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- ENG vs NZ Highlights, 1st Test Day 3: Rain chaos stalls England at Lord's as New Zealand slumps to 55-5 chasing 254
ENG vs NZ Highlights, 1st Test Day 3: Rain chaos stalls England at Lord's as New Zealand slumps to 55-5 chasing 254
Fast bowler Ollie Robinson took the only two wickets in the 9.4 overs of play allowed all day and New Zealand was reduced to 55-5 in its second innings in an unlikely pursuit of a 254-run target on a stop-start day three.
England was five wickets away from taking a 1-0 lead in the three-test series.
Play on a grim, grey Saturday didn't start for two hours, and then was broken up by three more bouts of rain, the last of them just after 2 p.m. that eventually prevented any more action.
The unpredictable seamers' paradise of a pitch continued to offer movement every which way and, on Saturday, considerable lift. The batters, 35 of whom have fallen in less than two days of normal play, had little hope. Two of the greatest, Joe Root and Kane Williamson, the all-time highest run-scorers for England and New Zealand, combined for 27 runs.
New Zealand's chase was undermined out of the gate on Friday when it was 36-3 by stumps. At that point, one stats provider put England's chances of winning at 80%, and that percentage was closer to 100 on Saturday afternoon.
Opener Devon Conway, on 12 overnight, was joined by Rachin Ravindra. He avoided a king pair — golden ducks in both innings — and a regulation pair and took 10 more balls to get off the mark.
But Ravindra was undone on 8 by a peach that Robinson got to nip away, completing a test to forget for the Kiwi, who also dropped two catches.
He was replaced by Daryl Mitchell, who was out lbw for a three-ball duck when Robinson rapped him on the front pad.
Conway, who scored 200 on his test debut at Lord's in 2021, scratched out 19 from 55 balls, and Tom Blundell was beside him on 2.
Robinson had 2-18 and his sixth and seventh wickets in his comeback match.
The forecast on Sunday was for no rain.
- Devon Conway 6 (21)
- Kane Williamson 12 (25)
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Full and outside off, Devon Conway drives it to cover for a single.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Just short! Nice and full, outside off, Devon Conway drives it uppishly to the fielder at cover. The ball landed just short of Ben Stokes, who dives to his right and stops it on the bounce. Dot.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Angling in, on a length, on off. Devon Conway tries to block it but gets an inside edge onto his pads.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Hard length, down the leg side, Devon Conway looks to flick it but wears it high on his pads. The ball rolls towards the fielder at square leg.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Angling in, on a length, outside off. Devon Conway reads it well and makes a tight leave.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Sways it down the leg side, Devon Conway leaves it alone.
- Kane Williamson 12 (25)
- Devon Conway 5 (15)
Josh Tongue to Kane Williamson, Good length, outside off, Kane Williamson shoulders arms at it.
Josh Tongue to Kane Williamson, Too full, swinging in, on off. Kane Williamson taps it to the mid off fielder.
Josh Tongue to Devon Conway, Hard length, angling in, on off. Devon Conway hops a bit and taps it to wide of mid off for a quick single.
Josh Tongue to Devon Conway, Back of a length, outside off, Devon Conway reads it well and leaves it alone towards the keeper.
Josh Tongue to Kane Williamson, Hard length, on middle, Kane Williamson knocks it to mid on for a single.
Josh Tongue to Kane Williamson, FOUR! That's a fine-looking shot from Kane Williamson! Much fuller, outside off, Kane Williamson leans on and cracks a drive through wide of mid off for a boundary.
Time for some extra pace as Josh Tongue comes in to replace Gus Atkinson.
- Devon Conway 4 (13)
- Kane Williamson 7 (21)
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Too full, outside off, Devon Conway looks to drive it but misces it to the mid on fielder.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Slightly shorter and it bounces extra. Devon Conway is caught by surprise as he fails to bring his bat down and gets a blow on his body.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Slows it up, outside off, Devon Conway leaves the harmless delivery.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Sways it down the leg side, Devon Conway looks to flick it but misses.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Angling in, a tad fuller, on off. Devon Conway blocks it to mid off.
Ollie Robinson to Devon Conway, Beaten! Hard length, outside off, holds the line. Devon Conway looks to block it but misses.
- Kane Williamson 7 (21)
- Devon Conway 4 (7)
Gus Atkinson to Kane Williamson, Dug into the surface, around off, jags back in sharply. Kane Williamson drops his hands, offering no shot but takes a hit on the thigh pad.
Gus Atkinson to Kane Williamson, Edgy! Hard length and on middle, straightens after hitting the deck. Kane Williamson gets turned around as he looks to play. Gets an outside edge that goes through point for a brace.
Gus Atkinson to Kane Williamson, Much fuller and on off, Kane Williamson gets forward and blocks it out.
Gus Atkinson to Kane Williamson, Short of a length and on off, Kane Williamson stays back and keeps it out to the off side.
Gus Atkinson to Kane Williamson, On a length and on middle, Kane Williamson pats it down the pitch.
Gus Atkinson to Kane Williamson, Back of a length and on middle, Kane Williamson stays back and turns it past short leg.
- Kane Williamson 5 (15)
- Devon Conway 4 (7)
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Big shout for LBW, but turned down! Nagging length from Ollie Robinson, on middle, angling in sharply. Kane Williamson takes a couple of steps out and looks to play at it, but misses and gets hit on the pads. Ben Stokes has a chat with his bowler and keeper before taking the review very late. UlraEdge confirms no bat involved and Ball Tracking shows it is missing leg. Review lost!
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Pitched up and on middle, Kane Williamson tucks it through square leg for a brace.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Another close leave! Back of a length and around off, jags back in, Kane Williamson decides to leave it very late as the ball once again misses the off pole by a couple of inches.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, On a length and on middle, Kane Williamson pats it down to mid on.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Well bowled! Touch fuller and on middle and off, straightens a bit, Kane Williamson is forced to play at it due to the line but gets beaten on the outside edge.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Brave leave! Good length and just around off, nips back in a long way, Kane Williamson trusts his judgment and lets it go as the ball brushes past the off pole. Too close for comfort.
- Devon Conway 4 (7)
- Kane Williamson 3 (9)
Gus Atkinson to Devon Conway, A beauty to end the over! Gus Atkinson lands this on a hard length and on middle and off, gets it to hold its line. Devon Conway is squared up, trying to play at that as the ball zips past the outside edge yet again.
Gus Atkinson to Devon Conway, Back of a length and well outside off, Devon Conway makes an easy leave.
Gus Atkinson to Devon Conway, Short of a length and around off, Devon Conway leaves it alone.
Gus Atkinson to Devon Conway, Pitched up and on off, Devon Conway goes for the drive again but gets an outside edge along the ground towards gully. Bottom hand came off once again, and it has been an issue for Conway in recent times.
Gus Atkinson to Devon Conway, FOUR! Streaky! A fuller delivery, just around off. Devon Conway throws his hands at but his bottom hand comes off the bat. It gets sliced off the outer half of the bat through point for a boundary.
Gus Atkinson to Devon Conway, Play and a miss! Good length and on off, shapes away a touch, Devon Conway gets drawn into a defensive stroke but gets beaten on the outside edge.
- Kane Williamson 3 (9)
- Devon Conway 0 (1)
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Pitched up, on middle, angling in, Kane Williamson steps across and drills it to mid on. He has a look at the bottom of the bat, as many of the batters have done in this game.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Absolute peach! Ollie Robinson hits the length hard and on off, threatens to angle in but holds its line, Kane Williamson has a poke at it but gets beaten on the outside edge. Well, it would not have mattered even if he edged it, as the umpire called a NO BALL for overstepping.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Pulls his length back a bit, on off, angling in again, Kane Williamson is solid in his defense.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, One out, one in from Ollie Robinson! He goes a bit fuller and on middle, gets it to shape back in now, Kane Williamson watches it well and blocks it out.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Back of a length and in the channel outside off, gets it to shape away, Kane Williamson plays well inside he line of it as the ball goes through to the keeper.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, On a length and around off, Kane Williamson opens the bat face and guides it through point for a couple of runs.
Ollie Robinson to Kane Williamson, Ollie Robinson begins with a full delivery, on off, shapes in, Kane Williamson strides out and steers it towards point. Conway wants the run but he is sent back.
It will be Ollie Robinson to operate from the other end.
- Devon Conway 0 (1)
- Kane Williamson 1 (2)
Gus Atkinson to Devon Conway, Beaten! Keeps the length full and on off, angles in but then leaves the left-hander, Devon Conway pushes hard at it but the ball zips past the outside edge. End of a probing first over from Gus Atkinson!
Gus Atkinson to Kane Williamson, New Zealand are underway in the chase! Touch fuller and around off, Kane Williamson taps it with soft hands towards point for a quick single. Avoids a pair on his last Test at Lord's.
Gus Atkinson to Kane Williamson, On a length and on middle, angling in, Kane Williamson tucks it to the leg side.
The worst possible start for the Kiwis. Kane Williamson walks out to bat in the very first over of the chase, and it will be the last time he'll be walking out to bat at Lord's in Test cricket.
Gus Atkinson to Tom Latham, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! A perfect start for Gus Atkinson and England. He serves this full and just around off, inviting the batter to go after it. Tom Latham obliges and goes for the big drive away from his body, but only manages to get a thick outside edge towards second slip, where Harry Brook takes a good catch near his head. A very loose shot from the Kiwi skipper as he walks back for a three-baller. New Zealand are 0/1, chasing 254 runs.
Fast bowler Ollie Robinson took the only two wickets in the 9.4 overs of play allowed all day and New Zealand was reduced to 55-5 in its second innings in an unlikely pursuit of a 254-run target on a stop-start day three.
England was five wickets away from taking a 1-0 lead in the three-test series.
Play on a grim, grey Saturday didn't start for two hours, and then was broken up by three more bouts of rain, the last of them just after 2 p.m. that eventually prevented any more action.
The unpredictable seamers' paradise of a pitch continued to offer movement every which way and, on Saturday, considerable lift. The batters, 35 of whom have fallen in less than two days of normal play, had little hope. Two of the greatest, Joe Root and Kane Williamson, the all-time highest run-scorers for England and New Zealand, combined for 27 runs.
New Zealand's chase was undermined out of the gate on Friday when it was 36-3 by stumps. At that point, one stats provider put England's chances of winning at 80%, and that percentage was closer to 100 on Saturday afternoon.
Opener Devon Conway, on 12 overnight, was joined by Rachin Ravindra. He avoided a king pair — golden ducks in both innings — and a regulation pair and took 10 more balls to get off the mark.
But Ravindra was undone on 8 by a peach that Robinson got to nip away, completing a test to forget for the Kiwi, who also dropped two catches.
He was replaced by Daryl Mitchell, who was out lbw for a three-ball duck when Robinson rapped him on the front pad.
Conway, who scored 200 on his test debut at Lord's in 2021, scratched out 19 from 55 balls, and Tom Blundell was beside him on 2.
Robinson had 2-18 and his sixth and seventh wickets in his comeback match.
The forecast on Sunday was for no rain.
Match Statistics
Venue
Lord's Cricket Ground, London
