Smith six gets NZ back in contention after Gay fifty: 1st Test, Day 2 (Lords)

Seamer Nathan Smith took six wickets but England tightened their grip on the opening Test at Lord’s after another gripping day in which the fast bowlers continued to dominate proceedings.

Earlier, Ollie Robinson completed a magnificent five-wicket haul as New Zealand were dismissed for 113, handing the hosts a narrow first-innings lead of 27 runs.

Debutant Emilio Gay then underlined his promise with a composed half-century, scoring 57 to anchor England’s second innings. Although the home side suffered a dramatic collapse, losing four wickets for just one run, valuable lower-order contributions helped them recover to 226, setting New Zealand a challenging victory target of 254.

New Zealand’s chase began in disastrous fashion as Gus Atkinson removed captain Tom Latham in the opening over before Josh Tongue trapped Kane Williamson lbw late in the day. Atkinson struck once more to dismiss nightwatchman Will O’Rourke, leaving New Zealand reeling at 36-3 at stumps and still requiring 218 runs for victory.

With an extraordinary 33 wickets having fallen across the first two days on a lively Lord’s surface, England head into day three firmly in control, although the unpredictable conditions ensure the contest remains far from over.

New Zealand 113 (Robinson 5-39) and 36 for 3 (Conway 12*) need 218 more runs to beat England 140 (Brook 56, Jamieson 5-62) and 226 (Gay 57, Smith 6-70).

June 2026.