Key events<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a dream of a day so far for the New Zealanders. Kyle Jamieson has taken four wickets and he hasn\u2019t even been the best bowler. Will O\u2019Rourke has been quicker, more threatening and just as tall.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a>Play will resume at 4.51<\/p>\n The umps have ruled that play will resume at 4.51pm, in about 15 minutes\u2026 as long as the rain holds off.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The rain has relented. As the covers come off, the umpires are in the middle carrying out an inspection. Meanwhile, in front of the pavilion, most of the England captains you can think of are lining up for a team photo, from Mike Brearley to Michael Vaughan. Alec Stewart, ever The Gaffer, is making a forceful point to his predecessor, Mike Atherton. David Gower, in a pinstripe suit, is having a laugh with his successor, Mike Gatting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Rain-break reading<\/p>\n This is a good question.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And another correspondent is back for a second spell. \u201cBrendon McCullum is clearly not enjoying Lord\u2019s today,\u201d says Ken Andrew. \u201cThe England balcony is so small he\u2019s unable to put his feet up to show the world how chilled he is…\u201d Ouch!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Another good spot from Mark Puttick. \u201cHarry Brook\u2019s ten Test innings v NZ: three scores between 0 and 1 (0, 0, 1), the remaining seven all over 50 (89, 54, 186, 171, 123, 55, 56).\u201d<\/p>\n I feel a song coming on.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Still off for rain<\/p>\n \u201cBut,\u201d says Ian Ward, \u201cthe mop-up has begun.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Many thanks to Rob, whose paragraphs were a pleasure to read as usual. Though he did seem to bring a lot of England wickets with him. When he took over from me at 1.45 or so, Duckett and Bethell were still together.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The weather is improving so hopefully play will resume soon. I\u2019m going to hand over back to Tim for a little while.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Tea<\/p>\n The umpires have brought tea forward, which means play is scheduled to restart at 4.11pm. That looks unlikely, because there\u2019s biblical stuff falling from the sky.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt may sound harsh to criticise Harry Brook after a highly entertaining and crucial half-century in bowler-friendly conditions,\u201d says Colum Fordham. \u201cBut perhaps he could have reined in his natural aggression after Stokes got out.\u201d<\/p>\n He was batting with the No9, so slowing down would have made no sense. Given the match situation and the noise around the England team, I thought Brook\u2019s tempo and risk-management were about as good as could be reasonably expected.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n That was an extremely tough session for England, who made 94 for 7 in 23.1 overs. New Zealand bowled beautifully, Will O\u2019Rourke in particular, and most of the England batters were out playing defensively. The exception was Harry Brook, who rode his luck to make a brilliant counter-attacking 56.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Bad light stops play<\/p>\n 33.1 overs: England 118-8 (Robinson 1, Tongue 4) So much for Jamieson\u2019s fitness. He has changed ends to replace Smith \u2013 maybe New Zealand just want to ough up England\u2019s quicks with their tallest bowlers \u2013 and immediately beats Robinson with a preposterous, unplayable delivery.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the last ball of this session: the light has deteriorated and the players are going off.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 33rd over: England 118-8 (Robinson 1, Tongue 4) Kyle Jamieson is replaced by Will O\u2019Rourke. That might seem harsh, when he\u2019s one short of a five-for, but he\u2019s bowled 11 overs today and his enduring fitness is far more important.<\/p>\n Tongue is hit high on the bat by O\u2019Rourke but survives the last four balls of the over.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it cowardly to pray for a near-biblical deluge covering just St John\u2019s Wood for the period between now and 6pm on Monday?\u201d asks Richard O\u2019Hagan.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 32nd over: England 117-8 (Robinson 0, Tongue 4) A very good ball from Smith is inside-edged past the stumps and away for four by Josh Tongue. <\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 113-8 (Brook c Jamieson b Smith 56)<\/p>\n Stop the press: New Zealand have caught Harry Brook. After pulling Smith for four and missing an attempt to launch six over extra cover, Brook flicked high towards fine leg and was well taken by Jamieson. The end of a highly entertaining innings, without which England would be in an even deeper stink.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 31st over: England 108-7 (Brook 52, Robinson 0) Kyle Jamieson has Benson & Hedges Cup figures: 11-0-50-4.<\/p>\n The new batter is Ollie Robinson, who made a first-class hundred against Suirrey this summer. But what we really want is to see him bowl in these conditions.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.40 EDT<\/p>\n WICKET! England 108-7 (Atkinson LBW b Jamieson 4)<\/p>\n After Brook flashes Jamieson for four to reach a blistering fifty, Atkinson is plumb LBW to a majestic off-cutter. Jamieson is one away from his sixth Tet five-for.<\/p>\n Gus Atkinson is gone for just four. Photograph: Chris Foxwell\/ProSports\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.41 EDT<\/p>\n 30th over: England 102-6 (Brook 47, Atkinson 3) <\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 29th over: England 100-6 (Brook 46, Atkinson 3) It\u2019s so good to see Kyle Jamieson back after all his injury problems. This is his first Test appearance since February 2024 and only his fourth appearance since New Zealand\u2019s tour of England four years ago.<\/p>\n Four is also the number of wickets he should have in this innings, because Brook has been dropped again. He picked up a short ball towards deep square leg, where Ravindra spilled a relatively straightforward running chance. Ravindra got himself in a weird position, jumping to meet the ball with both feet off the ground.<\/p>\n I think he\u2019d have taken that had it been any other batter, but Brook puts fielding teams under so much pressure. New Zealand dropped him five times when he leathered 171 at Christchurch in that 2024-25 series.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.33 EDT<\/p>\n 28th over: England 99-6 (Brook 45, Atkinson 3) Atkinson, who scored a pulsating maiden century against Sri Lanka on this ground two years ago, times Smith nicely down the ground for three to get off the mark.<\/p>\n England\u2019s seamers must be itching to bowl in these conditions, though you never know if or when the pitch will start to flatten out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.24 EDT<\/p>\n 27th over: England 94-6 (Brook 43, Atkinson 0) Gus Atkinson, who for reasons I can\u2019t fathom has become a bit of a forgotten man, is the new batter.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s a slight concern over Stokes\u2019 fitness as well. Earlier in that over he turned sharply after being sent back and appeared to hurt his groin in the process.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 94-6 (Stokes c Williamson b Jamieson 12)<\/p>\n That\u2019s a joke of a shot from Harry Brook, a disdainful pick-up\/pull off Jamieson that flies over square leg for four. There\u2019s a long way to go but Brook\u2019s batting today has been so similar to the series-winning counter-attacks in New Zealand 18 months ago. On those occasions England were 71 for 4 and 43 for 4.<\/p>\n And today they are 94 for 6 because Stokes has gone! He pushed defensively at a length delivery that bounced to take a thick edge and was stunningly caught by Kane Williamson at third slip. Williamson swooped low, in from otf Latham, and clutched it one-handed just above the ground. What a catch!<\/p>\n Oh, Ben Stokes. Photograph: Alan Stanford\/PPAUK\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.19 EDT<\/p>\n 26th over: England 83-5 (Brook 36, Stokes 8) Stokes gets his first boundary with a crisp flick through midwicket off Smith. What England would give for Stokes to find some form with the bat. It\u2019s been always three years since his poker-faced rampage against Australia on this ground, and in that time he averages less than 30.<\/p>\n \u201cSo,\u201d writes Rory in Cardiff, \u201cin what way is losing your off stump by not playing a shot any less a waste of your wicket than being caught on the boundary?<\/p>\n \u201dAt least with the more naked aggression of Bazball Mk1 wickets were lost trying to score runs, but that wicket takes us back to the drab old days before the current management took over.\u201d<\/p>\n I think that\u2019s a bit harsh on Smith, though there was arguably an element of being seen to do the right thing. Equally, the best batter today, by a distance, has been the most attacking.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 25th over: England 79-5 (Brook 36, Stokes 4) Brook charges Jamieson and drags an inelegant, flamingoish boundary through mid-on. \u201cYou can\u2019t just let Kyle Jamieson bowl in the same spot all the time,\u201d says Stuart Broad on commentary. \u201cYou have to mess with his length.\u201d<\/p>\n To prove the point, Jamieson\u2019s next ball is too full and timed gloriously through mid-on for four more. Marvellous batting.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Drinks<\/p>\n Tea will be taken at 4.15pm due to the earlier rain.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 24th over: England 71-5 (Brook 28, Stokes 4) Smith replaces Jamieson, who may change ends to replace O\u2019Rourke. New Zealand are currently down to three specialist seamers because of Matt Henry\u2019s back spasm.<\/p>\n \u201cAh yes, the new look England under the revitalisation of McCullum and Key!\u201d writes X. \u201cIt\u2019s just like the old-look England under McCullum and Key. The more it stays the same, the more it stays the same, non?\u201d<\/p>\n The entitled moaning and thoughtless rants in my inbox has certainly stayed the same, even though the manner of England\u2019s struggles with the bat today bear almost no resemblance to what happened in Australia.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.05 EDT<\/p>\n 23rd over: England 70-5 (Brook 27, Stokes 4) Stokes smiles after playing and missing at another delivery from O\u2019Rourke that moves extravagantly off the seam. These are seriously tough batting conditions, in which a par score is probably no more than 200.<\/p>\n \u201cEarly days, but this could be one of the shorter \u2018resets\u2019 in English cricket history?\u201d wonders David Hindle. \u201cWe may be heading back to the days of despair with very short interludes of torture by nasty shards of hope? And admiring how much better at cricket all the other teams are than us?\u201d<\/p>\n There are some 1986 vibes around this series, but ultimately England are struggling today because they lost a vital toss against a superb attack. The only player to get out to an ill-judged attacking shot was Jacob Bethell, and England were in similar positions against New Zealand 18 months ago when the garden was much rosier.<\/p>\n I suppose the main concern is how much the noise, the endless bloody noise, affects the subconscious of players like Jamie Smith. Among the batters, I\u2019d be less worried about Brook, Bethell, Root and to a lesser extent Duckett.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.59 EDT<\/p>\n 22nd over: England 68-5 (Brook 27, Stokes 2) A very wide half-volley from Jamieson is larruped square for four by Brook. He tries to pull the next ball and contrives to top-edge it over the bowler\u2019s head for two.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year we were debating whether Ben Duckett was the best all-format batsman on earth,\u201d weeps Luke Dealtry. \u201cMy, how things fall apart – though a tour of Australia has done that to many a man. Watching him leave the first couple of balls this morning makes me wonder if he\u2019ll rise again, though I appreciate it is a honking day to bat and he\u2019s been great in the county championship. But it\u2019ll be mentally very tough, and the making of the man if he does return to previous heights.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s the least of our worries right now. His county form, and the way he played today, makes me think he\u2019ll be fine. Not sure I can see England winning the Ashes next year without him.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 21st over: England 61-5 (Brook 21, Stokes 2) A scruffy over from O\u2019Rourke, who clearly started to believe the hype and has now lost the plot.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Mark Puttick has spotted something unusual about the Jacob Bethell dismissal.<\/p>\n double quotation markI would tentatively say that\u2019s the first time a New Zealand bowler who was born in England has got an England batter who was born in Barbados out LBW after a review in a Lord\u2019s Test.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 20th over: England 61-5 (Brook 20, Stokes 2) There\u2019s a further delay because of a problem with the sightscreen. Stokes then tries to leave a ball from Jamieson at the last minute; it deflects off the bat and not far wide of the stumps.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes Joe Root tend to take a bit of time to warm up?\u201d asks James Brough. \u201cI\u2019ve a feeling he starts the summer with a couple of low scores and then comes into his own once the series is under way. Am I doing him a disservice?\u201d<\/p>\n I think so. He started the first Bazball summer with a vital matchwinning century, then batted gloriously on day one of the 2023 Ashes (don\u2019t get me started on the declaration, for all our sakes). Last year he took a while to get going against India, but overall I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a pattern.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 19.4 overs: England 55-5 (Brook 20, Stokes 0) As Ben Stokes walks onto the field, Harry Brook runs off the field, presumably for a toilet break.<\/p>\n On reflection I suspect Smith left that ball on line as well as length. It came back a mile off the seam, but it\u2019s not the first ball to do so today so it counts as a fairly bad misjudgement.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 55-5 (Smith b Jamieson 1)<\/p>\n No. Nooo. Jamie Smith shoulders arm to a nipbacker from Kyle Jamieson that clatters into the stumps. Jamieson is 6ft 8ins so maybe Smith thought it was a safe leave on length; he was wrong.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.37 EDT<\/p>\n 19th over: England 55-4 (Brook 20, Smith 1) Four more to Brook, pulled handsomely behind square off O\u2019Rourke \u2013 a shot that is easier typed than done. Brook\u2019s burgeoning counter-attack, 20 from 29 balls, has already changed the mood a touch.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 18th over: England 51-4 (Brook 16, Smith 1) A short ball from Smith is pulled devastatingly for four by Brook. Smith responds with a fuller nipbacker that goes through the gate to hit the pad. New Zealand go up for LBW but, though it looks fairly close, there are doubts over both height and line and Brook survives.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 17th over: England 44-4 (Brook 9, Smith 1) Brook plays another high-class square drive for four, this time off O\u2019Rourke \u2013 but then he\u2019s dropped by Conway! Brook sliced a flamboyant kind of cut\/drive that flew towards backward point and burst through the hands of Conway.<\/p>\n New Zealand dropped Brook a gazillion times in that 2024-25 series, and he punished them royally with a couple of matchwinning hundreds.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.27 EDT<\/p>\n 16th over: England 38-4 (Brook 4, Smith 0) Brook pushes nervously at a big outswinger from Smith and is beaten. He needs to laser one over extra-cover for six, or at least die trying, because right now England are sitting ducks.<\/p>\n Brook settles for a less extravagant square drive to the boundary. That\u2019s an excellent shot.<\/p>\n \u201cMy only quibble about your description of Will O\u2019Rourke is that he might be the world\u2019s best already, certainly on a pitch offering a bit, as this one is,\u201d says Gary Naylor. \u201cJust because he looks like a choirboy doesn\u2019t mean he can\u2019t be a nasty-fasty, with a bit of movement and a lot of control. It\u2019s a different game above 87mph, especially from that height.\u201d<\/p>\n WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE JASPRIT BUMRAH? (I know what you mean, though, especially on a pitch like this. And O\u2019Rourke is a greater physical threat, which counts for something.)<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 15th over: England 34-4 (Brook 0, Smith 0) Helluva time for Jamie Smith to start his new career as England\u2019s Test No6.<\/p>\n I\u2019m getting the shivers at the thought of how good O\u2019Rourke could be; how good he already is. He was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, by the way \u2013 his parents moved back to New Zealand when he was four or five.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 34-4 (Root c Blundell b O’Rourke 1)<\/p>\n Too good. WIll O\u2019Rourke is just too good for the greatest batter in English cricket history. Root was undone by a snorting, seaming lifter that shaved the outside edge and was taken by Blundell.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t sigh, don\u2019t shout FFS. England haven\u2019t done much wrong today \u2013 they are being taken apart by a sensational seam attack. Sure, Root was starting to open the face but it was an absolute jaffa. Short of square-legging it like a No11, he was always going to edge that delivery once his instinct told him to play at it.<\/p>\n Oh Joe, say it ain\u2019t so. Photograph: Philip Brown\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.43 EDT<\/p>\n 14th over: England 34-3 (Root 1, Brook 0) Brook either defends or leaves the remainder of a challenigng over from Smith. Nobody wants to hear it, but this is exactly the situation in which Brook\u2019s best approach is to tee off \u2013 as he did so brilliantly in New Zealand 18 months ago and against India at the Oval last summer. It\u2019s much harder to do that after spending five months on the naughty step, so the next half hour will be a fascinating insight into the mind of Harry Cherrington Brook.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Brook is not out! Big inside-edge onto the pad, next!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n New Zealand review for LBW against Brook! This looks close to me, maybe umpire\u2019s call on line. England are under so much pressure from a forensic New Zealand attack.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 13th over: England 33-3 (Root 0, Brook 0) O\u2019Rourke greets Brook with a sharp bumper. Brook avoids that but is hit in the stomach (I think) by a nasty nipbacker. This guy O\u2019Rourke is sensational \u2013 he looks violently unpleasant to face, with angles and lift that evoke the best of Steve Harmison.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 33-3 (Bethell LBW b O’Rourke 6)<\/p>\n Jacob Bethell 0-1 Will O\u2019Rourke. It was a superb delivery from O\u2019Rourke, much fuller than usual and angling back to hit the pad as Bethell missed an attempted drive. The ball deflected to slip, which brought the catch into play had Bethell inside-edged the ball onto the pad.<\/p>\n He had not \u2013 but he was plumb LBW and England are in the malodorous stuff. That was a slightly loose stroke from Bethell.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n New Zealand review for LBW\/a catch against Bethell!<\/p>\n One way or another, I think this is out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A cracking read, this, from Wisden\u2019s Jo Harman-McGowan on English cricket\u2019s answer to Brexit<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.01 EDT<\/p>\n 12th over: England 31-2 (Bethell 4, Root 0) This New Zealand attack were always likely to give England a serious test in these conditions. Both openers were got out, rather than giving their wickets away, and if anything England haven\u2019t gone hard enough.<\/p>\n There were three reds on the Duckett dismissal, no umpire\u2019s call, so he was correct not to review. Smith gets some lavish outswing to the new batter Joe Root, who defends watchfully.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 31-2 (Duckett LBW b Smith 19)<\/p>\n Nathan Smith strikes with his third ball of the match! Duckett, who struck the previous delivery for four, was caught in front by a length ball from around the wicket that nipped back sharply to hit both pads.<\/p>\n I thought Duckett would review \u2013 there was a bit of doubt over height \u2013 but after a discussion with Bethell he decided to walk off.<\/p>\n New Zealand’s Nathan Smith appeals successfully for the LBW wicket of England’s Ben Duckett. Photograph: Andrew Boyers\/Action Images\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.28 EDT<\/p>\n 11th over: England 27-1 (Duckett 15, Bethell 4) O\u2019Rourke is on for Matt Henry, who suffered a back spasm in the first session and is off the field. That\u2019s a concern for New Zealand, though at least they have four specialist seamers in their team.<\/p>\n O\u2019Rourke\u2019s first ball is a jaffa, just back of a length and seaming past Duckett\u2019s outside edge. When he overpitches later in the over, Duckett times a classy push-drive through extra cover for three. Bethell sees our the rest of the over.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Will O\u2019Rourke is going to start after lunch. If you haven\u2019t seen him before, you\u2019re in for a treat over the next month \u2013 he has the potential to be world No1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.45 EDT<\/p>\n Hello one and all, Rob here. There\u2019s good news and bad news. The bad news, for you, is that Tim is having laptop problems so I\u2019m taking over. The good news, for you and me, is that Jacob Bethell will be batting in a couple of minutes. We might even see him up against Will O\u2019Rourke for the first time* since their immense contest at Hamilton<\/a> on 17 December 2024.<\/p>\n * I think<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Resuming at 1.45!<\/p>\n That said, the covers are off and the sun is out. Play will resume at 1.45pm, in about 15 minutes\u2026 if the rain doesn\u2019t return.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Latest from a few miles south-west of Lord\u2019s. \u201cA while earlier,\u201d says Neil Parkes, \u201cwhen Bethell and Duckett where ducking and\u2026 bething (?), it was blowing a gale with horizontal rain here in Ealing and I was amazed they were out there. Now it\u2019s bright sun here. No wait, it\u2019s clouding over. No it\u2019s sun again. No wait\u2026 err.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Inspection at 1.30<\/p>\n Sure enough, things are not looking so good.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Not wanting to put a dampener on things, but I\u2019ve just had a glance at the forecast. The chance of rain at Lord\u2019s from 1 to 2pm, according to the Met Office, is greater than 95 per cent. And it doesn\u2019t get much better in the hours after that: 80pc, 80pc, 70pc, 50pc\u2026 The best bet is 6-7pm, when it\u2019s 30pc.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.26 EDT<\/p>\n Lunch now, restart at 1.25 (all being well)<\/p>\n \u201cSlightly better news,\u201d says Ian Ward on Sky. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a restart at 1.25pm if there\u2019s no further rain\u2026. The teams are having an early lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Mid-rain reading<\/p>\n Jonathan Liew has a question for us.<\/p>\n