard on a length and deviates away late, beating O'Rourke's attempted back foot block.

Top seed! Angles in and then straightens up off the seam, on top of off. Will O'Rourke is squared up, tries to block, but the ball zips past the outside edge.

Nagging length, cutting back from the fourth stump line. A late decision by Will O'Rourke to let it go as he drags his bat inside the line to leave.

Hard length, angled into the batter. Kyle Jamieson hops off the back foot and chips it in front of mid on for a quick single.

Nip-backer, in and around off, slightly fuller in length. Kyle Jamieson pushes in front, gets an underedge and the ball squirts to the first slip fielder.

Well-directed short ball, on the leg stump line. Jamieson ducks under it.

Touch full this time around, on off, Will O'Rourke watchfully smothers it to cover.

Around off, on a good length, Jamieson shanks it just over the mid off fielder for a single.

SIX! Action replay of the previous delivery. Perhaps the short-ball ploy is not on for Jamieson. Dug in short and on top of middle. Kyle Jamieson picks the length early and pulls it comfortably this time to clear the ropes at deep square leg. New Zealand now trail by 36 runs as the 100 comes up.

SIX! Into the stands! Ollie goes short and the ball climbs to shoulder height. Given Jamieson's height, it's a proper short ball. But Kyle Jamieson presses back and nails the pull shot behind deep square leg for a six.

On a good length, nipping away from off. Will O'Rourke presses forward, angles the bat to ease it between backward point and gully for a single.

A yard behind fuller length, around off, jagging in. Kyle Jamieson pushes it at off the inner half of the bat, to the right of mid on for a single.

Josh Tongue goes full, on the stumps. Will O'Rourke covers his line and blocks it back to the bowler.

Angling in, on a length, on off. Will O'Rourke blocks it solidly.

Short and outside off, Will O'Rourke sways away from it.

Back of a length, on leg, Kyle Jamieson hops a bit and flicks it to mid-wicket for a single. Some fancy footwork from Kyle Jamieson to avoid kicking the stumps.

SIX! Where did that come from? A slower one from Josh Tongue, fuller and on off. Kyle Jamieson clears his front leg, reads the slower one, brings his long levers in play and plunders it downtown for a biggie.

Bangs it short, on leg, Kyle Jamieson ducks under it.

On the stumps, a tad fuller, Will O'Rourke covers his line and blocks it to the left of the bowler.

Ollie Robinson continues to bowl a fuller one, on off, Will O'Rourke blocks it to the fielder at extra cover.

Ollie Robinson keeps it full, on off, Will O'Rourke pushes it to the cover fielder.

Too full, on middle and leg, Will O'Rourke covers his line and blocks it to mid on.

A tad fuller, outside off, Kyle Jamieson looks to loft it but gets a thick outside edge. The ball flies over short third for just a single.

Beaten! Good length, outside off, Kyle Jamieson swings hard but misses.

Both Jamie Smith of England, and now Nathan Smith have been dismissed in eerily similar fashion. Fair to say, Smiths squared at Lord's? Just over 20 minutes in Day 2, and both overnight batters of New Zealand are dismissed. Will O'Rourke is the new batter in for the Kiwis, at number 10.