Day 1 of the first Test match could not have started any worse at Lords for England, as they were tottering with just 30 runs on the board and four wickets down against New Zealand. But, the lower-middle order of the home team came to the rescue, as they eventually ended day one with an impressive 354 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
Both Joe Root and Ben Stokes might be disappointed at missing out on the magical three figure mark, as they were dismissed for 98 and 92 runs respectively, but they will be more than happy after helping the team come out of a massive hole.
England received a major setback later in the day once again as Jos Buttler was dismissed on the last ball of the day, with Moeen Ali unbeaten at the other end with a patient 49 runs.
"It's a fantastic effort from the lads. If you said at 12 o'clock this was going to be the score at the end of the day, we would have snatched your hand off," Sky Sports quoted Root as saying.
"We just want out there with the mentality of trying to counter attack, they went aggressive at us.
"We knew we were in trouble, we wanted to make sure we were busy and assertive."
One has to give special credit to =Stokes, who, despite being under pressure with so many wickets down, decided to play an attacking brand of cricket, which paid off. En route to his 94-ball 92, Stokes hit 15 fours and one six to put the pressure back on the New Zealand bowlers, who had started the game on a bright note.
Matt Henry was the most successful bowler for the Black Caps with three wickets to his name. It was a wonderful bowling display from Henry, especially considering the the Kiwi bowler was making his debut in the longer format of the game.
But, New Zealand have a tough task at hand in the crucial second day, as they will be eager to wrap up the England innings as early as possible. On the other hand, England will try their best to put up a huge first innings score, and will look at Ali to come up with a solid innings with support from the tail.
With Broad, James Anderson and Mark Wood to bat, they have a tail capable of adding a few crucial runs.
Where to Watch Live
The first Test match at Lords is scheduled for 10am local time (3:30 pm IST, 6am ET and 10 pm New Zealand Time) with live TV coverage in India on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD.
Viewers in the UK can watch the action live on Sky Sports 2, with the live streaming option on Sky Go. Audience in the US can catch Day 2 of the Test Match Live on ESPN3 or Watch ESPN.
