New Zealand's Tour of England 2015
- Thread starter DashMajor
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DashMajor
EntMnt Knight
Resurgent England goes 1-0 up after Lord’s thriller
Stokes the star as New Zealand all out for 220 in final session of first Test
Never in its long history have more people seen more runs at Lord’s than in the first Test of this two-match series between a resurgent England and as strong a New Zealand team as has left its shores. The New Zealanders were within ten overs of escaping with a draw when Moeen Ali finished the match in style, running and diving to catch Trent Boult’s uppercut just in front of the grand old Pavilion - which has seen a lot of cricket, but nothing quite like that.
The final day of a Test match full of endeavour and incident got off to a terrific start as Moeen struck boundaries and Boult took wickets. That it was all happening in front of an almost full house made it even better.
Alastair Cook was the first man to go, an epic innings terminated on its third day, his 162 prompting another standing ovation in a match not short of them. With an end open, the classy Boult charged through, England’s last three wickets adding just 22 to leave the home side 478 all out, the left-arm pacer picking up an excellent five-fer - his 34 overs costing 85 compared to Tim Southee’s same workload going for 162.
Boult’s brilliance had also removed the need for any declaration pondering and moved the game on, the equation now clear - New Zealand needed 345 runs and England 10 wickets with a minimum of 77 overs available to joust.
England will take a 1-0 series lead to Leeds knowing that its opponent has the skills and the ticker for the fight. But England will also know that it has discovered two invaluable weapons: a genuine speedster in the skiddy, slingy Wood, who will be a real handful if it’s cloudy at Headingley, and an allrounder who can bend a match, maybe a nation, to his will. Get Stokes’s face on the posters now and watch those seats sell out.
Resurgent England goes 1-0 up after Lord’s thriller - ICC Cricket
DashMajor
EntMnt Knight
England edges ahead on helter-skelter day
Anderson joins 400-club early, but New Zealand ends action-packed first day on 297 for 8
Picking up where the frenzied excitement of the first Test at Lord’s left off, New Zealand and England played out a thrilling first day at Headingley, which saw the visiting side fight back from a disastrous start to end the day at 297 for 8.Anderson joins 400-club early, but New Zealand ends action-packed first day on 297 for 8
The second Test of the series had got off somewhat anticlimactically, early morning rain washing out the first session entirely on Friday (May 29). Play did eventually get underway at 1:30pm, with England winning the toss and choosing to make New Zealand bat in testing conditions.
Alastair Cook’s decision was vindicated almost immediately, James Anderson striking in just his second over, removing Martin Guptill without scoring and more significantly, picking up his 400th Test wicket in the process, Ian Bell taking a simple catch at second slip.
England edges ahead on helter-skelter day - ICC Cricket
