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Josh Tongue (left) takes the wicket of Kane Williamson to put England in the ascendancy in the first Test - Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Kane Williamson did not even bother waiting for the Hawk-Eye verdict. Off he went leg-before to Josh Tongue as the action in the final throes of a compelling second day put England in sight of an uplifting victory.
With New Zealand’s best player out of the equation and a dicey pitch offering extravagant seam movement, England’s new era should start with the best result possible on Saturday. New Zealand are 36 for three needing another 218, almost double what they made in the first innings.
English seamers should finish off the job on a pitch they will have dreamt about but while a win will change the mood around the team there is no question this surface is not good enough for Test cricket, especially here.
After 16 wickets on a truncated day one, 17 fell on Friday. This match will probably last about 180 overs in total, the equivalent of two days of cricket, and while the action has been absorbing, it does leave a sour taste. Of the 33 wickets to fall, 20 have been bowled or leg-before, with batsmen unsure of the bounce, the most egregious a grubber that went under Jacob Bethells’s bat to hit off stump. A wicket has fallen every 25 balls and it is likely not a penny of Shoaib Bashir’s match fee will be earned by bowling.
Matt Henry's delivery stays low and Jacob Bethell's Test comes to an end with the bat!
Wait for that side-on angle... pic.twitter.com/igHSLQVZ6O
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 5, 2026
You feel for supporters who bought tickets for Sunday, looked forward to their day at Lord’s for months only for a poor pitch with uneven bounce and seam movement cost them. It was the same in Perth and Melbourne last winter and does not help the fight to preserve Test cricket’s status. Why bother paying good money, clearing your diary for a day at the cricket only for it not to happen.
The groundstaff know the problem. They have tried all the tricks to improve the Lord’s pitch and perhaps this will accelerate the plan to replace some of the square with drop in surfaces. Something has to change because the standard on offer is not befitting the home of Test cricket.
For England, a win is all that matters as Ben Stokes said in his pre-match press conference. “It is just about outcomes,” was his message; very different to the talking-up of saving Test cricket when the Bazballers first got together.
This pitch has at least forced them to play the conditions and prove they can sweat it out. A fifty for Emilio Gay was worth a hundred on other pitches while Jamie Smith’s 39 arrested a collapse that threatened an Ashes rerun and will give him heart to exploit his move up the order.
New Zealand helped with some poor catching, shoddy batting and decision making. Harry Brook’s first innings fifty and Gay’s 57 on day two were both built on missed opportunities. Brook was dropped twice, Gay edged between first and second slip on 20 and New Zealand failed to review a not out leg-before when he had 24 that would have been overturned by Hawk-Eye. They dropped Ben Duckett on 12 and he scored 33 and Jacob Bethell on eight, and while he did not make a big score, he batted on for another half hour preventing New Zealand a go at a fresh batsman before lunch.
The ghosts of Perth stalked England, whispering in their ears all day, but this time they kept their heads. After mopping up the New Zealand innings for 113 in the first hour, with Ollie Robinson adding one more to his overnight four wickets for a career best five for 39, England reached lunch 72 for one in their second innings following the only relatively calm passage of play. It was a lead off 99 – exactly the scenario at the same stage of the opening Ashes Test in November.
Then they lost three for no runs – the heart ripped out of the batting as Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Harry Brook fell in a blaze of wild drives – and the whole Ashes project disintegrated with the ink still drying on the entry stamps in their passports.
At Lord’s, England lost four for one in 11 balls to plunge to 126 for six, the lead now only 154 and Will O’Rourke breathing menace from the Pavilion End and Nathan Smith giving nothing away from the Nursery End. It started with Gay hanging his bat out to be caught behind. O’Rourke was full and swung in late to knock over Brook leg-before on review and first ball of the next over, Smith nipped one in off the wobble seam to pin Joe Root on the back leg.
Stokes was bowled by Smith straightening one late but it was a worryingly easy breach of Stokes’s defence. He clearly blamed the pitch but this is a captain short of runs for two years, and looking a little desperate.
England could so easily have subsided but the clouds lifted and batting seemed a little easier for a vital period of time. Smith drove crisply and picked his balls to attack. He also reined in the pulls, although this is a pitch it up surface, and given the situation when he started his innings may well be the most vital of the game. He was bowled by another that kept a touch low but after his Ashes experience, this can only give him heart. Smith is a real talent that felt wasted in Australia but the swap with Stokes was a show of faith and it worked in this innings.
The target of 254, which would be the highest score of the game, looked to have spooked New Zealand. They went out playing shots as if that was the only way to survive. Tom Latham was out in the first over edging a big drive to slip. Williamson, on a pair in his final Lord’s Test, scampered a quick single to get off the mark and worked his way to 18 before the outstanding Tongue delivered one of his specials that angles in, straightens late and thumps into the front pad. Williamson was persuaded to review, but as soon as he saw the replay, he scuttled off with his head down, embarrassed by the decision. Atkinson knocked over nightwatchman O’Rourke in the final over, the perfect end.
New Zealand are fighters and not out of it but with cloudy weather forecast on Saturday, it should be another good day to be a bowler. As for Sunday, that should have been a good day to be a ticket holder at Lord’s.
07:00pm
CLOSE: NZ 36/3 chasing 254
England dismiss the captain, the best batsman and the nightwatchman leaving NZ 218 to get with seven wickets in hand on day three. Another entertaining day’s play.
06:57pmWickets • Video
Wicket!
O’Rourke b Atkinson 0 First over from the Nursery End and he dismisses the nightwatchman with a jaffa. Wobble seam, it angled in, hit the pitch hard and jagged away to knock back the top of off stump. FOW 36/3
England close on much-needed victory after key Williamson wicket
06:56pm
OVER 11: NZ 29/2 (Conway 9 O’Rourke 0)
A devastating late blow for New Zealand to lose a world-class batsman so late in the day. But Tongue is a fantastic Test bowler. He may be known as ‘The Mop’, the devourer of rabbit pie but he has taken Steve Smith’s wicket four times, Marnus Labuschagne’s three times, Travis Head’s twice, KL Rahul’s twice, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s twice. He gets good players out.
06:51pm
Wicket!
Williamson lbw b Tongue 18 Could not have been more plumb. Hit by the nip-backer in front of middle on the back knee. He had to gamble I suppose but given it’s probably his last innings at Lord’s it was worth a punt. FOW 29/2
06:49pm
NZ review
Williamson lbw b Tongue Looked salmon and trout.
06:48pm
OVER 10: NZ 29/1 (Conway 9 Williamson 18)
Robinson doesn’t like the keeper standing up but Stokes insists and the bowler is miffed after forcing a play and miss when he hangs the next one outside off and Williamson carves it away through point for four. He is happier when he thinks he has trapped Conway but having died by the sword of umpire’s call in the first innings the Kiwi opener lives by it here.
06:46pm
Not out
Umpire’s call on impact, marginally inside/outside the line of off stump even though it would have hit middle stump.
06:45pm
England review
Conway lbw b Robinson No bat, I think. Where did it hit him?
06:42pm
OVER 9: NZ 24/1 (Conway 9 Williamson 13)
Conway uses some width from Tongue to smear the ball through cover point with nothing more than a crisp defensive push but he connects well enough to buy the time to run three.
Jamie Smith calls for the helmet and is going to stand up to Ollie Robinson and force Williamson back into his crease.
06:37pm
OVER 8: NZ 20/1 (Conway 6 Williamson 12)
Robinson has two slips and a gully, a leg gully and a short leg for Conway. The left-hander is tempted by a fuller one and drives, chipping it 2ft short of Stokes at cover. His bottom hand keeps coming off the bat when he drives. The last ball of the over skews off the inside edge for a single as England try to pin him with the inswinger.
06:32pm
OVER 7: NZ 19/1 (Conway 5 Williamson 12)
Williamson unfurls his handsome off-drive with the authority of a man who has made 9,500 Test runs at 54. Tongue erred a bit too full and Williamson drilled it through mid-off to the boundary.
Thirty minutes’ play left.
06:29pm
OVER 6: NZ 13/1 (Conway 4 Williamson 7)
Maiden from Robinson to Conway who looks out of nick and is batting on off stump which makes it difficult for him to play a full range of strokes.
Tongue will replace Atkinson down the hill.
06:25pm
OVER 5: NZ 13/1 (Conway 4 Williamson 7)
Atkinson squares Williamson up and hits a leading edge as he was trying to work the ball through the legside. Instead it rattles away through gully for two streaky but valuable runs. Atkinson has been relentlessly accurate. He’s a diffident cove but mightily effective, especially at home.
06:22pm
OVER 4: NZ 11/1 (Conway 4 Williamson 5)
Two very tight leaves from Williamson, a precarious practice on this pitch as Jamie Smith and Daryl Mitchell would confirm but his judgment is spot on. He whisks a couple off his pads and is then pinned on the knee by the nip-backer. His strategy of batting way outside his crease means it was very unlikely to be hitting the stumps but given his stature as a batsman, Stokes thought DRS was worth a punt.
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Brook takes a sharp catch to dismiss Latham - Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
06:18pm
England review
Williamson lbw b Robinson Did too much. Missing leg stump
06:13pm
OVER 3: NZ 8/1 (Conway 4 Williamson 3)
Conway twice drives at Atkinson, losing his bottom hand grip on both occasions. He slices the first of them for four through gully but the second one is drilled along the ground to that fielder. Conway tries to reset and leaves a couple but has a fiddle at the last ball, unable to resist letting his hands follow the ball as it nipped away outside off. Genuine play and miss.
06:10pm
OVER 2: NZ 4/1 (Conway 0 Williamson 3)
Robinson starts where he left off, making the ball move away from the right-handed Williamson, using wobble seam to make it dart late. He beats the great Kiwi batsman, one of the old Fab Four, but Williamson has a go at a wider one and dabs it past gully for two. A no-ball makes it a seven-ball over.
06:04pm
OVER 1: NZ 1/1 (Conway 0 Williamson 1)
Pace, bounce and seam movement for Atkinson who gets England off to a terrific start by dismissing the captain. I think given his line and the movement of the two balls before he was out, Latham could not resist the width and chased it. The ball, although starting outside off, then nibbled away slightly and caught the edge.
05:59pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Latham c Brook b Atkinson 0 Captain chances a very risky drive the ball after being beaten by one that angled in and nibbled away. This is fuller and he throws his hands at it and nicks it to second slip. Brook takes it in front of his face. FOW 0/1
05:58pm
Gus Atkinson will open the bowling
He starts from the Pavilion End.
05:53pm
Long climb ahead
New Zealand have chased targets of 250 or above five times to win in their history but four of the five were at home and the other was at Chattogram.
05:49pm
England 226 all out
New Zealand will need 254 to win only their second Lord’s Test. Play will continue until 7pm.
A chase of 254 runs at Lord’s feels very steep given the uneven bounce, but if New Zealand want some hope, South Africa chased down 282, comfortably the highest score of the World Test Championship final against Australia, by five wickets last year.
05:46pm
Wicket!
Robinson c Phillips b Smith 29 Gives it everything but the kitchen sink in a huge swish but connects with the toe of the bat and sends a skyer up to short midwicket. Nathan Smith joins Kyle Jamieson and Ollie Robinson on the hounours board with six for 70. FOW 226 all out
05:42pm
OVER 55: ENG 226/9 (Robinson 29 Bashir 0)
Robinson fends one off his sternum with his gloves down to third man but turns down the single. O’Rourke goes fuller and Robinson chops the ball past his stumps three pitches over on the legside, He thinks he can run two but Blundell is too quick for him and keeps him down to one, exposing Bashir to three balls from O’Rourke.
Bashir leaves the first of them outside off but the next one rags in from outside off and whistles past his box. He smiles at his good fortune. The last ball again zips in and hits Bashir high on the back leg. NZ send it upstairs but seemingly spuriously.
Indeed it was. Too high and too far down the legside.
05:36pm
OVER 54: ENG 225/9 (Robinson 28 Bashir 0)
After taking Tongue’s wicket, Smith makes one snake away from Bashir, beating the No 11 on the outside edge. He completes the over by sawing him in half with one that jagged back in to him and beat him on the inside edge. England lead by 252.
05:31pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Tongue b Smith 5 Deservedly bags his five-for with one that nipped back in to Tongue and knocked back off stump. Seemed to keep a little low but nowhere near as extravagantly as before. FOW 225/9
05:31pm
OVER 53: ENG 225/8 (Robinson 28 Tongue 5)
O’Rourke is the quickest bowler in the series, at least until Jofra turns up, and he cranks it up towards 90mph as he strains every sinew to dismiss these two thorns. But they take him for a single apiece.
05:28pm
OVER 52: ENG 223/8 (Robinson 27 Tongue 4)
Just the single off Smith’s 15th over. Robinson works a single through mid-on and Smith almost has his fifth wicket with the final ball of the over that arrows in and straightens. Tongue had a big waft at it, was beaten on the outside edge and must have been expecting to hear the death rattle but the ball whistled past off stump and Smith can barely believe it.
05:23pm
OVER 51: ENG 222/8 (Robinson 26 Tongue 4)
Josh Tongue treats us to a stylish on-drive off O’Rourke for four and then gets right in line, nose over the ball, to defend the rasping short one. He adds four more off his thighpad with legbyes when O’Rourke angled one across him. He should not be there at all after being stranded when called through for a quick Robinson single. Williamson swooped from gully to shy at the stumps and, had he hit, Tongue would not have even been in the picture.
Double Nelson.
05:18pm
OVER 50: ENG 213/8 (Robinson 25 Tongue 0)
Current Test match tactical orthodoxy dictates that you bounce the tail. New Zealand carry on where England left off before they saw sense. Robinson is given the bounce to ease the ball with a slicing cut behind point for four then pulls a single through midwicket. Smith leg-glances his fellow farrier for single down to long leg, giving Robinson the strike and he cuts over point for a single.
A daisycutter does for Smith after a fine contribution and he departs with England 240 in front.
05:15pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Jamie Smith b Nathan Smith 39 Another shooter, not quite as bad as the one that did for Bethell but it stayed about eight inches lower than it should have done and nipped back under the bat to hit off and middle. FOW 213/8
Another one stays low and Jamie Smith's innings comes to an end!pic.twitter.com/VOl50mF5aM
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 5, 2026
05:10pm
OVER 49: ENG 206/7 (Smith 38 Robinson 19)
You can tell how unsound the pitch is by the number of players who have broken their bats mistiming their strokes. To Root’s two and Gay’s one, as well as Phillips for NZ, Robinson cracks his by swiping the ball through mid-on for two. Armed with the new bat, Robinson retreats to leg and wheels through a pull, top-edging it over the keeper for four then plays a fine cover drive for two.
Jamieson decides to come round the wicket to cramp Robinson but he manages to free his arms and drag the short ball through midwicket for a single.
05:03pm
OVER 48: ENG 197/7 (Smith 38 Robinson 10)
Robinson has come out with aggressive intent and climbs into Nathan Smith’s good length ball and launches it over mid-on for four. He takes a big stride towards the next ball and gives it the old heave-ho, toeing it safely over mid-off for two.
Smith drops the next one short and Robinson swings through the line to pull it and chops it straight into his goolies. The force of the blow knocks him off his feet but he springs back up and pulls the next delivery for a single to the boundary rider at cow corner.
04:59pm
OVER 47: ENG 189/7 (Smith 38 Robinson 3)
After dismissing the son of Atkin, the son of Jamie tries the short ball on the son of Robin who also takes it on but, by contrast, collars it and carts it over midwicket. They run three.
Smith opens the face to a wider, fuller one and steers it between backward point and third man for two. England lead by 216.
04:53pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Atkinson c & b Jamieson 14 Tries to fetch a short ball from outside off and pull it over midwicket but cloths it and sends it straight up the chimney. The bowler takes a couple of strides and waits for it to come down. FOW 184/7
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04:53pm
OVER 46: ENG 184/6 (Smith 36 Atkinson 14)
Atkinson uses his feet to advance on Nathan Smith and work the ball through mid-on for a single. Jamie Smith drives through cover for two then pelts back for two leg byes when missing out on the big inswinger with his tickling stick.
04:49pm
OVER 45: ENG 179/6 (Smith 34 Atkinson 13)
Atkinson brings up the fifty partnership, the second of the innings after Gay and Duckett’s. Atkinson opens his wrists to glide a wider one from Jamieson down to third man. Smith flicks a single through midwicket and Atkinson farms the strike off a tame bouncer, pulling it gently round the corner for a single.
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Jamie Smith drives for four - Ben Whitley/PA
04:44pm
OVER 44: ENG 176/6 (Smith 33 Atkinson 11)
Nathan Smith rolls out the nip-backer that almost saws Jamie Smith in half. It angles in on to off-stump, bites then sears through the gate as Jamie Smith tried to jab his bat down and then whistles past leg stump for four byes. Nathan Smith has bowled beautifully all match.
04:38pm
OVER 43: ENG 170/6 (Smith 32 Atkinson 10)
Jamieson resumes after the break. Atkinson leaves the first one alone then drives the second over point for a single. Smith rides the bounce of one that was shaping away after pitching and slaps it through gully for a single. Atkinson opens the face to steer two runs down to third man. England’s No 8 tries to get the whip out to the inswinger but gets the timing wrong and ends up spooning it short of mid-on.
04:18pm
TEA: ENG 166/6 (Smith 31 Atkinson 7)
England lead by 193 with four wickets in hand. Losing five wickets in the session will be criticised but on this pitch, and with Smith’s contribution, I think they are well-placed for victory.
04:16pm
OVER 42: ENG 166/6 (Smith 31 Atkinson 7)
Jamie Smith creams a pair of fours off Matt Henry with two cover drives. The ball between those two spat through and struck Blundell on the end of the finger. ‘F---!’ he yelps. And poor old Mark Butcher has to apologise should we have heard any offensive language. I believe you either turn the stump mic down and you can then apologise if swearing is broadcast but if you have it turned up then it’s an occupational hazard, the broadcaster knows it will happen and doesn’t care and therefore any apology is just tokenistic and hence meaningless.
Anyway. That’s tea.
England lead by 193
04:11pm
OVER 41: ENG 158/6 (Smith 23 Atkinson 7)
Smith uses O’Rourke’s pace to deflect the ball rather than hitting it down to third for a single. A Root special. Atkinson ducks a bouncer then plays two more short ones down into the pitch. Having pushed him back, O’Rourke fires in the yorker and pins him on the foot. NZ burn a review by sending it upstairs. They still have two left.
04:09pm
Not out
Not just heading down leg but pitching outside leg.
04:09pm
NZ review
Atkinson lbw b O’Rourke Yorker but seemed to be heading way down leg.
04:06pm
OVER 40: ENG 157/6 (Smith 22 Atkinson 7)
This is now the longest as well as the highest innings of the match. Henry tries to gull Smith with a yorker that swings in then dips away. It doesn’t land and Smith drives through the line of the low full toss but the late wobble takes it away from the middle of the bat and he ends up squirting it behind point for two.
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Smith ducks the bouncer - Andrew Boyers/Action Images via Reuters
04:02pm
OVER 39: ENG 154/6 (Smith 19 Atkinson 7)
Atkinson whips a single off his thighpad for a single and Smith shows his undoubted class again with check drive through cover, meeting the ball on the up and creaming it for four. He timed that so sweetly that he didn’t need to bring his bat beyond the perpendicular.
The bounce has given the batsmen a torrid time but spare a thought also for the keepers. O’Rourke sprays one across Smith that dribbles through after bouncing and scuttles under Blundell’s right glove as he swooped in vain to try to gather it. They run a bye.
03:56pm
OVER 38: ENG 148/6 (Smith 15 Atkinson 6)
Matt Henry comes back into the attack and Tom Blundell comes up to the stumps. Henry is about 5mph down on his best pace but is moving the ball around sufficiently to make Smith wary and earn himself a maiden. England lead by 175.
03:53pm
OVER 37: ENG 148/6 (Smith 15 Atkinson 6)
The pitch again stands in the dock when Atkinson tries to duck O’Rourke’s bouncer but the ball does not get up as it should and cracks him a horrible blow on the forearm. One of those blows that numbs the fingers., But he is OK and works a single off his pads two balls later.
Smith tucks in when O’Rourke hangs one outside off and plays a handsome back-foot drive of vintage West Indian quality, lacing it past point for four.
03:50pm
OVER 36: ENG 142/6 (Smith 10 Atkinson 5)
Given the way England bowled and New Zealand batted, England may already have enough but anything Smith can add will be helpful to boost their confidence of defending whatever target they may set. There was no disgrace at all in the dismissals of Bethell, Root and Brook. Perhaps Gay could have left his and Stokes could have picked the line better but it’s the pitch and overheads that have turned this into a two, possibly two-and-a-half day farce, not any particular inadequacy.
Atkinson punches Smith for four through point, then flicks a single through midwicket. Smith edges a pair of fours, the first past gully’s right hand, the next past his left. Streaky but valuable.
03:44pm
OVER 35: ENG 129/6 (Smith 2 Atkinson 0)
Smith gets off the mark from deep in his crease poking it straight past the bowler for two.
Readers’ views:
03:35pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Stokes b Smith 0 Misses a straightish one, losing his off stump. Yes it angled in from round the wicket and left him just a touch. fine delivery and too much this early in his innings for Stokes and his recent travails with the bat. England have lost four wickets for one run. FOW 127/6
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03:32pm
Wicket!
Root lbw b Smith 8 Out on umpire’s call. It shot back in from outside off sharply. Root knew he hadn’t hit it but hoped that such dramatic movement might save him. But it was clipping. FOW 127/5
03:29pm
England review
Root lbw b Smith Again struck by an inswinger that hit him just above the knee.
03:27pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Brook lbw b O’Rourke 0 That veered in, full and fast and hit him just above the knee after being squared up and losing his balance by the pace and movement. It would have hit the leg bail and the top of middle and leg. FOW 127/4
03:26pm
England review
Brook lbw b O’Rourke Came back a mile and almost knocked him off his feet but was it too high or did too much?
03:24pm
OVER 32: ENG 126/3 (Root 7 Brook 0)
Smith and the umpires call on a member of groundstaff with his giant tamper to try to bash some stability into his footholds from round the wicket, a line of attack he is sticking with despite Gay’s familiarity with it by now.
Familiarity does not breed content as Smith winkles him out from round the wicket with a peach that straightens very late on the left-hander,
03:20pmWickets • Video
Wicket!
Gay c Blundell b Smith 57 Good nut that, as they say. Angled in from round the wicket and straightening to kiss the edge, a brush on the lips rather than anything continental, on its way through to the keeper. FOW 126/3
03:15pm
OVER 31: ENG 124/2 (Gay 56 Root 6)
Successive deliveries expose the serpents in the pitch. The first to Gay spits up off a good length and jams his fingers into the handle. The next ball, angled across him from over the wicket (at last) is short and ripe for cutting but it turns lead balloon as it swerves away at ankle height, a good 2ft under Gay’s anticipated bat trajectory. Another short one gets up as it should and Gay goes up en pointe to steer it to point for a single.
Root presses into a cover drive and eases the ball through cover for two.
03:07pm
OVER 30: ENG 121/2 (Gay 55 Root 4)
Gay takes Smith for a tight single to cover and Root plays out the over. Having broken his favourite bat in the first innings, he is unhappy with this one and calls for another and the umpires exploit the opportunity to call on the drinks. England lead by 148.
03:04pm
OVER 29: ENG 120/2 (Gay 54 Root 4)
Root gets off the mark with a boundary, steering the ball with soft hands off the edge wide of second slip. Not where he would have wanted it to go but he was saved by his technique. Jamieson responds with a big inswinger that pins Root in front of leg stump but the angle meant it would have missed it had his pad not intercepted it.
02:59pm
OVER 28: ENG 116/2 (Gay 54 Root 0)
Gay accelerates to a maiden Test half-century on debut. Nathan Smith replaces Henry and Gay takes him for 16 runs, gliding two through point, flashing four with a big swish of the bat outside off down to third man, late-cutting another four between slips and gully, flicking two off his pads to reach fifty and sticking the cherry on the icing of the cake with a gloriously wristy whisk through midwicket for a third four.
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Emilio Gay brings up his Test fifty on debut - David Rogers/Getty Images
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02:54pm
OVER 27: ENG 100/2 (Gay 38 Root 0)
Gay brings up England’s hundred and extends the lead to 127 by driving Jamieson for a single through cover.
02:52pm
OVER 26: ENG 99/2 (Gay 37 Root 0)
Henrt continues but Blundell comes up to the stumps. The right-armer nips one back into Bethell that thuds into the top flap of his front pad, the height strangling Henry’s appeal halfway up his throat. The next ball nibbles away and Bethell pushes at it, nicking it wide of second slip for two. But henry gets his reward eventually though he needed a stroke of good fortune to castle Bethell with a turbo pea-roller.
02:44pmVideo • Wickets
Wicket!
Bethell b Henry 14 A horrible grubber. Unplayable. It was a back of a length delivery and never got above bootlace height. Bethell went back on length but the ball scuttled under his bat. He can walk off feeling unfortunate but with no hint of blame. A filthy ball. This pitch is a minefield. FOW 99/2
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Matt Henry's delivery stays low and Jacob Bethell's Test comes to an end with the bat!
Wait for that side-on angle... pic.twitter.com/igHSLQVZ6O
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 5, 2026
02:42pm
OVER 25: ENG 97/1 (Bethell 12 Gay 37)
Jamieson replaces O’Rourke. He, too, sticks to round the wicket to the left-handers. Stuart Broad thinks they have been too one-dimensional in this approach and should change the line of attack. The 6ft 8in Jamieson starts with a maiden, drawing one false stroke when he squares Gay up. The Durham opener does have a tendency to turn his body into an S shape to the ball that’s moving on off stump or a fourth stump line. This one takes the leading edge but falls safe.
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England aren’t throwing the game away as they did when in a similar position on day two in the opening Perth Test last winter. Emilio Gay and Jacob Bethell have batted sensibly - as opposed to Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Harry Brook who threw their wickets away by aiming big drives through the vacant covers. That was when the mantra “go harder” was exposed as rubbish, as England lost those three prime wickets with their score on 75. It was a failure of technique and shot-selection which cost England in Australia… and these two new lefthanders are not throwing their wickets away, so far.
02:38pm
OVER 24: ENG 97/1 (Bethell 12 Gay 37)
Gay has to hit the gas to get back for two after poking Henry down to third man. He beats the throw but that was tighter than it needed to be. That’s five overs on the spin for Henry after his back spasm. I wonder if they can afford to rest him or whether he would seize up so needs to keep going as long as he can.
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Gay uses the angle from round the wicket to score runs down to fine leg - David Rogers/Getty Images
02:34pm
OVER 23: ENG 94/1 (Bethell 12 Gay 34)
O’Rourke, who set Bethell up to elicit that loose drive and a catching opportunity, by pushing him back with a series of short balls into his body then invited him to tuck in while his footwork was grooved into going back, starts on the wearying process again with short ones into his body. Bethell manages to get underneath the most brutal of them and survives though the ball did seem to flick his shirt collar as he jutted out of the road. Another maiden.
02:30pm
OVER 22: ENG 94/1 (Bethell 12 Gay 34)
There are byes and byes and some of them should go in the bowler’s debit column not the keeper’s. Here is an example of the former when Henry sprays a grubber down the legside, adding four to England’s total. Blundell had no chance of reaching that. Bethell uses his feet to take lbw out of his possible modes of dismissal but his timing isn’t calibrated yet and inside edges fine behind square for two and then chops the ball down for a single.
02:25pm
OVER 21: ENG 87/1 (Bethell 9 Gay 34)
O’Rourke tests Gay’s resilience under a barrage, reaching 91mph as he bounces him a couple of times. Gay ducks two of them and gets up on his toes to play the third short ball into the ground. Maiden.
02:22pm
OVER 20: ENG 87/1 (Bethell 9 Gay 34)
Bethell, who averages nine in the first innings of Tests and 86 in the second, gleans a single off a thick inside edge, the meat in the sandwich of a pair of Gay singles, one flicked down to fine leg, the other eased towards cover. Henry is properly ticking here after that dropped catch.
02:18pm
OVER 19: ENG 84/1 (Bethell 8 Gay 32)
O’Rourke is a tricky customer. He is quick, extracts bounce from his height, can move the ball both ways and has an excellent bumper that follows the batsman. Twice he delivers the latter to Bethell who is struck flush on the point of the right shoulder as he tried to sway out of the way but the ball followed him. A couple of balls later he serves up a perfume ball that would have singed Bethell’s nostril hairs until it swung away at the end. Bethell looks very unsteady. Well, rusty really and should be back in the pavilion but Conway gives him a life when he drops a dolly at short backward point, the same position from which he shelled a chance off Brook yesterday. Bethell was driving and sliced it. Whay has happened to New Zealand’s vaunted fielding?
02:13pm
OVER 18: ENG 84/1 (Bethell 8 Gay 32)
Matt Henry sees a bullseye on Gay’s knee-roll but overcooks the inswing and sends the ball veering across the left-hander and down for four byes. He over-corrects the next ball, hanging it too far outside off and Gay drives it for two, Conway saving two with an excellent diving retrieval.
02:09pm
OVER 17: ENG 78/1 (Bethell 8 Gay 30)
O’Rourke overpitches and Gay RSVPs the invitation to drive with a big stride and an elegant square drive for four. After defending and leaving a couple, he uses the angle and pace from round the wicket to tuck a single fine off his hip for a single to farm the strike.
02:06pm
OVER 16: ENG 73/1 (Bethell 8 Gay 25)
Gay, who is batting on off stump, taking guard there and also taking a big step across to try to get out of the line, is struck by Henry’s inducker on the right knee. Looked fairly adjacent but after a lengthy debate NZ decide not to review… erroneously. It would have smashed into the top of leg stump. Not even umpire’s call. The dressing room signals to the players that he was out.
Four balls later Henry pins Bethell above the knee roll. This time they do send it upstairs but this one was only clipping. Robinson was given the benefit of the doubt twice by Rod Tucker yesterday. Adrian Holdstock is more of a ‘not-outer’.
02:02pm
NZ review
Gay lbw b Henry Not out. Umpire’s call. Clipping leg stump. They retain their review.
01:58pm
The players are out for the afternoon session
This one has been extended by 15 minutes and tea will be taken at 4.10pm. Matt Henry, who managed to bowl at 82mph despite his dicky back, had lost his zip in that two-over spell regardless of the pace. But he will resume now, having bowled during the lunch break.
01:37pm
It’s Red for Ruth day at Lord’s, here’s how you can contribute
01:35pm
Reunited
I believe in their playing days they went by their nicknames of ‘Fiery’ and ‘Guy’, the latter after Regent Park Zoo’s beloved gorilla.
01:33pm
Still haunted by Perth
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01:19pmAnalysis
Lunch on day two: ENG 72/1
This will be the final over of the session. Bethell is off the mark with a boundary through the covers. The ball ran down the slope and Conway is unable to flick the ball back by the boundary rope.
Later in the over, under control Bethell guides one through the gully region and the ball runs away for four. Bethell played that with soft hands.
Bethell sees out the rest of the over to bring the morning session on day two to an end. England go into lunch at 72/1, 99 runs ahead. Gay is 24 not out with Bethell eight not out. Duckett is the only man to fall for England this morning for 33.
I will hand you over to the very capable hands of Rob Bagchi, who will take you through the rest of the day. Enjoy!
An excellent start to England’s innings, racing to 72-1. Emilio Gay has had a little luck, edging between Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham in the slips when on 16. New Zealand’s fielding could cost them this Test match: remember Harry Brook was dropped on eight in the first innings.
01:14pm
OVER 14: ENG 64/1 (Bethell 0 Gay 24)
That is arguably the shot of the day as Gay drills Henry with perfect timing through the covers for four. That raced up the hill.
New Zealand are trying to get the ball changed but are unsuccessful.
Blundell is now up to the stumps and the next ball is a chance for New Zealand. Henry finds the outside edge of Gay’s bat and the ball comes right in between Mitchell and Latham at first and second slip. Neither one of them goes for it and the ball races right between them for four. Were they slightly unsighted by Blundell being up to the stumps? Not really and that is a chance that has gone begging.
The final ball of the over is down the legside and, with Blundell up to the stumps, he has no chance of stopping the ball and it runs away for four byes.
01:09pm
OVER 13: ENG 52/1 (Bethell 0 Gay 16)
Jacob Bethell joins Gay in the middle with just a few minutes to go before lunch and is welcomed to the crease by a nasty short delivery that was over 90mph.
01:06pmWickets • Video
Wicket
Duckett c Phillips b O’Rourke 33 What a waste on the stroke of lunch! One ball after bringing up the 50 partnership with a boundary, Duckett gifts his wicket away by guiding a full and wide delivery from O’Rourke straight at Phillips in the gully region. England’s opening pair had done all the hard work over the last hour only to gift away a wicket. FOW 52/1
O'Rourke makes the breakthrough and Ben Duckett's knock comes to an end!pic.twitter.com/AcpjuRjCtM
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 5, 2026
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Until its final ball that was an excellent innings of 33 by Ben Duckett. Controlled, above all, then assertive when Matt Henry came on to bowl gingerly. He’d have scored a lot more runs if he had batted like that in Australia.
01:02pm
OVER 12: ENG 46/0 (Duckett 27 Gay 16)
A change of bowling for New Zealand as Matt Henry is going to give it a crack, replacing Smith at the Nursery End. Henry bowled just four overs yesterday before suffering from back spasms.
Duckett welcomes him into the attack by drilling a full delivery straight down the ground through mid-off for four. Make that back-to-back boundaries as Duckett drills Henry down the ground again, this time through mid-on. Those first two balls from Henry were a little floaty and lacking his usual zip. His third ball is much better, beating Duckett on the inside edge, but Blundell is unable to gather and England come through for a bye.
England lead by 73 runs.
12:58pm
OVER 11: ENG 35/0 (Duckett 18 Gay 15)
O’Rourke is steaming in and making it tough for England’s opening pair. In a parallel universe, O’Rourke could have been teammates of Duckett and Gay having been born in Kingston-upon-Thames had his parents stayed in England.
Gay finishes the over with a boundary, guiding a drive behind point for four. Gay looked a lot more comfortable facing O’Rourke than Duckett did.
A reminder that lunch will be 15 minutes later than usual just due to the overs lost yesterday so the lunch break will be at 1.15pm.
12:53pm
OVER 10: ENG 31/0 (Duckett 18 Gay 11)
Henry is continuing to go through his warm-ups but Smith continues at the Nursery End.
Smith offers some width outside off and Gay capitalises, getting on top of the bounce and cutting away under control just behind point for four.
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England’s opening pair slowly building in tough conditions - Ben Whitley/PA
12:49pm
OVER 9: ENG 24/0 (Duckett 17 Gay 5)
The first bowling change sees Will O’Rourke replace Jamieson at the Pavilion End. O’Rourke was a handful yesterday; will he be so again today? He immediately hits Duckett on the hand and the England opener quickly takes his left glove off. That was a painful one right on the finger and the England physio is being summoned. It is the left index finger that was struck and that will probably sting for a while.
O’Rourke is certainly causing Duckett some problems. Henry is still out there and appears to be going through so warm-ups. It looks like he will give bowling a try soon.
A probing maiden over from O’Rourke.
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A painful one! - David Rogers/Getty Images
12:41pm
OVER 8: ENG 24/0 (Duckett 17 Gay 5)
Duckett squeezes one off the inside edge and gets a couple through square leg. That did not end up where he intended but will take every run on offer.
Smith then strikes Gay on the pads and the appeals are loud but are turned down. It appeared to strike Gay outside the line of off stump, which Gay very much emphasises immediately afterwards, and sensibly New Zealand opt against a review. Smith was pleading with his captain Latham but it was the right call not to review or else they would have lost it.
12:36pmOpinion
OVER 7: ENG 21/0 (Duckett 14 Gay 5)
It is not easy for these two left-handers with Jamieson coming around the wicket, with the slope taking the ball away from them.
Jamieson strays onto the pads and Gay flicks away in complete control through square leg. Ravindra flicks it back just before the boundary rope and Gay is able to come through for three.
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So would this be a better game if New Zealand had been allowed to replace Matt Henry after his back spasms? Much to be said either way in this debate. For certain it would make for an ever briefer match if NZ had been allowed a replacement.
On the whole I think it would be a bad thing: bowlers could turn up for a Test without making much preparation, confident in the knowledge that will be replaced, and not let their side down, if they were to break down.
12:31pm
OVER 6: ENG 16/0 (Duckett 13 Gay 2)
Two singles come off Smith’s latest over and England’s lead currently stands at 43.
12:27pmAnalysis • Video
OVER 5: ENG 14/0 (Duckett 12 Gay 1)
After being cautious in his first 10 deliveries, Duckett appears to have decided that the best form of defence is attack, crashing a drive through the covers for four. The best approach might be to not allow the bowlers to settle in an area and take the attack to them.
Has Duckett just been dropped? Jamieson bowls one onto the pads and Duckett clips it straight at Ravindra at mid-wicket but Ravindra spills it. Ravindra dropped a sitter yesterday and does so again today. He now has two dropped catches and a golden duck to his name. Two days to forget!
Another simple catch dropped by Rachin Ravindra; he shelled a sitter from Harry Brook at square leg in the first innings too. He’s a brilliant young player but is having a shocker; remember he got a first innings duck too.
England didn’t score for the first 16 balls of their innings: the longest they have been on 0 in the Bazball era. This is what the refined style looks like then.
12:22pm
OVER 4: ENG 10/0 (Duckett 8 Gay 1)
Smith goes up for an appeal for LBW but Gay got some bat on that, coming through for a single. It was a thick inside edge so the LBW appeal was a real non-starter. Gay is off the mark.
As he did in the previous over, Duckett slashes at one outside his off stump and it flies through the point region aerially for four. This time it was closer to the point fielder and slightly more precarious.
12:18pmVideo
OVER 3: ENG 4/0 (Duckett 4 Gay 0)
The opening pair for England are both still looking to get off the mark, which is easier said than done with some of the deliveries being sent down at them. Duckett eventually decides to slash at a ball that gave him a bit of width and the ball races away through the point region down the slope for four. It was in the air for a while but nowhere near a fielder. England are off and running!
Some deliveries are misbehaving, in particular keeping low, with the latest example seeing Duckett jam his bat down just in time.
Ben Duckett gets himself & England off the mark, slashing over backward point!️ pic.twitter.com/mHqXycUF40
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 5, 2026
12:13pm
OVER 2: ENG 0/0 (Duckett 0 Gay 0)
Duckett has changed bats just one over into the innings. It will not be Matt Henry to open the bowling with Jamieson but instead it is Nathan Smith from the Nursery End. He finds the edge of Emilio Gay’s bat first ball but it drops short of Latham at second slip. Gay did not go hard at it and thus it did not carry. The next ball keeps low and Gay gets his bat down just in time, with the ball coming off the toe of the bat.
It was not easy to bat yesterday and it appears to be tricky today as well.
12:09pm
OVER 1: ENG 0/0 (Duckett 0 Gay 0)
Ben Duckett will face the first ball, which will be sent down from Kyle Jamieson from the Pavilion End. It is a tentative start from Duckett, who is feeling his way into the innings.
A maiden over to start with from Jamieson.
12:04pm
England’s second innings
It was just 25 hours ago that Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay made their way out to the middle ahead of the first innings, now they are heading back out. England take a 27-run lead into their second innings; how valuable will that be.
Matt Henry is out with his New Zealand teammates and at the very least will give it a go with the ball it seems.
12:02pmAnalysis
Great performance from Robinson
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It is nice for England that their captain Ben Stokes is no longer their leading bowler as he was in the Ashes last winter. Ollie Robinson is just about world-class with a new ball - although we briefly saw the other side of him when he kept bowling 78 mph long hops at Kyle Jamieson. Josh Tongue meanwhile seems to be at the peak of his game. A major matter for England : not to over-bowl Tongue in the next year.
11:59amAnalysis
Surely not another two-day Test
Lovely way to wrap up a five fer by Ollie Robinson with Matt Henry bowled middle stump. We are still in the territory of this finishing today. It would take an awful batting performance by England of course but we said that in Perth (and for Australia in Melbourne). We would be looking at several millions in lost revenue if there is no Saturday.
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Ollie Robinson holds the ball up after taking five wickets - David Rogers/Getty Images
11:54amWickets
New Zealand bowled out for 113
Henry b Robinson 0 Ollie Robinson gets his name onto the honours’ board. Robinson goes full and straight and the old adage of “You miss, I hit!” pays off as the delivery crashes into Henry’s stumps for Robinson’s fifth wicket of the innings. Henry goes for a duck and that brings the New Zealand innings to an end. England lead by 27 after first innings. FOW 113 all out
What a return for Ollie Robinson. He now leads England off with 5-39. He’s done exactly what England hoped - though he doesn’t have the bounce to bowl short, as Kyle Jamieson showed.
11:50am
OVER 29: NZ 108/9 (Jamieson 33 Henry 0)
Matt Henry, struggling with his back, makes his way to the crease. He plays out four dots so Jamieson will be back on strike for the next over. New Zealand currently trail by 32 runs.
11:47amVideo
Wicket
O’Rourke c Brook b Atkinson 1 Tongue’s spell is done and is replaced at the Pavilion End by Gus Atkinson. Guess what; bowl it full and you get the wicket. O’Rourke goes after a full delivery from Atkinson and the thick outside edge is caught by Brook at second slip. Stokes had actually put two men in close under helmets so perhaps O’Rourke was expecting the short ball. FOW 108/9
11:44am
OVER 28: NZ 107/8 (Jamieson 32 O’Rourke 1)
This is becoming slightly frustrating for England now as New Zealand gradually get closer to parity. O’Rourke looks solid in defence, which is probably in turn giving Jamieson more confidence.
11:39am
OVER 27: NZ 106/8 (Jamieson 31 O’Rourke 1)
Jamieson is more sedate in this over, taking a single from the third ball, before O’Rourke survives the next three balls.
11:34am
OVER 26: NZ 105/8 (Jamieson 30 O’Rourke 1)
The field is spread for Jamieson, who is content to take a single off the first ball, which I have to admit is a surprise. Jamieson is then immediately able to get back on strike as O’Rourke squeezes one past gully to get off the mark.
There are three fielders in the deep on the legside but all three stand and watch as Jamieson pulls into the stands for six. It is then back-to-back sixes as he pulls again. What are England doing bowling that short when they have had so much success bowling full? It is moronic.
The news from the New Zealand camp is that Matt Henry will bat and then see if he can bowl.
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Why are England bowling so short? - Ben Whitley/PA
It’s clearly been a poor pitch so far, with too much inconsistent bounce. Still, there are precedents for Lord’s wickets starting in a similar vein and then flattening out. In this corresponding Test four years ago, New Zealand made just 132 and England 141 - and then conditions became far better for batting and England chased down 277 to win in the fourth innings.
11:30am
OVER 25: NZ 90/8 (Jamieson 16 O’Rourke 0)
Jamieson picks up the attempted slower ball from Tongue and blasts it back over the England bowler’s head for six. Jamieson used his long levers to good effect there and had a few MCC members scrambling. Jamieson then comes very close to stepping on his own stumps as he fended off a short ball from Tongue. That was so close!
O’Rourke then survives the rest of the over.
11:25am
OVER 24: NZ 83/8 (Jamieson 9 O’Rourke 0)
Will O’Rourke is the new man in. We are waiting to see whether Matt Henry will bat after his back spasms yesterday. Unsurprisingly, Jamieson is going to continue his ultra-aggressive approach. He gets a thick outside edge but it falls short of Bethell positioned down at third man.
O’Rourke survives four balls so Jamieson will be back on strike for the next over.
Henry is padded up in the New Zealand dressing room so he will bat but will he bowl?
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Matt Henry tried some warming up this morning but he must be injured if he is not batting at ten ahead of Will O’Rourke.
Therefore the strategy for England’s second innings: no Bazball thank you, just grind down New Zealand’s three remaining seamers, and cash in against part-timers like Daryl Mitchell with his medium pace and Glenn Phillips with his offspin
11:20amWickets • Video
Wicket
Smith b Tongue 15 Another batsman to fall leaving the ball and getting bowled. Jamie Smith and Daryl Mitchell fell leaving yesterday and now Nathan Smith falls. The ball came back in a long way from Tongue but it was always coming back down the slope. Smith cannot believe it and throws his head back in frustration. FOW 82/8
11:14am
OVER 22: NZ 77/7 (Jamieson 7 Smith 11)
Captain Ben Stokes had to complete his over in the first over of the day but it will be Ollie Robinson who now comes on at the Nursery End. Jamieson is not messing around and is going to go after the England bowlers.
Jamieson goes for a big, booming drive and it comes off a thick outside edge, running away for four. If Jamieson gets a few more away, this could be dangerous. Stokes has responded by now having four fielders on the boundary but it appears that it will not change Jamieson’s approach.
11:09am
OVER 21: NZ 70/7 (Jamieson 1 Smith 10)
The gigantic figure of Kyle Jamieson is in at number nine and signals his intent with a big drive straight at mid-off. I think he is going to be pretty aggressive and his second ball sees him get off the mark in fortuitous circumstances, attempting a big hoick into the legside and a thick edge brings him a single.
Smith finishes the over with aplomb, driving through the covers for the first boundary of the morning.
11:04amKey moments • Wickets
Wicket
Phillips b Tongue 34 Josh Tongue will begin from the Pavilion End and starts with a bang. It is a lovely delivery from the Nottinghamshire bowler, who gets it full and is rewarded. Phillips goes for a drive down the ground but the ball goes past his outside edge and crashes into the off stump. Perhaps Phillips thought the ball was going to come down the slope more but it straightened and flattened the stumps. No better sight for fast bowler; off stump out of the ground. FOW 65/7
No surprise to see Stokes turn straight to Josh Tongue at the Pavilion End. Not only as he become a superb Test bowler, but his awkward action makes him a devil against the tail. Perfect start.
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There was a time, when he came into the England side, when Josh Tongue was branded a bang it in bowler. But he is more versatile than that….
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Cleaned up! - David Rogers/Getty Images
11:03am
OVER 20: NZ 65/6 (Phillips 34 Smith 6)
As we went off midway through Ben Stokes’ over last night, the England captain will kick off proceedings today from the Nursery End.
The first run of the day comes from a Stokes front-foot no-ball. Phillips then gets the first runs of the day off the bat as he squeezes one past point’s right hand and the ball runs down the hill. Gay flicks it back in to stop the boundary but Phillips comes through for three.
10:58am
Ready for action
Glenn Phillips (31*) and Nathan Smith (6*) will resume for New Zealand, who are 79 runs behind. This could be a crucial phase of the game over the next hour; our very own Scyld Berry said earlier any lead could be valuable for England. If Phillips stays in for a period, he will score runs quickly and England’s lead would be wittled down promptly.
10:56am
Lord’s turns red
Both sides are on the outfield in their red caps. Children and families who have been supported by the Ruth Strauss Foundation have the honour of ringing the five-minute bell ahead of play. Sir Andrew Strauss is also out there with his two sons.
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Red for Ruth - Ben Whitley/PA
10:54amKey moments
Session times for day two
We’ve got some adjusted playing times today because of yesterday’s rain and bad light. Here they are:
Morning Session: 1100-1315
Lunch: 1315-1355
Afternoon Session: 1355-1610
Tea: 1610-1630
Evening Session: 1630-1830
98 overs in total (weather permitting)
10:48am
Harry Brook speaking ahead of day two
10:42am
A look at the pitch
10:40am
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain on Ollie Robinson
10:35am
Raising money for a great cause
10:27am
From a former England opener to a current one
A nice speech here from Sir Alastair Cook, awarding Emilio Gay his Test cap. Ben Stokes joked yesterday it was the best speech Cook had ever given. Cook captained Stokes for the first three years of his Test career!
At exactly this time yesterday, Emilio Gay received his first-ever cap from England legend Sir Alastair Cook.
Emilio's family joined our huddle for a special moment at Lord'spic.twitter.com/L7yblTsNxD
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 5, 2026
10:23am
Already under pressure?
Jamie Smith was one of a number of England players who had a rough Ashes tour down under over the winter and this feels like a big summer for the Surrey wicketkeeper. His summer did not get off to the best of starts yesterday with a dismissal he will not want to watch back:
How much pressure is Smith already under? Remember you can have your say in the comments section at the bottom of the blog.
10:17am
Onto the honours board
It is a huge honour for any player to get their name onto the Lord’s honours board, especially for a visiting player as they do not know how many times they will play at Lord’s. Kyle Jamieson is the latest name onto the board for away teams after his five-wicket haul yesterday:
Another name on the most coveted honours board in the game#ENGvNZpic.twitter.com/n34dwwBrR7
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 4, 2026
10:12amOpinion • Key moments
Red for Ruth
Good morning from Lord’s! It’s much better weather now, and a much better forecast throughout the day. I am praying we do not get another helter skelter day like yesterday, and a two-day finish. That is just bad for business for the whole game – players, fans, media, everyone. Whatever happens, the performance of the pitch will be under major scrutiny.
It’s Red For Ruth day today, and I can see the Sky broadasters lining up before the Pavilion wearing their natty red blazers.
Lord's will turn red today, as the cricketing world comes together for the eighth annual #RedforRuth
— England's Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) June 5, 2026
10:09am
What to make of this?
Harry Brook’s innings yesterday was certainly eventful. He was dropped twice, one of those an absolute sitter from Rachin Ravindra, but played plenty of swashbuckling shots on his way to 56. He was only one of two batsmen from either side to pass 20 yesterday and had it not been for his innings England would have been in even more of a pickle. But what about his dismissal:
Safe hands from Kyle Jamieson and England are 113-8
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 4, 2026
An absolutely dreadful way to get out and a waste as he appeared to be set. What do you make of it? Have your say in this poll as to whether Brook was guilty of a bad dismissal:
10:04am
Get your fix!
09:58am
Highlights from a dramatic opening day
09:51amAnalysis
Any lead could be valuable
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If you want my pennyworth on day one of this Test series: England did commendably well to wriggle out of the hole which they were condemned to enter after losing the toss.
The most illuminating passage of the day was, for me, England’s last wicket stand. Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir came together when the total was 118 for nine.
In Australia last winter that sort of score was the cue for a tailender, or a top order batsman, to slog the ball up in the air. But no, on this occasion the last wicket pair used their heads, added 22 sensibly, gave England some breathing space and time to reflect on the length they had to bowl - and 140 on that pitch was just about a working total.
Tongue even played out a maiden over while Bashir showed how his batting has improved at Derbyshire. Together they achieved a sense of calm, when last winter it would have been all systems panic.
Harry Brook had batted sensibly too in his own way, relatively low-risk: even when he first ran down the pitch, he played straight.
Then Ollie Robinson went out and did what he does - maximise the new ball. England have yet to dismiss New Zealand’s answer to Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips, but any lead on first innings will be a small victory, given those conditions at the toss.
09:46amKey moments
Crazy start to the Test summer
It is finely poised going into day two of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s after a bonkers opening day of the English Test summer. 16 wickets fell on a crazy first day, which was interrupted by rain and bad light on numerous occasions, as the ball firmly dominated the bat. There may have only been 59 overs on day one but the drama was plentiful.
After New Zealand won the toss and bowled first in bowler-friendly conditions, England struggled with the bat, being bowled out for just 140 inside 40 overs as some old wounds may have reopened to some extent. Harry Brook was the only England batsman to show any degree of fluency, scoring 56 before a dreadful dismissal ended his innings. Brook had some luck on the way, being dropped twice, and had one of those chances been taken by New Zealand then England’s innings could have looked even worse. Apart from Brook, no other England batsman reached the 20-run mark as New Zealand’s bowlers dominated. The mere 6ft 8in Kyle Jamieson was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, taking 5-62, which included the wicket of England debutant Emilio Gay for eight.
England then needed an immediate response and their bowlers delivered as conditions continued to favour the bowlers. New Zealand were reduced to 29/6 before recovering a bit to end the day on 61/6, 79 runs behind. Ollie Robinson returned from his two-year exile from the Test team with a bang by taking four wickets, including three in his first over of his return. That triple-wicket maiden saw him dismiss Devan Conway, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra. Speaking to Sky Sports after the first day’s play, Robinson admitted there have been times during his time out of the side that he thought he may never return.
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Lord’s was at fever pitch as Ollie Robinson ripped through New Zealand’s top order - Alex Davidson/Getty Images
“I cannot really put this into words right now,” Robinson said. “It feels a bit surreal. I could not have dreamt it, to be honest. It has been an amazing couple of hours, and it is just so good to be back. There were obviously doubts. I thought at Christmas time, I was never playing for England again. To get back in and get the support of everyone, it been amazing. So special. When we looked at the pitch this morning [yesterday morning], it looked like it was going to play a lot better than it did. New Zealand obviously bowled really well against us and we knew we had to follow suit. To get then six down there at the end was a great effort from everyone.”
New Zealand resume on day two with four wickets in hand, with Glenn Phillips probably the key man remaining for the tourists on 31 not out, with Nathan Smith alongside him on six not out. On a day dominated by the ball, Phillips and Brook were the only two batsmen to pass 20.
Play on day two of the 150th Test at Lord’s gets under way at 11am, with time hopefully to be made up from play lost yesterday later.
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