London: England couldn’t have wished for a better start to the first Test match off the summer after New Zealand decided to make first use of a fine pitch with the ground bathed in sunshine.
The tourists struggled from the start with the pace and movement that James Anderson and Stuart Broad achieved. The tourist managed to score just 132 with the help of an unbeaten 42 from Colin De Grandhomme before being dismissed in 40 overs. At tea England in reply were 19 without loss.
They had no answer to the combined pace bowling of James Anderson who claimed 4 for 66 and the debutant Matthew Potts who had excelled figures of four for 13 from 9 overs.
Under the set-up of the new England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, the two stalwarts, Anderson and Broad, were brought back into the Test side after being omitted from the England tour of West Indies.
But there was plenty that both bowlers had to offer as they claimed the first three wickets for just seven after in 7.1 overs. All three had fallen to superb catches at second slip by Jonny Bairstow from thick outside edges.
Anderson removed Will Young in his second over for 1 and then claimed Tom Latham’s wicket also for 1 without conceding a run. Broad then sent back Devon Conway for 3. There was to be no recovery as the first bowling change proved to be just as effective. It was a dream start for the debutant pace bowler Potts who relieved Broad and could hardly have wished for a bigger wicket than that of Kane Williamson’s who averages 53.47 from 86 Tests with an aggregate of 7,272.
Potts struck next with Daryl Mitchell’s wicket, having him play-on. It was a shortish ball and Mitchell seemed a bit late going back. New Zealand had lost half their wickets for 27 and nine runs later Tom Blundell seemed to be caught in two minds as the ball from Potts nipped back in to bowl him for 14. Potts superb figures at that stage were three for six in 6.5 overs.
At lunch New Zealand 39 for six and with Kyle Jamieson hooking Anderson for a catch at fine leg the seventh wicket fell on 45. New Zealand’s highest stand came for the eighth wicket between Colin D Grandhomme and Tim Southee who added 41 runs, helped by four fours in Southee’s 26 from 23 balls before Anderson ended that bit of resistance and Southee’s cavalier batting with a short ball that was pulled for a catch by Potts at fine leg.
The hundred of the New Zealand innings – which looked unlikely to be reached at one stage – came in the 35th over with De Grandhomme driving Anderson to the cover boundary but two runs later Potts brought a ball back into Ajaz Patel to have him judged lbw.
New Zealand’s last wicket stand added 30 before Trent Boult clipped Ben Stokes for a catch to wide mid-on for 14. Stokes had put himself on as Potts left the field with cramp in his left leg.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand first innings:
T Latham c Bairstow b Anderson1
W Young c Bairstow b Anderson1
K Williamson c Foakes b Potts2
D Conway c Bairstow b Broad3
D Mitchell b Potts13
T Blundell b Potts14
C de Grandhomme (not out)42
K Jamieson c Potts b Anderson6
T Southee c Potts b Anderson26
A Patel lbw Potts7
T Boult c Pope b Stokes14
Extras (LB-3)3
Total (all out, 40 overs, 205 mins)132
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-2, 3-7, 4-12, 5-27, 6-36, 7-45, 8-86, 9-102
Bowling: Anderson 16-0-66-4, Broad 13-0-45-1, Potts 9.2-4-13-4, Stokes 1.4-0-5-1
Andy Jalil at Lord’s
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