New Zealand firmly on top against England in first Test after taking lead to 227 at Lord’s | Cricket News

England reduced New Zealand to 56-4 on day two at Lord’s only for Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell’s unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 180 to stretch the Black Caps’ lead to 227 by stumps – watch day three from 10.15am on Saturday on Sky Sports Cricket

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Check out the best of the action from day two of the first LV= Insurance Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s

New Zealand seized control of the first LV= Insurance Test on day two at Lord’s with Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell snuffing out England’s momentum with an unbroken stand of 180 to take the tourists into a 227-run lead.

New Zealand looked in danger of being skittled for the second time in the game as they slipped to 56-4 in their second innings, at which point their lead was just 47, having folded feebly to 132 all out in their first knock.

England seamer Matthew Potts (2-50), who claimed 4-13 on day one, continued his promising debut by removing Kane Williamson (15) once again and then Tom Latham (14) in a double burst before lunch.

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Here is how New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell wrestled control of the first Test away from England with a stubborn batting performance on day two.

But Mitchell (97no) and Blundell (90no) recorded their fourth and fifth Test fifties respectively – and first by any players in this match – during a busy fifth-wicket partnership that took New Zealand to 236-4 and sapped England.

With the home side’s batting having proved incredibly flimsy over the last year or so, including in this Test with Ben Stokes’ side bundled out for 141 in their opening dig, New Zealand will be confident of going on to win the game, even if a dodgy forecast over the next few days could hamper them.

England must surely make inroads with the new ball Saturday morning – it is due in one over’s time – if they are to have a chance of claiming just a second win in 18 Tests and starting the Stokes and Brendon McCullum era on a high.

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June 4, 2022, 10:15am

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England take slender lead on first innings

England began day two on 116-7 – Stokes’ men having crumpled from 59-0 the previous evening on a 17-wicket day – and hoping to eke out a lead.

They managed to earn a nine-run advantage before their first innings was mopped up 35 minutes in, adding 25 to their overnight total.

Tim Southee (4-55) bowled Stuart Broad (9) and then had Ben Foakes (7) caught behind before Trent Boult (3-21) nicked off Test debutant Matt Parkinson (8), leaving James Anderson unbeaten on seven.

Parkinson had only arrived at Lord’s on Thursday afternoon after being summoned as a concussion replacement for Jack Leach.

The Lancashire leg-spinner was awarded his cap on Friday morning by England spin coach Jeetan Patel and then went on to bowl 14 largely tidy but ultimately wicketless overs later in the day.

With the bat, Parkinson’s clip for two through the leg-side took England into the lead after Anderson’s push down the ground had levelled the scores – the last-wicket pair joining forces at 130-9 with their side still trailing by two runs.

Potts stars again before New Zealand fight back

When Parkinson’s fellow Test newbie Potts banished Williamson and Latham later in the morning session, both caught behind, New Zealand were tottering on 35-3.

Williamson edged Potts to Jonny Bairstow at third slip and Latham feathered to wicketkeeper Foakes – Latham’s review coming in vain as UltraEdge showed a light spike.

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Matthew Potts took the wickets of Kane Williamson and Tom Latham before lunch on day two at Lord’s as he continued an impressive start to his Test career

Anderson had made the initial breakthrough by ousting Will Young (1) – just as he had done on day one – with Foakes the catcher.

After the interval, Anderson’s new-ball partner Broad had Devon Conway (13) out to a leg-side strangle, raising the prospect of a two-day Test finish, something not seen at Lord’s since 1888.

Mitchell and Blundell’s partnership extinguished that possibility, though, with the New Zealand batters now looking to clinch what would be their second and third Test tons respectively on day three.

WATCH: Pietersen examines England’s batting problems

With England collapsing yet again, former star batter Kevin Pietersen discussed the side’s current top six and why he is a fan of a man who missed out on selection for this Test, the uncapped Harry Brook.

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Kevin Pietersen gives his take on England’s batting line-up following another collapse in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.

Stats of the day

26 – the years since a specialist leg-spinner bowled for England in a Lord’s Test. The man back then was Ian Salisbury, against Pakistan in 1996

Matt Parkinson is the first frontline leg-spinner to play for England in a Lord’s Test since 1996

15 – the highest score at which any New Zealand top-four batter was dismissed in this Test. The only other time England inflicted that on an opponent was against Australia at Sydney in 1888

13.7 – the average partnership for the first 24 wickets in the match, before the three-figure stand between Mitchell and Blundell

180 – New Zealand’s record fifth-wicket partnership against England, with Mitchell and Blundell equalling the stand shared at Lord’s in 1994 between Martin Crowe and Shane Thomson

Blundell: New Zealand have a ‘big job’ on day three

New Zealand’s Tom Blundell, speaking to Sky Sports: “It was tough toil throughout but to build that partnership was very pleasing. We just had to dig in and I thought we did that very well.

Blundell is 10 runs away from a third Test century

“I think I’m going to sleep well tonight. Milestones will take care of themselves but we’ve got a big job to build that lead so I’m not really worrying about [getting a hundred].”

Watch day three of the first LV=Insurance Test between England and New Zealand, at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am on Saturday.