Late wickets hamper Black Caps in second-innings run chase in first test versus England at Lord’s
Saturday, 6 June 2026
First test, Lord's: England 140 and 226 (Emilio Gay 57, Jamie Smith 39; Nathan Smith 6-70) vs New Zealand 113 (Kyle Jamieson 38 not out, Glenn Phillips 34; Ollie Robinson 5-39, Josh Tongue 3-40) and 36-3. Click here for full scorecard
The end of Kane Williamson’s final test innings at Lord’s kept the Black Caps on the back foot against England.
At stumps on day two of the first test in the three-match series, New Zealand were 36-3, needing another 218 runs for victory.
Captain Tom Latham made a duck after playing a loose drive, and former skipper Williamson - nearing the end of his incredible test career - was the prize scalp for the hosts when lbw to Josh Tongue for 18, before sacrificial nighwatcher Will O’Rourke was bowled to end the day’s play.
On another day when ball dominated bat, NZ seamer Nathan Smith took six wickets in a test for the second time in just over a week to give the visitors a chance at victory.
The partner of White Ferns captain Melie Kerr. who took 6-40 in the one-off test versus Ireland, starred in an England mid-innings collapse, which saw them recover somewhat before being dismissed for 226 - the biggest innings tally of the test to date.
It would have been less had the visiting side not spilled catches again, with Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway being repeat offenders, and Latham missed a trick when not asking for a review of a denied lbw appeal against Emilio Gay.
The debutant opener top-scored with 57 after the Black Caps had been bowled out for just 113 in their first innings after resuming on day two at 61-6.
Kyle Jamieson swung lustily to make an unbeaten 38 from just 29 balls, hitting three sixes while briefly unsettling England’s accurate seam bowling.
Ollie Robinson ended with 5-39 in his comeback test appearance to leave NZ trailing by 27 on the first innings.
England were effectively 116 for 1 in their second innings, with the opportunity to bat NZ out of the game, but with dark clouds above that resulted in the floodlights being utilised for a second successive day, the Lord’s pitch was again offering major assistance to the quick bowlers.
Matt Henry, who bowled just four overs in England’s first innings after experiencing lower back spasms, wasn’t at his best in delivering 11 overs in the home side’s second turn at bat, but made a big breakthrough when a delivery kept low to bowl Jacob Bethell.
Smith then got Gay to nick off to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, first innings half-century maker Harry Brook was trapped lbw by an inswinger from Will O'Rourke for a duck and Joe Root fell the next ball to Smith.
England skipper Ben Stokes survived Smith’s attempt at a hat-trick but only lasted two more before being bowled.
However, England got a 57-run eighth-wicket partnership between Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson which made New Zealand’s chase more difficult.
Match situation and what to expect on day three
A test between two top-tier nations which ends on day three means something has gone badly wrong along the way.
No matter the outcome, the first test of what loomed as an enticing, tense three-game series has been a let-down due almost solely to the poor Lord’s pitch.
Inconsistent bounce and excessive movement off the seam has made it a nightmare for some of the world’s best red-ball batters.
Making 218 runs on day three of a test, with three specialist batters and four allrounders (including wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell) should be eminently achievable, in a normal situation.
But unless the wicket dramatically alters in nature - which appears hugely unlikely with rain and showers forecasted for throughout the day - New Zealand rightly remain underdogs to score just their second test win at the venue.
Stat of the day
The combined first innings of England and New Zealand consisted of 69.3 overs.
Only once in a test match in England had the first two innings been completed more quickly - in 1907, when the hosts made 76 in 36.3 overs batting first at Headingley, Leeds, and South Africa replied with 110 in 31.5 overs in an encounter won by the hosts on day three by 53 runs.
Eleven batters were out bowled and nine lbw on the first two days, and it was reported that according to PitchViz (based on ball-tracking data) the pitch was the most inconsistent surface for a test in England since records began.