ENGLAND IN CHARGE OF 1ST TEST AS STOKES SIDE PUSH FOR WIN
ENGLAND ended the day in control of the 1st Rothesay Men’s Test Match at Lord’s having taken the last 4 New Zealand wickets for 52 runs in the opening hour of the morning session. Then England batted in their 2nd Innings and scored 226 all out in 56 overs with Emilo Gay 57, Jamie Smith 39 and Ben Duckett 33 with New Zealander bowler Nathan Smith taking 6 wickets for 70 runs leaving New Zealand to score 254 to win. At the close England were in control with New Zealand 36 for 3 in their 2nd innings still needing 218 runs to win and England needing to take the final 7 wickets to win the game.
The second day saw the England 2nd innings and two part innings the remainder of New Zealand’s 1st and start of their 2nd innings played out with 314 runs scored for 17 wickets in 78.2 overs in the day. The game will finish tomorrow with England the most likely to win on a poor Lord’s surface.
New Zealand had started the second morning of the Test Match at Lord’s on 61 for 6 from 19.2 overs, still some 79 runs behind England on first innings. For the eighth time, the second day at Lord’s Cricket Ground, was ‘Red for Ruth’ and the entire ground was bathed in red once again for the worthiest of charities. It was a very bright sunny morning in London NW8 for the second day, and you could hear the Lord’s legendary hum in the crowd with watchers’ intent on seeing England fight back strongly after yesterday’s poor batting display.
It was not long before England picked up the seventh New Zealand wicket – five balls in fact, four from Ben Stokes who completed his over from the previous evening and then Josh Tongue who clean bowled Glenn Phillips for 34 when the total was 65 for 7 from 20.1 overs with the pace bowlers first delivery of the morning at 11.04 am.
Josh Tongue made it 82 for 8 after 23 overs as he took the eighth wicket when he bowled Nathan Smith for 15 from 18 balls knocking over his off stump at 11.19 am. At that time Tongue analysis was 3 for 32. New Zealand trailed by 58 runs at that time.
Will O’Rourke was the ninth man out, caught by Harry Brook off Gus Atkinson for 1 from 17 balls when the total was 108 for 9 after 28.2 overs.
New Zealand Fast bowler, Kyle Jamieson who bagged 5 for 62 with the ball yesterday made an impact with the bat, hit some hefty belligerent blows with a top score of 38 not out from 29 balls with two 4 and three 6’s when he was left unbeaten after Matt Henry was clean bowled by Ollie Robinson for 0 from 5 balls when the total was 113 all out some 27 runs behind England.
Ollie Robinson was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 39 on his return to the Test arena, Josh Tongue with 3 for 40 and Gus Atkinson with 2 for 9. England commenced their second innings just after noon. Matt Henry took the field again after suffering with back spasms yesterday when he came out of the attack after bowling only 4 overs in England’s 1st innings due to injury.
Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay batted far better second time around in the match adding 50 run partnership for the 1st wicket before Ben Duckett was caught by Glenn Phillips off the bowling of Will Orourke for 33 runs from 46 balls with four boundary 4’s when the score had reached 52 for 1 after 12,4 overs. Emilio Gay (24 not out) was then joined by Jacob Bethell. Gay edged Matt Henry between wicket keeper Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell at first slip and he survived as neither could a hand on the ball.
England reached lunch at 72 for 1 from 15 overs, which was a lead of 99 runs with 9 wickets in hand. The last four overs before lunch brought England 37 runs. Gay was 24 not out from 36 balls with four boundary 4’s and Jacob Bethell were 8 not out for 8 balls with two boundary 4’s. Will O’Rourke had taken the only wicket, and his analysis was 1 for 18 with the ball. The other bowlers Kyle Jamieson was 0/12, Nathan Smith 0/17, who both bowled effectively without taking a wicket and Matt Henry, was 0/18 from two overs but his fitness was still uncertain.
Emilio Gay and Jacob Bethell took the England score to 99 when Jacob Bethell was bowled by Matt Henry grubber for 14 runs from 35 balls with two boundary 4’s after battling against the tricky New Zealand bowlers. The young star was found out for the second time in the match after his promising start in Test Cricket during the winter. At the fall of the second wicket (99 for 2), England led by 126 runs with 8 wickets in hand. England 100 total came after 26.4 overs.
Emilio Gay achieved his maiden Test 50 off 84 balls with seven boundary 4’s whilst he was at the wicket with Joe Root but after progressing nicely, he only added a further seven runs before being caught behind by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell off a thin edge off the bowling of the nagging, Nathan Smith for 57 runs from 95 balls with eight boundary 4’s when the total was 126 for 3 after 31 overs. Nathan Smith was 1 for 36 at the fall of the third wicket. England led by 153 runs at the fall of the third wicket.
Joe Root on 8 not out was then joined midafternoon by his Yorkshire compatriot Harry Brook. Harry Brook, who made 50 in the first innings, only four balls and he was given out lbw to Will O’Rourke for a duck from just four balls when the total was 127 for 4 from 33 overs. The England lead was 154 with 6 wickets remaining.
What a passage of play continued as Joe Root was given out lbw to Nathan Smith for 8 from 19 balls with one boundary 4 who from 33.1 overs when the total was 127 for 5. England were then 154 runs ahead with 5 wickets remaining.
England went from 126 for 2 to 127 for 6, scoring 1 run and losing 4 wickets in the space of just eleven balls. England were then 154 runs ahead with 4 wickets remaining. The England 150 total came up after 38.3 overs.
Gus Atkinson joined his Surrey teammate Jamie Smith with England in trouble yet again against the New Zealand pace attack. The pair needed to last until tea without further wickets as England gradually moved to a lead of 200 runs.
At the tea interval England had reached 166 for 6 from 42 overs with Jamie Smith 31 not out from 34 balls with six boundary 4’s and Gus Atkinson 7 not out from 16 balls with one boundary 4. At tea Nathan Smith was 3 for 49, Will O’Rourke 2 for 38 and Matt Henry 1 for 43. Kyle Jamieson was expected to come on after the tea interval to blast the last four England batters out to set up a target to try and get in the 4th innings.
England led by 193 runs with 4 wickets in hand at tea. Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson added 57 for the seventh wicket partnership before Atkinson was caught and bowled by Kyle Jamieson for 14 from 32 balls with one boundary 4. The total at the fall of the 7th wicket was 184 after 46.2 overs. Smith was 38 not out when he was joined by Ollie Robinson.
England 200 total came up after 48.2 overs. Jamie Smith was bowled by Nathan Smith for a nice 39 runs from 52 balls with six boundary 4’s when the total was 213 for 8 after 50 overs.
Nathan Smith picked up his fifth wicket (5 for 70) when he bowled Josh Tongue hitting the top of off stump for 5 from 13 balls in 53.1 overs. England were then 225 for 9 leading my 252 runs with a wicket left.
Ollie Smith 28 not out was joined by Shoaib Bashir. England’s last pair took the total to 226 all out in 56 overs when Ollie Robinson was caught by Glenn Phillips off the bowling by Nathan Smith for 29 runs from 30 ball with three boundary 4’s. Shoaib Bashir was 0 not out.
The pick of the New Zealand bowlers was Nathan Smith with 6 for 70, Will O’Rourke 2 for 46, Kyle Jamieson 1 for 41 and Matt Henry 1 for 43. England leading by 253 runs should have enough of a lead to win the match tomorrow but there again if one of the New Zealand top order batters get in then the tourists could win, only time will tell.
New Zealand needed 254 runs to win which was highly unlikely on the poor surface. England had an hour to cause further trouble with the ball and to push for victory tomorrow. New Zealand lost opener Tom Latham for 0 after just 3 balls of their 2nd innings, he was caught at second slip by Harry Brook off Gus Atkinson.
Devon Conway was then joined by Kane Williamson who strode out at number 3 in what was likely to be his last Test Match innings at the Home of Cricket. Conway on 9 not out was saved by an on field lbw call from a delivery by Ollie Robinson when New Zealand 29 for 1 but the DRS went in favour of New Zealand.
In the next over Kane Williamson was trapped lbw to Josh Tongue for 18 from 36 balls with two boundary 4’s and after a DRS review Williamson had to return to the Pavilion with New Zealand 29 for 2 from 10.4 overs.
Will O’Rourke came in as night watchman in the dying moments of the second day with seven minutes remaining to be played. And he was bowled by Gus Atkinson for 0 from 6 balls when the total was 36 for 3 from 11.5 overs still 218 behind England.
New Zealand was in trouble at 36 for 3 from 11.5 overs at the close of play of the second day still needing 218 runs to win with England needing the remaining 7 wickets to win. Devon Conway was unbeaten on 12 not out, from 27 balls with one boundary 4 at the close. The England bowlers who took wickets were Gus Atkinson 2 for 10 and Josh Tongue 1 for 10.
England 1st Innings 140 all out 39.4 overs (Brook 56, Duckett 19, Jamieson 5 for 62, Smith 3 for 38, O’Rourke 2 for 25)
New Zealand 1st Innings 113 all out 29.5 overs (Jamieson 38 not out, Phillips 34, Robinson 5 for 39, Tongue 3 for 40, Atkinson 2 for 9)
England 2nd Innings 226 all out (Gay 57, Smith 39, Duckett 33, Robinson 29, Smith 6 for 70, O’Rourke 2 for 46)
New Zealand 2nd Innings 36 for 3 (Williamson 18, Conway 12 not out, Atkinson 2 for 10, Tongue 1 for 10)
