Key events
29th over: New Zealand 108-9 ( Jamieson 33, Henry 0 ) Atkinson replaces Tongue from the pavilion end, his first ball is wide and stylishly driven square by Jamison for a single, which exposes O’Rourke who lasts no longer. Matt Henry survives four balls.
WICKET! O’Rourke c Brook b Atkinson 1 (New Zealand 108-9)
Atkinson’s second ball of the morning, a tumbling wobble seam, and O’Rourke obligingly gets low and guides the ball to Brook at second slip.
Overseas TMS link
28th over: New Zealand 107-8 ( Jamieson 32, O’ Rourke 1) Robinson continues after a long chat with Stokes, who shuffles the field mid over and adds a slip for O’Rourke. Emilio Gay goes under the helmet for the last ball of the over. Good to be kept busy on Test debut – but the pressure!
And thank you to Tom Thronicker in Spain for supplying the overseas TMS link.
27th over: New Zealand 106-8 ( Jamieson 31, O’ Rourke 1) Tongue reapplies the tourniquet. Back on message. Squeaks one, two, past O’Rourke’s careful outside edge.
26th over: New Zealand 105-8 ( Jamieson 30, O’ Rourke 1) Take that! Jamieson clobbers a bouncer from Robinson into the Grandstand. And another, next ball, also a pedestrian bouncer. “Stokes needs to have a word with his bowlers,” says Nasser. “They need to keep aiming at off stump.”
“Morning, From a chilly but clear Joburg!” says Duncan Bonnett. “If nobody is blaming the pitch, I suppose we’ve moved from Bazball to Bazbowl? Mayhem for the rest of the day?” Personally, I favour a long period of calm, I’m supposed to be going to Lord’s tomorrow.
25th over: New Zealand 90-8 ( Jamieson 16, O’ Rourke 0) Tongue plumps for a slower ball and Jamieson leans back and fires him straight back into the pavilion for six, scattering the egg and bacon blazers. Nearly treads on his stump next ball as he jumps back into his crease with his colossal boots. O’Rourke uncomfortably survives three balls near 90mph.
Matt Henry, off the field yesterday with a back spasm, will have a bat reports TMS.
24th over: New Zealand 83-8 ( Jamieson 9, O’ Rourke 0) Just one from Robinson’s over – New Zealand still trail by 57.
WICKET! Smith b Tongue 15 (New Zealand 82-8)
Smith carefully watches Tongue’s delivery, tucks up his bat, jumps, and neatly leaves the ball, allowing it to crunch into the top of off stump.
23rd over: New Zealand 82-8 ( Jamieson 8, O’ Rourke 0) Ooof, Tongue fires a ball in, which rises and crashes into Jamieson’s helmet as he swivels – takes quite some doing at six foot eight. Tongue, nice man that he is, looks concerned and if he’s ok. He is. Smith runs four down to the rope shortly before he becomes the third man in the match to be bowled leaving the ball.
22nd over: New Zealand 77-7 ( Smith 11, Jamieson 7) Jamieson gets his boundary at the third time of asking, flashing Robinson to the third man boundary and generally causing chaos.
“I was watching the Test highlights on the iPlayer earlier,” writes John Starbuck, “and struck by the amount of facial hair on both teams. Does this herald a return to the Golden Days of WG and the like?” So true, I think Bethell and Jamie Smith are the only baby-faced English players. I love a bit of stubble so fully approve.
21st over: New Zealand 70-7 ( Smith 10, Jamieson 1 ) Jamieson marches in with intent after Philips loses his off stump. Bangs into a drive, throws the combine harvester at another, but only picks up one run. Smith drives the smiling Tongue’s last ball for four.
WICKET! Phillips b Tongue 34 (New Zealand 65-7)
Tongue’s first ball of the day fractionally straightens and Philips plays… and misses. A satisfying crunch of stumps.
20th over: New Zealand 65-6 (Phillips 34, Smith 6) Ben Stokes, newly shorn of his 1950s sweep-back, completes his over started yesterday. A no ball and Phillips sends him sweetly down to backward point for three.
“Plus ca change,” says Mark Puttick.
“Almost exactly four years since England last played New Zealand at Lord’s
2022: England’s 1st inns, 141-10, 42.5 overs
2026: England’s 1st inns, 140-10, 39.4 overs
2022: NZ 1st inns, found themselves 2-2 & 12-4, both Mitchell & Blundell were bowled as NZ folded to 36-6.
2026: NZ 1st Inns, found themselves 2-2 & 12-4, both Mitchell & Blundell were bowled as NZ folded to 29-6
England batted 2nd in 2022 though.”
Incredible symmetry.
“Good morning Tanya,” hello Krishnamoorthy V!
“Looks like the match may get over today. While we wait for it to start , have you been following this new sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who is one part Viv Richards, one part Sachin Tendulkar and one part Matthew Hayden. Bowlers world over must be having nightmares featuring him.”
He’s incredible isn’t he? There’s part of me that things he’s too young to deal with the pressure and adulation, but he seems to be taking it in his stride. It can’t be long before he gets a tap on the shoulder from the Indian hierachy.
Session times for day two
Ninety-eight overs are due today after yesterday’s rain.
Morning Session: 1100-1315
Afternoon Session: 1355-1610
Evening Session: 1630-1830
Red for Ruth
A deeply moving piece of television on Sky about the Ruth Strauss Foundation. Two young mums speak about living with a stage four cancer diagnosis, and another about the death of her husband – 127 children lose a parent every day in the UK. For some reason I can’t access the Ruth Strauss Foundation website, but you can google it if you would like to donate.
A thoughtful piece from Andy Bull on Brendan McCullum which contains the killer line – “only two of that team that played [at Lord’s] back in 2022, Ben Stokes and Joe Root, made it all the way through the cycle back to this match.”
Mike Atherton and Stuart Broad are in red blazers on Red for Ruth day at Lord’s. They laud Ollie Robinson. “He moved the ball and in such a dangerous area,” says Broad, “he was immaculate in his length and more importantly in his line.”
Preamble
Good morning and welcome to day two of the first Test of the summer, the morning after the evening before, when everyone staggered over the line at twenty past seven, punch drunk and 16 wickets poorer.
It was a fast-food order of a first day, punchy innings from Harry Brook and Glenn Phillips the only ballast against the clattering of wickets between the showers. Kyle Jamieson finished with five for 62 on his comeback after a stress-fracture, and Ollie Robinson four for ten, including an extraordinary triple-wicket maiden in his first over back after a two-year hiatus.
The weather looks better for today, batting should be easier, which may be some consolation for those looking at their weekend tickets and wondering whether they’ll have anything to watch. Play starts at 11am BST, do join us.
