England have the chance to build a dominant position in the first Test of their home summer at Lord’s after their top order made a bright start to the second innings. They reached lunch with a lead of 99 runs for the loss of Ben Duckett after their fast bowlers ran through New Zealand for 113, led by Ollie Robinson’s career-best figures of 5 for 39 on his Test comeback.
Robinson, back in the team after falling out of favour with England’s management, had dismantled New Zealand’s top order on the first evening with a dramatic spell of 4 for 10 in six overs, including three wickets in four balls in his first. He completed his five-for by cleaning up last man Matt Henry in his second spell, roaring in celebration before leading England off.
Duckett and Test debutant Emilio Gay then shared the first 50-run partnership of the match as England looked to build a commanding lead. Duckett was dropped on 12 by Rachin Ravindra at short midwicket, and fell for 33 shortly before lunch when slicing a full, wide ball from Will O’Rourke straight to Glenn Phillips in the gully, but Gay stood firm at the other end.
New Zealand’s 113 all out – a first-innings deficit of 27 – represented a recovery from 29 for 6, with Phillips’ counter-attacking 34 on the first evening supplemented by Kyle Jamieson’s free-swinging 38 not out on the second morning.
Josh Tongue struck with his first ball of the morning, uprooting Phillips’ off stump with a full delivery that snuck past his outside edge. He then got a length ball to jag in sharply off the seam as Nathan Smith became the third batter of the match bowled while shouldering arms, leaving New Zealand 82 for 8 and still 58 behind.
Jamieson, fresh from a five-wicket haul in his first Test since February 2024, decided there was little point hanging around and swung Tongue’s slower ball back over his head into the pavilion for the first six of the Test match, then hauled Robinson for consecutive leg-side sixes as England went to a short-ball plan to the lower order.
Henry was only deemed fit enough to bowl two overs before lunch and looked short of his best, leaking runs and struggling for pace. But he did create a chance in his second over with Tom Blundell up to the stumps, when Gay edged an outswinger into the gap between Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham at first and second slip, who both left the catch to each other.