England v New Zealand Day 2: England in Charge as Gay Fifty and Robinson Five-for Set Up 254 Target
Match Details
- Competition: 1st Rothesay Men's Test Match - New Zealand Tour of England 2026
- Venue: Lord's Cricket Ground, London NW8
- End of Day 2: New Zealand need 218 more runs to win with 7 wickets remaining
- England lead: 218 runs
Day 2 Scorecard
| New Zealand 1st Innings - 113 all out (29.5 overs) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Devon Conway | lbw b Robinson | 1 |
| Kane Williamson | c Gay b Robinson | 0 |
| Rachin Ravindra | lbw b Robinson | 0 |
| Tom Latham (c) | lbw b Atkinson | 3 |
| Daryl Mitchell | b Robinson | 12 (23) |
| Tom Blundell | b Tongue | 4 |
| Glenn Phillips | b Tongue | 34 |
| Nathan Smith | b Tongue | 15 (18) |
| Will O'Rourke | c Brook b Atkinson | 1 (17) |
| Kyle Jamieson | not out | 38* (29) |
| Matt Henry | b Robinson | 0 (5) |
| Total | 113 all out (29.5 overs) |
| England Bowling | W | R |
|---|---|---|
| Ollie Robinson | 5 | 39 |
| Josh Tongue | 3 | 40 |
| Gus Atkinson | 2 | 9 |
| England 2nd Innings - 226 all out (56 overs) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emilio Gay | c Blundell b Nathan Smith | 57 (95) |
| Ben Duckett | c Phillips b O'Rourke | 33 (46) |
| Jacob Bethell | b Henry | 14 (35) |
| Joe Root | lbw b Nathan Smith | 8 (19) |
| Harry Brook | lbw b O'Rourke | 0 (4) |
| Ben Stokes (c) | - | - |
| Jamie Smith | b Nathan Smith | 39 (52) |
| Gus Atkinson | c&b Jamieson | 14 (32) |
| Josh Tongue | b Nathan Smith | 5 (13) |
| Ollie Robinson | c Phillips b Nathan Smith | 29 (30) |
| Shoaib Bashir | not out | 0 |
| Total | 226 all out (56 overs) |
| New Zealand Bowling | W | R |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan Smith | 6 | 70 |
| Will O'Rourke | 2 | 46 |
| Matt Henry | 1 | 43 |
| Kyle Jamieson | 1 | 41 |
| New Zealand 2nd Innings - 36 for 3 (11.5 overs) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tom Latham (c) | c Brook b Atkinson | 0 (3) |
| Devon Conway | not out | 12* (27) |
| Kane Williamson | lbw b Tongue | 18 (36) |
| Will O'Rourke (nw) | b Atkinson | 0 (6) |
| Total | 36 for 3 (11.5 overs) |
| England Bowling (Day 2 evening) | W | R |
|---|---|---|
| Gus Atkinson | 2 | 10 |
| Josh Tongue | 1 | 10 |
The Story of the Match
ENGLAND ended the day in control of the 1st Rothesay Men's Test Match at Lord's having taken the last four New Zealand wickets for 52 runs in the opening hour of the morning session. England then batted in their 2nd innings and scored 226 all out in 56 overs with Emilio Gay 57, Jamie Smith 39 and Ben Duckett 33, with New Zealand bowler Nathan Smith taking 6 wickets for 70 runs, leaving New Zealand to score 254 to win. At the close England were in control with New Zealand 36 for 3 in their 2nd innings, still needing 218 runs to win with England needing the final 7 wickets to seal victory.
The second day saw England's 2nd innings and two part innings - the remainder of New Zealand's 1st and the start of their 2nd - played out with 314 runs scored for 17 wickets in 78.2 overs. The game will finish tomorrow with England the most likely side to win on a poor Lord's surface.
New Zealand had started the second morning on 61 for 6 from 19.2 overs, still some 79 runs behind England on first innings. For the eighth time, the second day at Lord's Cricket Ground was Red for Ruth, the entire ground bathed in red for the worthiest of charities. It was a very bright sunny morning in London NW8, and you could hear the Lord's legendary hum in the crowd with spectators intent on seeing England fight back strongly after yesterday's poor batting display.
It was not long before England picked up the seventh New Zealand wicket - five balls in fact, four from Ben Stokes who completed his over from the previous evening and then Josh Tongue who clean bowled Glenn Phillips for 34 when the total was 65 for 7 from 20.1 overs with the pace bowler's first delivery of the morning at 11.04 am. Josh Tongue made it 82 for 8 after 23 overs as he took the eighth wicket when he bowled Nathan Smith for 15 from 18 balls, knocking over his off stump at 11.19 am. At that time Tongue's analysis was 3 for 32. New Zealand trailed by 58 runs at that stage.
Will O'Rourke was the ninth man out, caught by Harry Brook off Gus Atkinson for 1 from 17 balls when the total was 108 for 9 after 28.2 overs. New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, who bagged 5 for 62 with the ball on day one, made an impact with the bat, hitting some hefty belligerent blows with a top score of 38 not out from 29 balls with two fours and three sixes when he was left unbeaten after Matt Henry was clean bowled by Ollie Robinson for 0 from 5 balls when the total was 113 all out, some 27 runs behind England. Ollie Robinson was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 39 on his return to the Test arena, Josh Tongue with 3 for 40 and Gus Atkinson with 2 for 9.
England commenced their second innings just after noon. Matt Henry took the field again after suffering with back spasms yesterday when he came out of the attack after bowling only 4 overs in England's 1st innings due to injury. Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay batted far better second time around, adding a 50-run partnership for the 1st wicket before Ben Duckett was caught by Glenn Phillips off the bowling of Will O'Rourke for 33 runs from 46 balls with four boundary fours when the score had reached 52 for 1 after 12.4 overs. Emilio Gay (24 not out) was then joined by Jacob Bethell. Gay edged Matt Henry between wicket keeper Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell at first slip but survived as neither could get a hand on the ball.
England reached lunch at 72 for 1 from 15 overs, a lead of 99 runs with 9 wickets in hand. The last four overs before lunch brought England 37 runs. Gay was 24 not out from 36 balls with four boundary fours and Bethell 8 not out from 8 balls with two fours. Will O'Rourke had taken the only wicket with an analysis of 1 for 18. Kyle Jamieson was 0 for 12 and Nathan Smith 0 for 17, both bowling effectively without taking a wicket, while Matt Henry was 0 for 18 from two overs but his fitness remained uncertain.
Emilio Gay and Jacob Bethell took the England score to 99 when Bethell was bowled by a Matt Henry grubber for 14 runs from 35 balls with two boundary fours after battling against the tricky New Zealand bowlers. The young star was found out for the second time in the match after his promising start in Test cricket during the winter. At the fall of the second wicket (99 for 2), England led by 126 runs with 8 wickets in hand.
Emilio Gay achieved his maiden Test fifty off 84 balls with seven boundary fours while batting with Joe Root, but after progressing nicely, he only added a further seven runs before being caught behind by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell off a thin edge off the bowling of the nagging Nathan Smith for 57 runs from 95 balls with eight boundary fours when the total was 126 for 3 after 31 overs. England led by 153 runs at the fall of the third wicket.
Joe Root on 8 not out was then joined midafternoon by his Yorkshire compatriot Harry Brook. Brook, who made 50 in the first innings, lasted only four balls before being given out lbw to Will O'Rourke for a duck when the total was 127 for 4 from 33 overs. What a passage of play continued as Root was given out lbw to Nathan Smith for 8 from 19 balls from 33.1 overs when the total was 127 for 5. England went from 126 for 2 to 127 for 6, scoring just 1 run and losing 4 wickets in the space of eleven balls. The England lead was 154 runs with 4 wickets remaining.
Gus Atkinson joined his Surrey teammate Jamie Smith with England in trouble once again against the New Zealand pace attack. The pair needed to last until tea without further wickets as England gradually moved towards a lead of 200 runs. At the tea interval England had reached 166 for 6 from 42 overs with Jamie Smith 31 not out from 34 balls with six boundary fours and Gus Atkinson 7 not out from 16 balls with one four. At tea Nathan Smith was 3 for 49, Will O'Rourke 2 for 38 and Matt Henry 1 for 43.
England led by 193 runs with 4 wickets in hand at tea. Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson added 57 for the seventh wicket partnership before Atkinson was caught and bowled by Kyle Jamieson for 14 from 32 balls with one four. The total at the fall of the 7th wicket was 184 after 46.2 overs. Jamie Smith was bowled by Nathan Smith for a fine 39 runs from 52 balls with six boundary fours when the total was 213 for 8 after 50 overs. Nathan Smith picked up his fifth wicket when he bowled Josh Tongue, hitting the top of off stump for 5 from 13 balls in the 53rd over. England were then 225 for 9 leading by 252 runs with a wicket left.
England's last pair took the total to 226 all out in 56 overs when Ollie Robinson was caught by Glenn Phillips off Nathan Smith for 29 runs from 30 balls with three boundary fours. Shoaib Bashir was 0 not out. The pick of the New Zealand bowlers was Nathan Smith with 6 for 70, Will O'Rourke 2 for 46, Kyle Jamieson 1 for 41 and Matt Henry 1 for 43. England, leading by 253 runs, should have enough of a lead to win the match tomorrow.
New Zealand needed 254 runs to win - highly unlikely on the poor surface. England had an hour to cause further trouble and push for a day-three victory. New Zealand lost opener Tom Latham for 0 after just 3 balls of their 2nd innings, caught at second slip by Harry Brook off Gus Atkinson. Devon Conway was then joined by Kane Williamson, who strode out at number 3 in what was likely to be his last Test Match innings at the Home of Cricket. Conway on 9 not out was saved by an on-field lbw call from a delivery by Ollie Robinson when New Zealand were 29 for 1, but the DRS went in favour of New Zealand.
In the next over Kane Williamson was trapped lbw to Josh Tongue for 18 from 36 balls with two boundary fours and after a DRS review, Williamson had to return to the pavilion with New Zealand 29 for 2 from 10.4 overs. Will O'Rourke came in as night watchman in the dying moments of the second day with seven minutes remaining, and he was bowled by Gus Atkinson for 0 from 6 balls when the total was 36 for 3 from 11.5 overs, still 218 behind England. Devon Conway was unbeaten on 12 not out from 27 balls with one boundary four at the close.
Timeline of Key Events
- 20.1 ov (NZ 1st) Tongue bowls Phillips for 34 (65/7)
- 23 ov (NZ 1st) Tongue bowls Smith for 15 (82/8)
- 28.2 ov (NZ 1st) O'Rourke caught Brook off Atkinson for 1 (108/9)
- 29.5 ov (NZ 1st) Robinson bowls Henry for 0; NZ 113 all out - Robinson 5/39, Tongue 3/40, Atkinson 2/9
- England 2nd innings commences just after noon
- 12.4 ov Duckett caught Phillips off O'Rourke for 33 (52/1)
- Lunch England 72/1 - Gay 24*, Bethell 8*; England lead by 99
- ~26 ov Bethell bowled by Henry for 14 (99/2)
- 31 ov Gay caught behind off Smith for 57 (126/3) - maiden Test fifty
- 33 ov Brook lbw O'Rourke for 0 (127/4)
- 33.1 ov Root lbw Smith for 8 (127/5)
- ~33 ov England 127/6 - 4 wickets in 11 balls for 1 run
- Tea England 166/6 - Smith 31*, Atkinson 7*; England lead by 193
- 46.2 ov Atkinson c&b Jamieson for 14 (184/7)
- 50 ov Smith bowled by N. Smith for 39 (213/8)
- 53.1 ov Tongue bowled by N. Smith for 5 (225/9) - Smith's 5th wicket
- 56 ov Robinson caught Phillips off N. Smith for 29; England 226 all out - Smith 6/70
- NZ 2nd innings - England need 7 wickets to win
- NZ 2nd - 3 balls Latham caught Brook off Atkinson for 0 (0/1)
- NZ 2nd - 10.4 ov Williamson lbw Tongue for 18 after DRS (29/2)
- NZ 2nd - 11.5 ov O'Rourke (nw) bowled Atkinson for 0 (36/3)
- Close New Zealand 36 for 3 (11.5 overs) - Conway 12*; NZ need 218 more
Author's Standout Players
- Nathan Smith (New Zealand) - Bowled beautifully throughout England's second innings to return career-best figures of 6 for 70, exploiting the difficult surface with nagging accuracy and claiming the key wickets of Gay, Root, Smith, Tongue and Robinson to keep New Zealand in the contest
- Emilio Gay (England) - A vastly improved second-innings display after a cheap debut dismissal on day one, the former Northamptonshire opener battled to a fine maiden Test fifty of 57 before an unfortunate thin edge, showing the class that earned him his England cap
- Ollie Robinson (England) - Completed a match-defining day one to two with 5 for 39 to finish off the New Zealand first innings in the morning, his return to Test cricket producing back-to-back five-wicket hauls across the two days that have England firmly in control
William Powell
FWA Life Member · Sports Journalist since 1987
William Powell has covered football and cricket at the highest level for nearly four decades. A Life Member of the Football Writers' Association, his writing combines deep tactical knowledge with the narrative flair of the best sports journalism.
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