After bowling out New Zealand for 132 at Lord's, England finished Day 1 on 116/7. At the crease are Ben Foakes (6*) and Stuart Broad (4*), both of whom are more capable with bat. However, in Matthew Parkinson – who made his debut as Jack Leach's concussion substitute yesterday – and James Anderson, there is not much batting to follow. England will do well to secure a lead of 25 or 30, which may be substantial given how Day 1 panned out.
New Zealand will be happy if they can restrict England to somewhere around their own score. However, their top order cannot capitulate for a second time in the same Test match. The onus lies on Kane Williamson, who returned from a long injury hiatus and had a torrid time at the IPL. Williamson does not enjoy a great record on English soil: he would want to set that record straight.
England did everything right for most of the first day of their home summer. Their fast bowlers – mostly Anderson (4-66) and debutant Matthew Potts (4-13) ripped through New Zealand, reducing them to 45/7. But the world champions fought back, largely through Colin de Grandhomme (42*), to reach 132, but at 59/0, 75/1, and even 92/2, England looked set for a big score. The next nine overs resulted in five wickets for eight runs before Foakes and Broad did well to survive some top-quality seam bowling.
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat, but were in tatters half an hour into the Test match. Anderson and Broad announced their return to the Test XI by taking out Tom Latham, Will Young, and Devon Conway with only seven runs on the board. Jonny Bairstow held all three catches at third slip – one a superb diving effort, the other an acrobatic catch after he seemed to have dropped it, the third a regulation grab.
The stage was set for Durham man Potts, who found Williamson's edge with his fifth ball, and had Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell chopping on to the stumps. Then Anderson bounced, the towering Kyle Jamieson hooked, and Potts, without having to move, judged the catch well at deep fine leg. Tim Southee emerged at 45/7 and counterattacked his way to a 23-ball 26 before perishing the same fashion to the same combination.
De Grandhomme and Trent Boult added 30 for the last wicket in 29 balls before Ben Stokes, in his first Test match as full-time captain, ended the innings with his 10th ball.
A poignant moment came after 23 overs of the New Zealand, when Lord's celebrated Shane Warne for 23 seconds – a fitting tribute to the legend who had immortalised that shirt number. One of England's greatest nemesis, Warne passed away earlier this year.
During the innings, Jack Leach injured his head while trying to save a boundary. He suffered from concussion, and the uncapped Parkinson was named his substitute. Parkinson will be available to bat, and – more importantly, bowl – from the second morning.
In response, Alex Lees (25) and Zak Crawley (43) added 59 in 14 overs before Jamieson took out the latter. The New Zealand fast bowlers were relentless in their line and length thereafter, sometimes using the bouncer to surprise the batters. The wickets were shared by Southee (2-40), Boult (2-15), Jamieson (2-20), and de Grandhomme (1-24). Not a single over of spin was used in the entire day.
Brief scores
New Zealand 132 (Colin de Grandhomme 43; Matthew Potts 4-13, James Anderson 4-66) lead England 116/7 (Zak Crawley 43; Trent Boult 2-15) by 16 runs.