England disintegrated with the bat against New Zealand on the 1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1, here on Thursday, after a blazing start with the ball.
1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1 Match Report
On Day 1, both England and New Zealand seamers had similarly incisive performances with the ball on Lord’s helpful surface, with a total of 17 wickets falling.
The England pacers wrecked havoc on New Zealand, bowling them out for 132, and they appeared to be in command of the opening Test. Their openers got off to a good start, finishing the quick session before Tea without a hitch on the 1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1.
The final session got off to a steady start, with openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley sharing a 50-run partnership. They put up 59 runs before Kyle Jamieson dismissed Crawley and then dismissed Ollie Pope 10 overs later. England appeared to be in a strong position at 75/2, but it did not take long for calamity to hit.
Colin de Grandhomme was beaten by former captain Joe Root (11). Tim Southee trapped Lees for a 77-ball 25 in the next over and then grabbed Ben Stokes (1) in the next over. Trent Boult forced Jonny Bairstow (1) to draw one back onto the stumps before dismissing Ben Potts (0) two balls later, leaving England at 100/7.
On 1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1, England concluded the first day on 116/7, trailing by 16 runs, after Ben Foakes and Stuart Broad added 16 runs in the final 3.1 overs.
Earlier in 1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson’s decision to bat first proved disastrous against England’s veteran and new pacers, who bowled relentlessly precise seam bowling.
England’s returning veterans, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, set the tone. Anderson found movement consistently in cloudy conditions, and he got off to a good start with a maiden over from round the wicket against Tom Latham first up.
But it was Will Young, his opening partner, who died first. Young got a thick outside edge poking outside off, which was scooped up by a diving Jonny Bairstow at third slip. When Latham tried to strike Anderson through the vacant cover region after a hard working over, he was to follow. However, the edge that flew to Bairstow soon was grabbed on the rebound.
As New Zealand slumped to 7/3, Broad continued with his successful round-the-wicket approach to the next left-hander Devon Conway and had him edging to Bairstow once more. Even when the duo finished their opening stint, Stokes continued to add pressure with a weighted slip cordon.
In just his first over, debutant bowler Matthew Potts had New Zealand captain Kane Williamson nicking behind.
Following that, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell put up a temporary rearguard for eight overs before the former sliced one off Potts. As New Zealand lost six wickets before lunch, Blundell, who was earlier saved by an inside edge on review, became Potts’ third victim as the bowler hit the off stump with a sharp incoming delivery.
After Jack Leach was forced to withdraw due to concussion after an unfortunate fall at the boundary, England did not bowl spin at all. Matt Parkinson, his replacement, was brought up from nearly 300 kilometres distant to make his Test debut, but England didn’t need him on 1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1.
After the first break on 1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1, New Zealand’s bottom order counterattacked, led by Colin de Grandhomme’s unbeaten 42. Despite taking some punishment, James Anderson was able to capitalise on this tenacity, catching both Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee (26 off 24) at fine leg.
After the break on the 1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1, Potts came in as the first change and struck with his first ball, catching Ajaz Patel leg before the wicket from round the wicket. He, too, was forced to leave mid-over owing to a calf discomfort, forcing Ben Stokes to take over at the crease. When Boult chipped to midwicket for the final wicket, the skipper completed a ruthlessly dominant display with the ball.
Brief Scores 1st Test NZ vs ENG, Day 1: New Zealand 132 all-out (Colin de Grandhomme 42 not out; Matthew Potts 4/13, James Aderson 4/66) lead England 116/7 (Zak Crawley 43; Trent Boult 2/15) by 16 runs