Gus Atkinson’s remarkable relationship with Lord’s reached new heights on Sunday as England crushed New Zealand by 115 runs to secure victory in the opening Test. Chasing 254 for victory, New Zealand crumbled to 138 all out before the lunch break on day four during what marked the 150th Test match held at Lord’s—more than any other cricket venue. Surrey quick Atkinson claimed 5-30—his fourth five-wicket haul in just three Tests at the Home of Cricket—as England took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. However, pace partner Ollie Robinson earned player-of-the-match honors after celebrating his Test return following a two-year absence with seven wickets in the game—including career-best figures of 5-39, highlighted by an exceptional triple-wicket maiden, during New Zealand’s paltry first-innings total of 113. Robinson & Atkinson Deliver Strong Performance to Beat New Zealand.
TOSS
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first.
PLAYING XI
New Zealand (Playing XI):
Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, William ORourke
England (Playing XI):
Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith(w), Ben Stokes(c), Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
DAY 1
New Zealand skipper Tom Latham claimed an important toss and deployed his quartet of seamers. Jamieson emerged as the chief destroyer, mixing extra lift with sharp seam movement to dismantle England’s top order. A generous full delivery allowed Emilio Gay to open his Test account with a boundary, but Jamieson quickly made amends as the left-handed opener edged a ball that straightened after pitching to Daryl Mitchell at first slip.
The pattern remained unchanged for England’s remaining batsmen. Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell both fell victim to inside edges, dismissed leg-before-wicket. Duckett was caught static in his crease by Nathan Smith’s first wicket, while Bethell played across the line of a full delivery from William O’Rourke as New Zealand successfully overturned the original decision on review. O’Rourke delivered the knockout punch when Joe Root tentatively prodded at a rising delivery in the corridor, caught behind for just 1 as England stumbled to 33/4.
Brook launched a predictable counterattack, freely driving and pulling, while Stokes collected a few boundaries himself. Just as a meaningful partnership appeared to develop, Jamieson found Stokes’ outside edge with Williamson taking a spectacular diving one-handed catch to his right at third slip. Brook earned a reprieve on 45 when Rachin Ravindra dropped a routine chance at deep square leg. The right-hander reached his fifty but luck eventually ran out, flicking a length delivery on his pads straight to long leg. This came shortly after Gus Atkinson completely missed another inswinger from Jamieson, trapped plumb in front.
Poor light forced players from the field as Tea was taken, with the resulting interruption lasting an hour due to additional rainfall. Jamieson needed only two balls to capture his fifth scalp as Ollie Robinson gloved one off the inside edge to the wicketkeeper, with New Zealand again reviewing successfully. Shoaib Bashir and Josh Tongue contributed valuable runs, building a 22-run final-wicket partnership before Nathan Smith had Bashir edging to third slip as England collapsed for 140.
England’s bowling response proved even more devastating. Spearheading the attack was Robinson, who replied with perfect wobble seam control from his opening over. After beating Conway’s inside edge twice, Stokes promptly positioned a short leg and leg gully, and immediately afterward, Conway missed a flick and was given out LBW. Williamson survived the first delivery before getting an inside edge onto his pad, with Gay completing the catch at short leg. Robinson wasn’t finished, producing another inswinger to trap Ravindra in front for a golden duck with ball tracking confirming it would clip the stumps, completing a remarkable triple-wicket maiden.
Things deteriorated further for New Zealand as Atkinson had Latham dead in front – reward for disciplined bowling as another batsman was beaten on the inside edge. Mitchell hammered a short ball from Robinson to the boundary for New Zealand’s first four, but poor judgment saw him leave one in the channel, giving Robinson his fourth as the ball clipped the top of off stump. Josh Tongue joined the party, knocking over Tom Blundell’s off stump for his 50th Test wicket to leave New Zealand in ruins at 29/6.
Glenn Phillips had no option but to attack. He did so effectively, aided by England’s seamers who erred slightly short and wide, or too straight. Phillips capitalized on these opportunities to push New Zealand beyond 50. He monopolized the strike during his partnership with Nathan Smith, currently unbeaten on 32 for the seventh wicket, before fading light meant Stumps were called with New Zealand trailing by 79 runs after a chaotic day.
DAY 2
New Zealand started the day on their overnight total of 61/6, still trailing England’s first innings by 79 runs. Josh Tongue struck with his opening delivery, knocking over Glenn Phillips’ off stump before Kyle Jamieson emerged swinging, absorbing blows to his body and helmet. Nathan Smith appeared composed at his end but became the third batsman in the Test dismissed bowled while shouldering arms, with Tongue getting the ball to dart back sharply.
Jamieson launched Ollie Robinson’s short deliveries for two sixes and reduced the deficit. He contributed a valuable cameo, remaining unbeaten on 38 from 29 balls as top scorer for the visitors, pushing them past 100. With the field positioned for the short ball, Gus Atkinson deceived William O’Rourke and induced an edge to second slip before Robinson bowled Matt Henry for his fifth wicket, earning his place on the Lord’s Honours Board for the first time.
Duckett and Emilio Gay played sensibly, rotating strike consistently with the former finding occasional boundaries. Henry bowled briefly before Lunch but didn’t operate at full pace, delivering at just over 125 kmph. Duckett welcomed him with back-to-back boundaries and pulled O’Rourke in the next over to bring up the 50-run partnership. He departed off the following delivery though, steering a full and wide one to Phillips who held a sharp catch at gully. With Henry’s pace reduced, Tom Blundell moved up to the stumps. The strategy nearly succeeded as Jacob Bethell edged one, only for Daryl Mitchell to react slowly at slip.
Gay edged behind off Nathan before Harry Brook fell LBW for a duck to an inswinger from O’Rourke. Nathan then struck twice in succession, trapping Joe Root leg before in his crease with another ball cutting back sharply. In the same over, he bowled one of the Test’s finest deliveries to hit the top of off stump from around the wicket, dismissing Ben Stokes for a duck as England plummeted from 126/2 to 127/6.
Jamie Smith spearheaded England’s fightback – his first two boundaries came fortunately via outside edges but he quickly found his rhythm, executing a magnificent punch through the covers off O’Rourke. He accelerated with Atkinson providing solid support. After Tea, the partnership exceeded fifty with Jamie maintaining his fluent form. However, a mental lapse saw Atkinson swipe a short ball across the line, offering Jamieson a simple return catch.
Robinson emerged aggressively, swinging the ball down the ground and top-edging one fine. He added crucial runs before Nathan Smith dismissed his namesake at the other end as Jamie couldn’t handle an inswinger that stayed extremely low, highlighting the uneven bounce the pitch offered. Robinson extended England’s lead beyond 250 before Nathan struck twice to complete a six-wicket haul as England were dismissed, leaving New Zealand a challenging target on a treacherous surface.
The chase began disastrously: Atkinson had Tom Latham fishing outside off stump, removing him for a duck. Kane Williamson’s outside edge was tested before he gained confidence defensively, also greeting Tongue with an elegant off-drive. At the other end, Conway appeared uncomfortable, struggling to time the ball while a mistimed drive fell short of cover. England’s pacemen maintained probing lines and Tongue trapped Williamson in front, beaten on the outside edge and pinned on the back foot. He wasted a review, after which O’Rourke, acting as night watchman, was bowled at Stumps, leaving New Zealand requiring 218 more runs with seven wickets remaining.
DAY 3
Fewer than 10 overs were possible on the third day at Lord’s as England further consolidated their position in the opening Test by removing Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, reducing New Zealand to 55 for 5 with the visitors still needing 199 runs.
Rain caused a delayed start, with the morning session completely washed out. When play finally began at 12:43 PM, it was brief as another downpour stopped proceedings after just 11 deliveries.
Play restarted after 33 minutes, and New Zealand continued with Devon Conway driving Gus Atkinson for four. The pacers found considerable zip, and the bounce remained unpredictable – some deliveries leaped up while others stayed low. Ollie Robinson troubled Rachin Ravindra with the uneven bounce before dismissing him for 8 with another delivery that kept low.
DAY 4
Beginning the final day on 55 for 5, hopes rested on Devon Conway – who had survived to stumps on the previous two evenings – to extend New Zealand’s resistance. But before he could establish himself, Josh Tongue had Tom Blundell trapped leg before for 4, reducing New Zealand to 58 for 6.
The visitors then mounted resistance, with Glenn Phillips striking Ollie Robinson for several boundaries. Conway remained cautious. One edge flew past the slips, then a thick edge burst through Harry Brook’s grasp. Phillips attacked early by finding more boundaries, and the aggressive approach helped New Zealand’s score climb toward the 100-run mark.
Tongue and Robinson briefly troubled both batsmen. But Ben Stokes eventually broke the 53-run partnership to expose New Zealand’s tail. An angled delivery to Conway caught the outside edge, with Jacob Bethell taking an excellent catch at gully.
That wicket triggered a swift collapse. Atkinson removed Nathan Smith and Kyle Jamieson in consecutive overs to reduce New Zealand to 124 for 9. With the outcome virtually certain, the final batsman launched an attack against Tongue, striking several boundaries and sending a short delivery sailing for six. But the entertainment was short-lived as Atkinson cleaned up Matt Henry for a duck with a ball that stayed low.
Despite extending into the fourth day, it became the second shortest match at the venue by balls bowled. The teams will next meet at The Oval on June 17, with the visitors seeking to level the series and the hosts aiming to clinch it.
Brief Scores:
England 140 & 226 (Emilio Gay 57, Jamie Smith 39; Nathan Smith 6-70, William O’Rourke 2-45) defeated New Zealand 113 (Kyle Jamieson 38*; Ollie Robinson 5-39, Josh Tongue 3-40) & 138 (Glenn Phillips 44*, Devon Conway 41; Gus Atkinson 5-30) by 115 runs.
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