London: Having concede a slender first innings lead of 9 runs, New Zealand are battling hard with 128 for four in their second innings at tea on the second day. They were, at last, able to put up a reasonable partnership with Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell in an unbroken stand of 72, with the tourists in an overall lead of 119.
New Zealand made a better start the second time around losing their second wicket on 30, quite a change from their first knock when half their side had been dismissed for 27. Will Young, in his tenth Test hasn’t had any luck with just one run in each innings with James Anderson having him snapped up behind the stumps. It was a good catch by Ben Foakes, diving to his right and managing to get both hands to it.
The first bowling change brought a wicket soon. Matt Potts, after his bowling heroics, on debut, of four for 13 in the first innings, accounted for the New Zealand captain in his second over as Kane Williamson attempted to force a shot on the off but only got a thick edge to third slip for 15.
The tourists then lost their third wicket on 35 with Foakes taking a thin edge behind the stumps from Tom Latham for 14, off Potts. Stuart Broad was back for a second spell after lunch and that brought the dismissal of Devon Conway for 13 as he edged behind the stumps and that was 56 for four.
Earlier, resuming on the overnight score of 116 for seven and trailing by 32 runs, England lost the wicket of Broad in the second over after adding just nine to the overnight score. It was a fine delivery from Tim Southee which came into the left hander to hit the leg stump.
Two overs later, Foakes reached outside off stump to edge Southee to first slip for 9. It was a ball that he should not have played and England had lost the ninth wicket on 130, still two behind the opposition. England drew level with the New Zealand total with Anderson driving Boult to mid-off for two and he repeated the stroke for two more for the England lead.
The last wicket added eleven before Matt Parkinson, brought into the team on the previous day as a concussion replacement for Jack Leach who was injured falling over the boundary, edged Trent Boult to first slip for 8, his first score in Test cricket.
As in the New Zealand innings the previous day, it was the pace bowlers who had accounted for all the wickets that had fallen. Southee finished with four for 55 and Boult had three for 21. Just 6.5 overs were bowled in half-an-hours play before the England innings folded on the second morning.
It is interesting to note that this was the first time since 1954 that two innings were completed without a single half century scored with 43 being the highest score in the England innings and 41 in New Zealand’s.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand first Innings: 132
England first innings (O/n: 116/7):
A Lees lbw Southee25
Z Crawley c Blundell b Jamieson43
O Pope c Blundell b Jamieson7
J Root c Southee b de Grandhomme11
J Bairstow b Boult1
B Stokes c Blundell b Southee1
B Foakes c Mitchell b Southee7
M Potts c Mitchell b Boult0
S Broad b Southee9
J Anderson (not out)7
M Parkinson c Mitchell b Boult8
Extras (B-14, LB-7, NB-1)22
Total (all out, 42.5 overs)141
Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-75, 3-92, 4-96, 5-98, 6-100, 7-100, 8-125, 9-130
Bowling: Southee 14-3-55-4, Boult 13.5-4-21-3, De Grandhomme 8-2-24-1, Jamieson 7-3-20-2
New Zealand
T Latham c Foakes b Potts14
W Young c Foakes b Anderson1
K Williamson c Bairstow b Potts15
D Conway c Foakes b Broad13
D Mitchell (not out)43
T Blundell (not out)39
Extras (NB-3)3
Total (For 4 wkts, 128)
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-30, 3-35, 4-56
Bowling: J Anderson 11-3-36-1, S Broad 12-5-21-1, M Potts 10-1-26-2, B Stokes 4-1-24-0, M Parkinson 6-0-21-0
Andy Jalil at Lord’s
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
