England beat NZ in 150th Test hosted by Lord's: Stats
What's the story
England beat New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series at Lord's Cricket Ground. The Kiwis failed to chase down 254 and perished for 138 on Day 4. Only 10 overs of play transpired on the third day due to rain. The iconic Lord's hosted its record 150th Test, and it turned out to be a low-scoring affair. Here are the numbers.
Match
How the match panned out
On an uneven Lord's wicket with overhead clouds, NZ reduced England to 55/5 after electing to field. Harry Brook's counter-attacking 56 powered England, who managed 140. Kyle Jamieson took five wickets. NZ then folded for 113, with a returning Ollie Robinson taking a fifer. England consolidated their first-innings lead despite facing a middle-order collapse. Emilio Gay's fine fifty meant they reached 226 and set a 254-run target.
Target
NZ fall 115 runs short
With phases of rain and the surface further deteriorating, NZ were in for a tough challenge. They began the fourth day's play with an overnight score of 55/5. Although Devon Conway showed promise with a 41-run knock, Ben Stokes broke through. Glenn Phillips (44*), who added 53 runs with Conway. However, he ran out of partners as NZ perished. Atkinson took a fifer.
Milestone
Atkinson joins these players
Atkinson was the pick of England's bowlers in the final innings. He took 5/30 in 11.3 overs, including three maidens. He became the joint fourth-most Test fifers at Lord's with Derek Underwood. The duo is only behind Ian Botham (8), James Anderson (7), and Fred Trueman (5). Overall, it was Atkinson's fifth five-wicket haul. He now has 76 wickets from 17 Tests at 22.5.
Robinson
Fifer on Test return
Earlier, Robinson celebrated his return to Tests with a career-best 5/39. He ran riot as NZ slumped to 20/5 in the first innings. Robinson, playing his first Test in over two years, recorded his fourth fifer. Taking two wickets in the final innings (2/38), the English seamer raced to 83 scalps from 21 matches. Notably, 57 of his wickets have come at home.
Knocks
Gay, Brook shine for England
Debutant Emilio Gay shone for England in the third innings. He scored a 95-ball 57 before falling to Nathan Smith. Gay's knock was laced with 8 fours. He managed 65 runs in his debut across two innings. In the first innings, Brook smashed a 71-ball 56 (10 fours), marking his 10th Test fifty. He now has 3,234 runs from 36 Tests at 53.9.
Smith
Six-fer for Smith
In the third innings, NZ's Nathan Smith floored England with 6/70 in 17 overs (4 maidens). Smith claimed three wickets in the first innings. The right-arm seamer, who recorded his second Test fifer, raced to 27 wickets from six games at 22.18. As per ESPNcricinfo, 20 of his wickets have come in away matches (home of opposition) at 11.05.
Jamieson
Third NZ bowler with this feat
Earlier, Kyle Jamieson became only the third NZ bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the first innings of a Lord's Test, joining Richard Hadlee and Chris Cairns Jamieson, who last played a Test match for New Zealand in February 2024, 5/62 in 14 overs. Jamieson is now the seventh New Zealand bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a Test match at Lord's.
Information
Milestone Test at Lord's
Lord's became the first-ever venue to host 150 Tests. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) follows the England ground with 118 Tests. According to ESPNcricinfo, Sydney Cricket Ground (114) and London's Kennington Oval (108) are the only other venues to have hosted 100-plus Tests.