LONDON: Rain played spoilsport before lunch on the third day of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s on Friday.
The match was intriguingly poised, with England 111-2 in reply to New Zealand’s first-innings 378 that featured debutant Devon Conway’s 200 — the highest score by a batsman making their Test bow in England.
England, now 267 runs behind, slumped to 18-2 before ending the second day with Rory Burns 59 not out and England captain Joe Root 42 not out following an unbroken stand of 93.
New Zealand looked like batting England out of the game while South Africa-born opener Conway and fellow left-hander Henry Nicholls (61) were sharing a fourth-wicket partnership of 174.
But they lost four wickets for just six runs as they slumped from 288-3 to 294-7, with Mark Wood, the fastest member of England’s pace quartet, instigating a collapse.
Meanwhile Test debutant paceman Ollie Robinson led England’s attack with 4-75 in the first of this two-Test series.
