1st Test, Day 4: England vs New Zealand
England secured victory over New Zealand before lunch on the fourth day at Lord’s, winning the opening Test of the three-match series. The final scores were England 140 & 226; New Zealand 113 & 138.
Gus Atkinson was the standout bowler for England, taking five wickets for 30 runs as the home side’s bowlers dominated throughout the match.
New Zealand resumed their innings on 55 for five, still trailing by 199 runs after a rain-affected third day. England quickly made an impact, with Josh Tongue dismissing Will Blundell lbw for four runs in the first full over of the day.
Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips then formed a partnership exceeding 50 runs, guiding New Zealand to 111 for six. However, Ben Stokes broke the partnership by removing Conway, who scored 41, thanks to a diving catch at gully by Jacob Bethell.
Atkinson continued to apply pressure, dismissing Nathan Smith for four and Kyle Jamieson for six. Jamieson’s dismissal came when he chipped a loose delivery straight to Ben Duckett at midwicket.
Phillips remained resilient, finishing unbeaten on 44 runs from 51 balls. Nevertheless, England sealed the win as Atkinson claimed his third wicket of the day and fifth of the innings by bowling Matt Henry for a duck.
Simon Burnton’s full report will follow.
