Here’s Ali Martin’s report.
Close of play! England trail by 16
36th over: England 116-7 (Foakes 6, Broad 4) While this mayhem has been unfolding, Ben Foakes has played the role of the innocent bystander. Realising there may not be much time left in the innings, he goes on the attack now with a pair of threes, one squirted past the slips, the other shovelled into the covers. And that’s stumps.
What a day. New Zealand started both innings abysmally, but recovered twice – once with the bat, adding a feisty 96 to 36 for six, and then with the ball, turning England’s 59 for none into a collapse that was quite something even by their high standards. And so a dream day for Ben Stokes turned into the same old nightmare. We’ve had 17 wickets already, four of them taken in great style by the debutant Matty Potts, who finds himself playing in a potty match. I do hope you haven’t got tickets for day five.
Thanks for your company and correspondence, and I’ll be back in the morning to see what happens next in this crazy old game. The second-last word goes to Guy Hornsby on Twitter. “Not so much blank canvas,” he mutters, “as blank scorecard.”
The last word goes to Joseph Harvey. “Well that’s Stokes done for,” he says. “Who’s next in line?”
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35th over: England 106-7 (Foakes 0, Broad 2) Trent Boult is in the mood, and why wouldn’t you be with England on the ropes? He bounces Stuart Broad and tests him around off stump, but Broad glances for two and England also collect four byes. Relative riches.
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34th over: England 100-7 (Foakes 0, Broad 0) New Zealand were 39 for six, and now, if anything, they’re narrowly on top. It’s like penalty shoot-outs – the team that misses first may well go on to win.
“Well I for one,” says Matt D, “feel much more at home with a good ol’ collapse. Especially on such a day of tradition. As Mrs Doyle might say... ‘Maybe I like the misery’.” Masochists, the lot of us.
33rd over: England 100-7 (Foakes 0, Broad 0) You couldn’t make it up.
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Wicket! Potts c Mitchell b Boult 0 (England 100-7)
Not even Potts can stop the rot! He gets a bouncer, tries to fend it off, and pops a simple catch to slip. England have just lost five wickets for eight runs!
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WICKET! Bairstow b Boult 1 (England 100-6)
And another! Bairstow drags a wide one onto his off stump, so there goes the last specialist batter – and the one whose recent role has been to repair the damage. England trail by 32, and all the good work by the bowlers has been undone.
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32nd over: England 98-5 (Bairstow 1, Foakes 0) Ben Stokes is replaced by Ben Foakes. Southee reckons he’s got him too, with a strangle down the leg side, but Michael Gough knows there’s no bat on it. That’s a wicket maiden from Southee, who has followed an indifferent first spell (6-0-29-0) with an impeccable second one (3-2-1-2). Since tea, New Zealand have shown why they’re the world Test champions.
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WICKET!! Stokes c Blundell b Southee 1 (England 98-5)
Dream day, did we say? Well, now he’s woken up. Stokes goes too hard at the ball outside off, just like Crawley and Pope, and England have now thrown away most of their advantage.
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31st over: England 98-4 (Bairstow 1, Stokes 1) A probing over from de Grandhomme, who squares Stokes up and raps him on the pad.
Meanwhile, Matt Parkinson is in the building. What a way to make your Test debut: no nets, no buildup, no interviews, just dive straight in. It could just work.
30th over: England 96-4 (Bairstow 0, Stokes 0) So the top three are all gone, so is Root, and England have two new batters at the crease, albeit both with 80-odd Tests behind them. Ladies and gents, please say hello to an old friend: the England batting collapse. After that promising opening stand, they’ve lost four wickets for 37.
Wicket! Lees lbw b Southee 25 (England 96-4)
Another one! Alex Lees’s ploy of taking guard outside off proves his downfall as he plays across a ball angled into his leg bail. He reviews, but to no avail.
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29th over: England 96-3 (Lees 25, Bairstow 0) So heeere’s Jonny Bairstow, who kick-started the New Zealand collapse this morning with those fine catches.
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Wicket!! Root c Southee b de Grandhomme 11 (England 92-3)
Ooooh! Root, who found de Grandhomme impossible to score off in the World Cup final at Lord’s in 2019, has now succumbed to him again. It was an effort ball, banged in, and it found the edge just like those deliveries Root kept getting out to in Australia. Southee, at third slip, took a good sharp catch. Game on!
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28th over: England 92-2 (Lees 25, Root 11) Kyle Jamieson gets a breather after a tremendous spell that exposed the soft underbelly of England’s new top three. On comes Tim Southee, who’s on the spot apart from thinking he’s got Root LBW when the ball thudded into the splice.
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27th over: England 91-2 (Lees 25, Root 10) Lees, right on cue, plays his first commanding stroke, a cut for four off de Grandhomme.
26th over: England 86-2 (Lees 21, Root 9) Want someone to make Test-match batting look easy? Send for Joe Root. Facing the rampant Jamieson, he gets just the sort of ball that did for Crawley and Pope – and plays an exquisite glide for four.
“Alex Lees,” says James Russell-Stracey, “placed all the pressure on Pope. He had scored one run since Crawley was out - that’s not how to make a partnership.” Yes, he’s pretty limited, though to be fair, Lees did take the strike when Pope first emerged, to give him time to settle, But he never did – because he’s not used to going in at No 3.
25th over: England 80-2 (Lees 20, Root 4) Root gets off the mark in the most Rootishl fashion, easing de Grandhomme past point for four. That was as regal as anything you’ll see from the royal family over the next couple of days.
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24th over: England 75-2 (Lees 19, Root 0) So Pope batted like someone who had never batted at No 3 before. And here comes Joe Root, who knows all about batting there. He gets a rousing reception in his first appearance as a Former England Captain, a role that should suit him down to the ground, given his genial personality.
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Wicket! Pope c Blundell b Jamieson 7 (England 75-2)
Got him!! Pope goes the same way as Crawley, poking outside off at Jamieson, who thoroughly deserves his two wickets.
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23rd over: England 75-1 (Lees 19, Pope 7) Boult gives way to Colin de Grandhomme returns, who has put in a shift today, in fact two of them. Lees stands outside off to him, as well as outside his crease, taking the risk of being bowled behind his legs (as Pope was in his last Test) but making it work with some solid blocks. And that’s drinks, with NZ bowling better but England now only 57 behind and still enjoying the new-regime bounce.
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22nd over: England 75-1 (Lees 19, Pope 7) This is a good contest. Pope clips for a hard-run two, only his second scoring shot. Jamieson retorts by beating him with a beauty, jagging away down the slope. Then he beats him on the inside edge and appeals for LBW. Not out, says Michael Gough, and he’s backed up by the TV umpire, Paul Reiffel – perhaps mistakenly, as the noise was bat on pad not bat on ball, but it was on the high side anyway. Then Pope edges, keeping it low, and finally he cover-drives for four, getting his right knee down and smelling the leather.
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21st over: England 69-1 (Lees 19, Pope 1) And Lees plays out a maiden from Boult, who is bowling the not-at-all-difficult second spell.
20th over: England 69-1 (Lees 19, Pope 1) Pope, who is being more watchful in his new elevated position, plays out a maiden from Jamieson, who is returning to form. They should really meet in mid-pitch and have a chat about the difficult second album.
My colleague Simon Burton, often to be found here, is at Lord’s today. Here’s his colour piece, which, like something at the supermarket checkout right now, has a strong Jubilee theme.
19th over: England 69-1 (Lees 19, Pope 1) Pope, facing Boult, gets the ball you’d be hoping for if you were on nought – a short one on the hip, just asking to be flicked for a single. A caption shows that the ball has swung more since tea than at any other time today. What would the Kiwis have been all out for if there had been swing as well as seam movement this morning?
Another question comes in from John Starbuck. “Will there be an announcement at Lord’s,” he wonders, “when Matt Parkinson arrives? Listen out for the biggest cheer of the day, if so.” Ha. It’ce certainly possible to feel for Jack Leach, and hope he’s fine, while being delighted to see Parkinson get his chance.
18th over: England 68-1 (Lees 19, Pope 0) Jamieson tries a yorker to Lees but it’s wide of off stump, so he’s able to squeeze it through the slips for four. “Lees has battled really, really well,” says Eoin Morgan, “and he’s managed to get a little bit of luck there.” Nice one, Morgs: agreeing with both Robert from the previous over and me. Jamieson then tries a bouncer, which veers away for four byes.
17th over: England 60-1 (Lees 15, Pope 0) So here’s Ollie Pope, a bright young thing batting at No 3 for the first time in his first-class career. He gets a full wide one from Boult, the tempter as Mel Jones says, and he can’t resist it. Careful, Ollie.
“Hi Tim,” says Robert on Twitter, “think you’re being a bit harsh on Lees. He’s faced half the deliveries Crawley has. Basically going at 50 per 100 balls. Seems fair enough.” You may be right! I just felt he’d been scratchy. But he did well straight after the wicket fell, protecting Pope from the strike.
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16th over: England 60-1 (Lees 15, Pope 0) Jamieson keeps up the pressure with a maiden to Lees.
“England is dead, long live England!” says Andrew Benton. “What’s the betting that New Zealand will start playing tomorrow? Today, they’re doffing the entire Commonwealth’s cap to Her Majesty, so she can be informed in her bedtime Jubilee roundup that ’we’re trouncing the New Zealanders at cricket, ma’am’. And she will surely sleep well tonight.” I hope she does, but isn’t she their queen too?
15th over: England 60-1 (Lees 15, Pope 0) Suddenly the ball is talking. Boult draws an edge from Lees that doesn’t quite carry to Southee, diving to his right at third slip, and then beats him outside off. Ebb and flow.
14th over: England 59-1 (Lees 14, Pope 0) So Jamieson, with his awkward trajectory, gets the breakthrough, and Crawley again fails to cash in on a stylish start. He had just hit another of those dreamy drives, but he perished because he played away from his body, as he often does.
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Wicket! Crawley c Blundell b Jamieson 43 (England 59-1)
Noooo! Just when he was looking so good, Crawley gets a nick outside off. He doesn’t think he’s hit it, but you could hear it from he other side of London and presumably Alex Lees says so, as there’s no review.
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13th over: England 55-0 (Lees 14, Crawley 39) A change at last at the pavilion end, where Southee gives way to Boult. It makes no difference to Crawley, who drives for three to bring up the fifty partnership. That’s a rare honour for a pair of England openers, though they’ve had a big leg-up today from the bowlers. Lees, not resting on this laurel, works the ball around and picks up a single and a two.
12th over: England 48-0 (Lees 11, Crawley 36) Lees, facing de Grandhomme, finally makes it into double figures with a clip for two. Crabby but effective.
11th over: England 46-0 (Lees 9, Crawley 36) Still Southee, who is hell-bent on matching Anderson’s over-long spell of this afternoon. Crawley plays that whip for four again, his signature shot, and also reprises his off drive for four.
Sky is in reprise mode too, showing us the moment earlier in the day when both teams, and the crowd, gave a lovely warm round of applause for Shane Warne. If he was looking down, he might have been torn between being chuffed to bits and having a chuckle at the font Lord’s produced for his name on the big screen – that weird curly one that people use for wedding invitations. There were many dimensions to Warne but he was not a man known for his formality.
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10th over: England 38-0 (Lees 9, Crawley 28) The only run off this over from de Grandhomme is a no-ball, the first of the match. Lees is having in there but as well as being twitchy, he’s struggling to time the ball. He’s parked outside his crease to combat de Grandhomme’s swing, which may not be helping. I wonder if Ben Compton will get the call before the end of the summer.
9th over: England 37-0 (Lees 9, Crawley 28) Mark Taylor, another shrewd captain and commentator, reckons Crawley looks less natural when he plays on the off side, but he gets it right now. Facing Southee, he plays a cover drive and an off drive that are both out of the textbook. He’s already done the hard part, and made it look easy.
8th over: England 29-0 (Lees 9, Crawley 20) Facing de Grandhomme, Crawley waits for the bad ball and whips it away for four. Lees again flirts with a run-out as de Grandhomme does some quick thinking and hurls the ball back at the stumps. Rather cruelly, it goes for four overthrows.
7th over: England 20-0 (Lees 5, Crawley 15) It’s Southee to continue. He’s getting swing but not quite late enough to trouble Crawley, now his eye is in.
Eoin Morgan, who’s one of the Sky commentators on this match, made a sharp point during the tea break. He was asked how you defend a low total as a captain. “Either defend with the field and attack with the ball,” he said, “or the other way round.” I’m not sure Kane Williamson sees it that way, but here comes his first bowling change: Colin de Grandhomme, with his medium-paced swingers, rather than Kyle Jamieson, whose steep bounce might be a more natural weapon to wield against Crawley.
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You know how wicketkeeper are expected to be able to bat these days? That all started with Jim Parks, who has died aged 90. The Guardian has just published this obit by Peter Mason.
TEA! England trail by only 113
6th over: England 19-0 (Lees 5, Crawley 14) Boult continues and suddenly it’s narrow escapes all round. Lees takes a kamikaze single and only survives because Patel’s throw from midwicket is wayward. Crawley, unsettled by Boult going round the wicket, gets away with a leading edge that pops into space at cover. But the openers have got through an awkward half-hour and England are still well on top, at least until they collapse.
Here’s a good spot by Will Macpherson, once of this parish, now of the London Evening Standard. “Weirdly,” he says on Twitter, “this is the first time Zak Crawley has opened in a home Test. Opened in 13 out of 14 matches overseas, but none of his previous seven at home.” Wherever he is, Crawley doesn’t seem like an opener, but he’s a big talent and it would be great to see him find consistency.
5th over: England 15-0 (Lees 4, Crawley 11) Two more for Crawley with a steer past gully off Southee. After a frenetic day, England appear to be playing for tea.
4th over: England 13-0 (Lees 4, Crawley 9) Just a single to each opener as Boult joins the dots in between.
“Any idea,” says Michael Meagher, “why CricViz is not offering win/draw prediction percentages any more?” No! They seem to come and go, is that right?
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3rd over: England 11-0 (Lees 3, Crawley 8) Southee strays onto the pads on a full length, allowing Crawley to flick for four. Next ball is on the spot, bringing a play-and-miss, but then Southee goes leg-stumpish again and Crawley tucks for two. On the England balcony, the camera finds Ben Stokes sitting with Jonny Bairstow. With their red hair, they’re almost camouflaged against the red brick of the pavilion.
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2nd over: England 4-0 (Lees 2, Crawley 2) Alex Lees is making his home debut after a Ramprakashian series in the Caribbean – a few starts, but no cigar. Facing Trent Boult now, he’s solid and watchful, picking up a single off the last ball with a cover push.
1st over: England 3-0 (Lees 1, Crawley 2) It’s Tim Southee from the pavilion end, finding instant swing. First ball, Lees jabs down on an inswinging yorker and nicks a single. Second, Crawley nicks the ball, maybe just short of second slip. Nasser Hussain reminds us that Southee took six-for at Lord’s this time last year and dismissed Crawley twice. Crawley, as if taking the point, softens his hands, guides through the slips and gets two.
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Here come those openers, Alex Lees and Zak Crawley. They don’t have much experience, whereas the bowlers they’re facing do. Will it be a case of anything Potts can do, Boult can do better?
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“At least,” says John Lockhart, “England’s openers know they have avoided the follow-on.”
Good news about Potts: it was just cramp. Even with the season he’s been having, he’s not used to having to get through quite so many celebrations.
“Four wickets, two catches, first over in Test cricket a wicket maiden, the first wicket is Kane Williamson,” says V Krishnamoorthy. “f I were Potts, I would retire now.”
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“Good afternoon Tim.” Good afternoon Kim Thonger. “I’m wondering what sort of target NZ will want to set? If they knock England over by the close for 60 and hit a quick fifty themselves tomorrow morning they might even wrap this by lunchtime tomorrow? Can’t see England getting three figures.” Ha. The gallows humour may accompany them all the way to a rare triumph.
NZ ALL OUT FOR 132! Boult c Pope b Stokes 14
The innings ends pretty much as it began, with a sharp catch. Pope at midwicket dives to his right to scoop up a tricky low one. And that is that. NZ have recovered well, adding 96 for the last four wickets, but they had a shocker this morning, collapsing to 36-6. A dream of a day for England’s new captain Ben Stokes and their new seamer Matty Potts: he finishes with four for 13 plus two catches, and is now nursing a sore calf and a Test career average of three.
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39th over: New Zealand 127-9 (de Grandhomme 37, Boult 14) It’s STILL Anderson. And the runs are still flowing: 2, 1, 3, 1, 4, with the last shot going past Stokes at extra-cover like a thunder-Boult. Anderson has bowled ten overs in this spell, taken two wickets (both caught at fine leg), and conceded 62. He will be 40 next month
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38th over: New Zealand 116-9 (de Grandhomme 33, Boult 7) If one bowler manages two dots and the other four, does that count as a maiden? Probably not, but between them Potts and Stokes put the plug in. England now have two or three subs on, with Robin Das the latest - a boyish figure, swiftly identified by Mike Atherton who says “He’s played cricket with my lad”.
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Potts goes off injured!
It’s all happening to Matthew Potts today. After bowing two more balls, he feels his calf and trots off for treatment, so with luck he’s not too bad. Stokes is going to finish his over.
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37th over: New Zealand 116-9 (de Grandhomme 33, Boult 7) Stokes, on the day of his dreams, is now doing his best to show that he can still get something wrong. He extends Anderson’s marathon spell, which allows each batter to help himself to a cut for four – Boult’s over the slips, de Grandhomme’s more orthodox. NZ have added 80 since the fall of the sixth wicket.
36th over: New Zealand 107-9 (de Grandhomme 28, Boult 3) On his England debut, Matty Potts is having a potty match. For a minute there he had four for eight – now it’s four for 13. And two catches! No wonder the Mound Stand is rising to him.
WICKET! Patel lbw b Potts 7 (NZ 102-9)
Thanks Jim... Potts starts his second spell – and strikes with his first ball! Angled in, thumping the back pad, hitting the top of leg. And Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella has just reopened in the West End.
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That’s me done, thanks for your company. The esteemed Tim de Lisle is here to take you through the rest of the day. Bye!
35th over: New Zealand 102-8 (de Grandhomme 26, Patel 7) Big Colin flicks Anderson over mid-wicket for four to bring up the hundred for New Zealand. No dice for Jimmy.
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34th over: New Zealand 95-8 (de Grandhomme 20, Patel 6) Four singles off Broad, New Zealand inching towards three figures. Anderson to continue in his hunt for a 32nd Test five-wicket haul.
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33rd over: New Zealand 91-8 (de Grandhomme 18, Patel 4) Anderson comes within a gnat’s eyebrow of getting five wickets! He pins Patel with one that jags back and Umpire Rod Tucker raises his finger. Patel sends it upstairs and there’s a tiny, teeny-tiny edge on hot spot. NOT OUT. Hard lines, Jim.
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32nd over: New Zealand 90-8 (de Grandhomme 17, Patel 4) Ajaz Patel is straight down to brass tacks, leaning on a drive that squirts to the cover boundary. Anderson to continue, he needs one more to snare a five-fer.
WICKET! Southee c Potts b Anderson 26 (New Zealand 86-8)
Southee clobbers Anderson through mid-on but the next ball the gnarled seamer has his man, a top edge flying to Potts who takes another steepling catch on the fence. Useful cameo from Southee, Anderson sitting pretty on four wickets...
31st over: New Zealand 86-8 (de Grandhomme 17, Patel 0)
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30th over: New Zealand 78-7 (de Grandhomme 17, Southee 18) Just a single to Southee off Broad.
29th over: New Zealand 77-7 (de Grandhomme 17, Southee 17) Two welcome boundaries for the Kiwis as Southee guides one away over a leaping Ollie Pope at backward-point. England will want to close this out now, these two batters are dangerous and they’ve been bitten before by lower order cameos... Shardul Thakur at the Oval and Shami and Bumrah at Lord’s last summer spring to mind.
Latest on Leach:
28th over: New Zealand 68-7 (de Grandhomme 16, Southee 8) Southee plays a dismissive pull off Broad, the ball skimming pebble-like to the fence. Can New Zealand eke their way to three figures? Southee will certainly have a swing.
This would be fun, James Walsh:
27th over: New Zealand 61-7 (de Grandhomme 16, Southee 3) De Grandhomme splices Anderson away in the air but it lands safe and three more are added.
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26th over: New Zealand 56-7 (de Grandhomme 13, Southee 1) The shots keep coming, New Zealand have definitely decided that attack is the best form of defence. CdeG crunches a short ball from Broad to the boundary. Fifty up for the visitors - but for those seven pesky wickets.
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WICKET! Jamieson c Potts b Anderson 6 (New Zealand 45-7)
Anderson has his third, Jamieson not hanging around after lunch, playing a shot a ball to Jimmy, managing to hoick him away for one boundary before holing out to Potts on the fine-leg fence.
Hmm maybe New Zealand have decided to throw the bat and get as many runs as possible, quickly. Their best hope of staying in this Test match is to get the ball in hand and do the exact same to England? Madness? Maybe.
25th over: New Zealand 49-7 (de Grandhomme 7, Southee 0)
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The players head out after lunch. Sun beating down. Anderson has the ball in his mitts.
Enjoy this:
A breathless first morning of the Test match summer, thanks for the emails and tweets, I’ve barely had chance to have a gander with all the action on the field but I’m flicking through now.
Time for a breather and some delectable Lord’s nourishment. Here’s some lunchtime reading, a lovely tribute to Jim Parks, a bellwether for wicketkeeper-batsmen.
Back in two shakes of a Kiwi’s tail-feather.
LUNCH - New Zealand 39-6 (de Grandhomme 3, Jamieson 0)
Potts nearly has another in the final over before lunch. Another nagging delivery, full and on off stump and the ball thuds into de Grandhomme’s bungalow sized pads. Umpire Gough says no but the England players like it and go upstairs. Ahh there’s an inside edge. NOT OUT. Potts finishes with a short ball that rears up and CdeG does well to keep it down, the young bowler heading into lunch in fine style.
Brendon McCullum stands on the Lord’s balcony to applaud his men in. Easy this Test coaching cricket lark eh? A scintillating morning for Potts and England.
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Lord's stops to remember Shane Warne
A special and poignant moment as Lord’s stops to remember Shane Warne at the end of the 23rd over. The players and umpires stand in a line and applaud for 23 seconds, Warne’s shirt number. The big man would have liked that I reckon.
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WICKET! Blundell b Potts 14 (New Zealand 36-6)
Potts has three! Full and at the top of off stump... and Blundell shoulders arms only to see the ball thunk into his off peg. Good ball, poor judgement from the batter. This is dreamland for Potts and England.
22nd over: New Zealand 36-6 (de Grandhomme 0, Jamieson 0)
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Matt Parkinson will replace Jack Leach as concussion substitute
He will join the squad today and go straight into the XI. He’s hotfooting down to London from Manchester as we speak. Imagine what he’s feeling right now?!
21st over: New Zealand 36-5 (Blundell 14, de Grandhomme 0) Anderson back into the attack and yes, you guessed it, a maiden.
20th over: New Zealand 36-5 (Blundell 14, de Grandhomme 0) Potts sends down an eventful maiden - he traps Blundell on the back leg and the umpire has a think before raising the finger...bbbut Blundell makes the T-sign straight away suggesting he’s got a tickle on it. Yep - NOT OUT. Another fine over from the debutant.
19th over: New Zealand 36-5 ( Blundell 14, de Grandhomme 0) Colin the big man is the new batter with New Zealand in all sorts. He’s at the non-strikers end to watch Blundell cream two drive fours off Stuart Broad.
WICKET! Mitchell b Potts 13 (New Zealand 27-5)
Potts has two! Back of a length, banged into the pitch and Mitchell chops on! Potts leaps high into the air to celebrate. What a first spell he’s having here.
18th over: New Zealand 27-5 ( Blundell 5, de Grandhomme 0)
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17th over: New Zealand 22-4 ( Mitchell 9, Blundell 5) Poor Leach, he can’t seem to catch a break.
A dramatic morning at Lord’s. Penny for the thoughts of Matt Parkinson... and Moeen Ali OBE.
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BREAKING: Jack Leach is out of this Test.
ECB statement: “Jack Leach has symptoms of concussion following his head injury whilst fielding. As per concussion guidelines, he has been withdrawn from this Test. We will confirm a concussion replacement in due course.”
16th over: New Zealand 21-4 ( Mitchell 9, Blundell 4) A single to Blundell. Things have calmed down a little since drinks. They had to a bit, I suppose – I’ve barely had chance to have a look at me emails, sorry for neglecting the loyal OBOers during the fun and games this morning. I’ll have a scooch through pronto.
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15th over: New Zealand 20-4 ( Mitchell 9, Blundell 3) Broad goes full at the stumps and is picked off clinically by Mitchell through square-leg for four. Shot Daryl! BTW Mitchell’s nickname is Moose, which is quite fun isn’t it?
The ever excellent Simon Mann and Jeremy Coney are discussing the intonation of Tom Blundell’s name on TMS. They seem to be in agreement that it is BlunDULL (Blundle) rather than BlunDEll. So know you know.
14th over: New Zealand 15-4 ( Mitchell 5, Blundell 3) Potts peels off another maiden.
Here’s that Magic Moment (sponsored by Perry Como) for the Durham seamer:
13th over: New Zealand 15-4 ( Mitchell 5, Blundell 3) Broad replaces Anderson at the Pavilion End. Four slips and a short leg. Blundell works him away for a couple through square leg. Very welcome runs, which are like hen’s molars for New Zealand at the moment.
12th over: New Zealand 13-4 ( Mitchell 5, Blundell 1) Matt Potts continues after drinks and he is tidy, seemingly not overawed by the occasion at all. Like he does this sort of thing all the time.
News pings through that Jack Leach is currently being assessed, fingers crossed for him.
11th over: New Zealand 12-4 ( Mitchell 5, Blundell 0) Ooof! Anderson nearly gets Mitchell but this time the nick falls short of the hyena-like cordon. That’s drinks at the end of the first hour. What an hour it has been for Ben Stokes’ new England. One bad ball in the entire session by my reckoning, everything else right on the button.
WICKET! Williamson ct Foakes b Potts 2 (New Zealand 12-4)
POTTS REMOVES WILLIAMSON TO TAKE HIS FIRST TEST WICKET! In his first over! That’s a lovely moment. The England players swarm around Potts to celebrate. A good delivery too, it pitched and left Williamson who got a slight edge that was very well scooped by Ben Foakes. Potts starts his Test career with a wicket-maiden. He takes his cap and wanders down to fine leg to rapturous applause. Drink it in young man.
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9th over: New Zealand 12-3 (Williamson 2, Mitchell 5) Stop the press. Anderson goes for his first runs of the innings, a half-volley picked off through midwicket by Mitchell. Jimmy as displeased with going for runs as ever. Matt Potts is coming on to have his first bowl in Test cricket. The atmosphere ramps up a little more around the ground. What a moment for the young buck.
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WICKET! Conway c Bairstow b Broad 3 (New Zealand 7-3)
Broad joins in the fun, inducing a thick edge from Conway that Bairstow (again!) takes well, low to the ground. Three nicks and three catches to Jonny B in the slips. Daryl Mitchell is the new man. England on top.
8th over: New Zealand 8-3 (Williamson 2, Mitchell 1)
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7th over: New Zealand 7-2 (Williamson 1, Conway 3) Imperious Anderson. He sends down another maiden. Ball jagging both ways, Williamson getting a nick that falls short of Foakes. A real test for the Kiwi skipper this, he’s not played a Test all year and is fresh back from the IPL. Anderson not letting him settle.
6th over: New Zealand 7-2 (Williamson 1, Conway 3) Williamson works Broad away for a single to get off the mark. Conway then angles him away through third and Jack Leach hares after the ball to the boundary - OUCH! Leach dives to drag the ball back and his shoulder gets jarred in the turf. That did not look nice. The medical team are straight over to Leach who remains prone on the turf. Ben Stokes grimaces as he looks on. Leach, eventually, is helped to his feet but he looks very ginger and goes straight from the field. Worrying for England and their spinner.
Bazball!
5th over: New Zealand 2-2 (Williamson 0, Conway 0) Dean Conway, scorer of a double ton here last year, is the new man. Anderson has been simply sublime. He’s sent down three overs this morning, picked up both openers and not gone for a single run.
WICKET! Tom Latham c Bairstow b Anderson 1 (New Zealand 2-2)
Chalk it up. Anderson has another! Another nick, again it goes to Bairstow in the slips, who spills the first attempt but then swoops low to clutch the ball before it hits the turf. England cock-a-hoop.
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4th over: New Zealand 2-1 (Latham 1, Williamson 0) Latham gets off the mark with a glance, another slightly risky single that results in a direct hit but Williamson has made his ground at the non-striker’s end. Lord’s looks a picture and, dare I say it, there is plenty of the oft-mentioned prattle and hum. It looks pretty full … more on that later.
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3rd over: New Zealand 1-1 (Latham 0, Williamson 0) Kane Williamson arrives at the crease and Anderson doesn’t give him an inch, joining the dots. A wicket-maiden for auld Jim.
WICKET! Young c Bairstow b Anderson 1 (New Zealand 1-1)
WHAT A GRAB! Anderson gets one to take Young’s edge and Jonny Bairstow pulls off a fantastic catch low to his left at slip. A proper pouch that! The England players Jubilee-ant (sorry). Anderson has his 641st Test wicket in textbook style.
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2nd over: New Zealand 1-0 (Latham 0, Young 1) Will Young (not that one) gets off the mark to Broad’s second ball with a scampered/risky single. Broad is bang on the money too. Just one from the over. Proper criggit.
1st over: New Zealand 0-0 (Latham 0, Young 0) Anderson starts with five slips and bowls a couple of beauties first up. In fact he sends down a lovely first over. Probing and accurate. A maiden. Like he’s never been away. Tom Latham is watchful, respectful. We’re under way!
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We’ve had the anthems and the players are heading to their positions.
Exciting this. We’re about to get under way. I’ve had a few requests for an overseas TMS link, if anyone has one then do bung it over and I’ll share. Thanks!
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Jimmy Anderson will steam in once again in a few minutes, his 26th Test match here at Lord’s. Remarkable.
Imagine being him right now. Imagine...
Dean Kinsella has the first email to plop into the inbox and he’s feeling strange.
“The first morning of the first Test of summer and that old flippity-flop feeling in my belly. A feeling of … is it hope?” It could well be, Dean.
FYI, it has gone a little bit cloudy at Lord’s, I’m saying no more than that. Other than that, Broad (complete with headband) and Anderson are bowling some warm-up deliveries on the outfield.
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Andy Bull gets stuck in:
There are about 15 minutes until the start of play. Time for you to get stuck into a bit of pre-match reading. Here’s Ali on the new dawn …
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England will start with the ball in hand and we’ll get an early look at Test debutant and gun bowler of the early knockings of the County Championship – Matt Potts.
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A nice touch from a blazer-less Stokes at the toss
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New Zealand have won the toss and will bat first!
England: Crawley, Lees, Pope, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Foakes, Potts, Leach, Broad, Anderson.
New Zealand: Latham, Young, Williamson, Conway, Mitchell, Blundell, de Grandhomme, Southee, Jamieson, Patel, Boult.
Preamble
A New Dawn Has Broken Has It Not?
Things can only get better?!
Hello and welcome to Lord’s for the first day of the first Test of the summer. It’s a glorious day in north-west London, sun glinting off the orange-hued pavilion, light breeze rustling the inner city oaks. A perfect day to get cracking on a red-ball reset to end all red-ball resets.
It’s time for the Baz n’ Ben (and Bob) show to begin. It should be fun.
Jim here at HQ to take you through the first part of the day, I can currently see the England players going through their warm-ups in their muted-grey Squid-Game inspired tracksuits. Hopefully the next five days will be slightly less bloody than that. Their opponents, New Zealand, are good, very good; the current world Test champions, albeit they are currently a little undercooked. Still, England have only won once in the last 17 Test outings. But it’s a new dawn, a new day and I’m feeling … nervous, but optimistic.
On the way into the ground this morning I passed Kane Williamson having a net and Sir Alastair Cook got into my lift up to the media centre. Make of that what you will – but I’m taking it as a sure sign it is a batting morning … from my elevated but idiot’s perspective, the pitch looks to be custard-coloured but flecked with a tinge of green.
I’ll bring news of the toss and teams (we already know England’s and their batting order) as soon as. Time to hit the coffee stand and tool up. Do get in touch on email or on the twitters, there’s plenty to discuss.
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