The England win that looked on the cards from the moment Ollie Robinson marked his comeback with a triple-wicket maiden on the first day was sealed in less than two hours on the fourth, with Gus Atkinson bowling Matt Henry and clenching his fist in delight. The gesture might have been on behalf of everyone involved with English cricket. That, plus a sigh of relief.
Victory over New Zealand by 115 runs in the first Test of this three-match series did not erase the pain of the Ashes – it will take a lot more than that. And the narrative these past few days has been hogged by the state of the surface, prompting breathless demands for Lord’s to suffer punishment, as if it’s the only venue in the country with a pitch problem.
When the first press-conference question to Ben Stokes focused on conditions, England’s captain was rueful: ‘Straight in there with the pitch rather than the victory…’ But he was smiling at least, and we haven’t recently seen much of that.
As well he knew, the events of the winter made victory here non-negotiable, since the alternative was unthinkable. Never mind the details: England simply had to find a way to win again. In that, they fulfilled their side of the bargain. The pitch was a dud, but we can hardly quibble with their ruthlessness: New Zealand lost 20 wickets in 70 overs. Two things can be true at once.
And while head coach Brendon McCullum may have learned less than he might have liked, several of his players took the game by the scruff in a manner that proved beyond the tourists.
In their differing ways, Harry Brook and debutant opener Emilio Gay scored the game’s only half-centuries, while England’s three specialist seamers took turns exploiting conditions, just as Australia’s did so well during the Ashes. Unlike New Zealand, England held almost all their catches. What more, in the circumstances, could they have done?
Gus Atkinson took a five wicket haul as England wrapped up victory against New Zealand
Atkinson sent Matt Henry’s stumps flying to seal a victory by 115 runs at Lord’s
The victory began England’s rebirth following their dismal showing in the Ashes
Atkinson, in his first Test since limping off the MCG in December, finished with match figures of seven for 37, and now has four five-wicket hauls in his three Lord’s Tests; Robinson, relentless and accurate, managed seven for 67; and Josh Tongue, his awkward action honing in on the stumps, collected five for 88. Stokes, otherwise anonymous, chipped in with the wicket of Devon Conway, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir proved a luxury item, completely unused.
It all added up to the shortest Lord’s Test (166 overs) in terms of balls bowled since 1888, and the lowest balls-per-wicket figure (24.9) at any English venue since 1907. Had it not rained on the first and third days, it might have been over in two. The only people wandering around St John’s Wood looking more shellshocked than New Zealand’s batsmen were MCC officials.
Never before have as many as 24 batsmen been either bowled or lbw in a Test in this country, which spoke volumes for the players’ mistrust of conditions. Play forward and risk a broken finger, or stay back and risk a grubber? The constant menace of both injury and insult made batting a lottery.
It also meant New Zealand’s hopes seemed cooked even before they resumed under grey skies on 55 for five, needing another 199. And when Tongue nipped one back into Tom Blundell with the day’s seventh ball, an even swifter conclusion seemed likely.
But Conway and Glenn Phillips counter-attacked in a stand of 53 in 11 overs, and England were grateful when Conway’s leading edge was well held by a tumbling Jacob Bethell in the gully.
The end came swiftly, Atkinson drawing an edge from Nathan Smith, then persuading Kyle Jamieson to clip to midwicket. Phillips helped Tongue over fine leg for six, before Atkinson knocked back Henry’s middle stump to leave New Zealand with a solitary win, back in 1999, from 20 visits to Lord’s.
For all the angst about the pitch, England deserved the win after losing an important toss. Gay made a solid first impression, playing the kind of pragmatic innings of which Zak Crawley was rarely capable, while the return of Robinson – named player of the match – received instant and dramatic vindication.
His 83 Test wickets have now come at under 22 each, while Atkinson has paid just over 22 for his 76. Tongue, meanwhile, has 54 at 25. These are early days for this England attack, but they are building up a head of steam, and Jofra Archer is yet to return. On this evidence, it’s not immediately obvious who will make way.
No win is perfect, though, and this was no exception. Robinson regularly dipped below 80mph, despite pre-match claims he has been operating at 83-84mph for Sussex, and Stokes’s batting is a major concern. The justification for Bashir’s recall remains unproven.
England were fortunate that Matt Henry, New Zealand’s attack leader, suffered back spasms after four overs, and operated at less than full tilt. It’s hard to imagine, either, that Tom Latham’s team will be as scrappy as this when the second Test starts at The Oval on June 17.
But there were moments during the two-month danse macabre around Australia when Stokes would have taken any kind of win, embraced any slice of luck. The English game has been through too much of late to turn its nose up at a result like this. Now they just need to keep it in front.
