England v New Zealand 2nd Test Day 1: New Zealand Recover from 107 for 4 to Reach 291 for 7

The Story of the Match

NEW ZEALAND were reeling at 107 for 4 after 35.2 overs but the tourists came back strongly ending the first day of the 2nd Rothesay Men's Test Match on 291 for 7 from 77 overs (13 overs short), when play ended at 7.00 pm. The day began thirty minutes late due to rain before the start of proceedings. New Zealand's middle order rear guard batting was good until the late intervention of Jacob Bethell as the tourists scored 184 runs for the loss of their last 3 wickets as they came back strongly after England's good start in front of a near capacity crowd at the KIA Oval.

England came into the 2nd Rothesay Men's Test Match at the KIA Oval with team changes aplenty thanks in the main to captain Ben Stokes and quick bowler Gus Atkinson's antics in a London night club the night after winning the Lord's 1st Test earlier in the month, injury, and family absence. Shoaib Bashir was omitted and Jofra Archer returned.

England hierarchy gave the captaincy back to master batter, Joe Root as he stated pre-match "I will do it on a weekly basis!" Gus Atkinson was replaced, Ollie Robinson was injured, Shoaib Bashir omitted and Jamie Smith was away attending the birth of a second child.

England gave three debuts in the 2nd Test. Incoming were Hampshire quickie Sonny Baker, middle order batsman Jordan Cox of Essex and James Rew, the promising Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman. Pace bowler Matthew Fisher of Surrey played his second Test and Jofra Archer returned to action for the first time since the Ashes in 2025-26.

It was England's most inexperienced line up in years with three new uncapped players making debuts. Sonny Baker and James Rew had been around the England Lions set up but Jordan Cox, having played only one red ball match in a long while, was a lucky call up with his former Essex colleague Dan Lawrence, now at Surrey, piling up the runs at the KIA Oval in first-class matches this season. Dan Lawrence was nailed on for a Test return especially with the Test being at his home venue and having scored a double hundred and the fastest hundred of the season in the last home match against Hampshire, but he was overlooked, his time has come and gone.

New Zealand, 1-0 down in the three match series, also made one change with Kane Williamson retiring from Test Cricket after the Lord's 1st Test match, so in came Henry Nicholls. The 1st Test lasted only 166 overs so the KIA Oval cricket fans and the Surrey Club were hoping for five full days of around 90 overs a day to finally get the Test Cricket Summer into full swing. The England and Wales Cricket Board and Marylebone Cricket Club would have been disappointed with the short nature of the play in the 1st Test with revenue of one full day being returned and a percentage returned on another day.

England captain Joe Root won the toss and elected to field first. The game started half an hour late due to early morning rain in London SE11, so the game commenced at 11.30 am. England opened the bowling with Jofra Archer and Matt Fisher. It was the 28th consecutive time that the captain winning the toss has inserted the opposition team in a first-class match at the KIA Oval. The record is held by the Basin Reserve in Wellington with 52 occasions in a sequence.

New Zealand lost their 1st wicket after 27 minutes of play on the last ball of the sixth over as Devon Conway swished at a pull short to leg and he was caught behind nicely by James Rew to give the debutant wicketkeeper his first Test dismissal off the bowling of Matt Fisher for 9 runs from 15 balls with one boundary four.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham was then joined by Henry Nicholls who came in at three for the now retired Kane Williamson. Jofra Archer (4-1-12-0) was replaced by Josh Tongue at the Micky Stewart Member's Pavilion End at 12.09 pm. Jofra Archer had bowled very quickly with an average speed of 89.9 mph in his opening spell on his return to the Test arena. It was the fastest ever recorded opening over in England since digital speed records were monitored.

Josh Tongue's first over was very probing, with good pace and movement. Tongue had 54 wickets in his opening ten Tests. The previous best after ten Tests for England was the famous and legendary Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson, the pace bowler from Northamptonshire.

Joe Root replaced Matt Fisher (5-3-5-1) after a good opening spell, and he was replaced by Sonny Baker on his Test debut. It was only Baker's 14th ever first-class match. The Devonian quick bowler, born in Torquay, looked flamboyant with a hop and a skip at the beginning of his lengthy run up. Sonny Baker was the first Devon born Test Cricketer to represent England since Roger Tolchard (Leicestershire) who played as a specialist batter in India in 1976-77 in four Tests even though Alan Knott was the established wicketkeeper in the side. Roger Twose (Warwickshire/Northern Districts/Central Districts), who was Tolchard's nephew, represented New Zealand in Tests and he was also born in Torquay.

Baker reviewed a caught behind on Henry Nicholls, but the decision was not given out when Nicholls was on 3 not out and the total 22 for 1 at 12.29 pm. After an hour of play the sun came out strongly and the colour of the pitch changed from green to a tinge of buff. New Zealand lost their 2nd wicket at 58 when captain Tom Latham was caught by Jacob Bethell as he took a brilliant catch at gully off the bowling of Jofra Archer for 27 from 75 balls with one boundary four.

Jofra Archer's bowling analysis was 6-1-22-1 at the fall of the wicket. Henry Nicholls was then joined by Rachin Ravindra at 58 for 2. By lunch on day 1 the New Zealand pair had reached 75 for 2 from 25 overs with Henry Nicholls 23 not out and Rachin Ravindra 11 not out.

New Zealand lost their 3rd wicket at 79 after 28.5 overs when Henry Nicholls was bowled by Josh Tongue for 24 from 57 balls with three boundary fours. Ravindra was 14 not out at the time of the 3rd wicket. Tongue was 6.4-1-19-1 at the fall of the wicket. Daryl Mitchell was dropped by Jordan Cox at leg slip off Matt Fisher when the New Zealander was on 2 and the total 87 for 2 after 31.4 overs.

Ravindra scored 33 runs from 51 balls with six boundary fours when he was dismissed. Sonny Baker took his first wicket in Test cricket when Ravindra edged a delivery to Jacob Bethell in the gully and he held onto a good catch when the total was 107 for 4. Baker's bowling analysis was 6.2-2-14-1 at the time of the wicket after 35.2 overs.

Daryl Mitchell was 4 not out when he was joined by wicket keeper Tom Blundell with New Zealand reeling mid innings. England looked as if they had the momentum to run through the New Zealanders with their pace attack as none of the tourists' batters had gotten in on the KIA Oval wicket. New Zealand were playing very defensively to try and get a foothold back into the game against England's rookie pace attack.

New Zealand were 145 for 4 after 43 overs when Harry Brook, with a single Test wicket, that of the recently retired Kane Williamson, and with a Test bowling average of 105.00, was introduced to the England attack by his captain Joe Root. Harry Brook bowled 3-0-9-0 before Joe Root went back to his four pronged pace attack. It was strange that Jofra Archer only bowled a single over between lunch and tea.

At the Tea interval, New Zealand had moved on to 166 for 4 from 50 overs with Daryl Mitchell 33 not out from 65 balls with four boundary fours and Tom Blundell 23 not out from 32 balls with two boundary fours. New Zealand continued and added a further 22 runs after tea until the score reached 188 when they lost their 5th wicket, Daryl Mitchell caught by Emilio Gay off the bowling of Sonny Baker for 44 runs from 74 balls with six boundary fours after 52.5 overs.

New Zealand accelerated the score after tea with Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell. Then Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips continued the fast scoring with useful runs. Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips added a 50 run partnership for the 6th wicket from 8.4 overs.

At 259 for 5, Jofra Archer bowled with hostility. He thought he had Glenn Phillips caught behind by James Rew, but Archer had overstepped and his delivery was given as a no ball. Tom Blundell reached his 50 from 82 balls with five boundary fours. It was the first 50 by a New Zealander in the series.

Jacob Bethell came on to bowl, and he conjured up a wicket in his first over (4 balls) when Tom Blundell, then on 51 runs from 84 balls with six boundary fours, spooned up a delivery from Bethell and was caught by Joe Root when the total had reached 263 for 6 from 67.4 overs.

Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips added 75 useful runs for the 6th wicket before Bethell picked up the sixth wicket. It was Bethell's 5th Test wicket. New Zealand lost their 7th wicket at 280 when Nathan Smith, 4 runs from 21 balls, top edged Jacob Bethell to Jordan Cox who took an easy catch off a poor delivery. Bethell was 3.4-1-7-2 at the fall of the 7th wicket with his left-arm tweakers.

At the close of play New Zealand had reached 290 for 7 from 77 overs with the not out batters Glenn Phillips on 49 from 74 balls with nine boundary fours and Kyle Jamieson on 6 from 12 balls with one boundary four. The innings included 44 extras with 16 byes from at times wayward bowling, rather than poor wicketkeeping by debutant James Rew. England will take the new ball in the morning on day 2.

Author's Standout Players

• Jacob Bethell (England) - Introduced his left-arm spin late in the day and immediately made the difference, removing the well-set Tom Blundell and Nathan Smith to finish on 2 for 8 and break New Zealand's recovery just as it threatened to run away
• Glenn Phillips (New Zealand) - Anchored the lower order rearguard with an unbeaten 49 from 74 balls, counterattacking England's rookie pace attack and steering the tourists from a precarious position towards a commanding first-innings total
• Sonny Baker (England) - Impressed on Test debut, the flamboyant Devonian quick claiming his first Test wicket when he had Ravindra caught at gully and later removing Daryl Mitchell to finish with 2 for 63