An unbeaten 136 on debut for Devon Conway helped New Zealand get to 246/3 at the end of the first day of the first Test against England at Lord’s. Henry Nicholls complemented the debutant well and is batting on 46 not out. Meanwhile, England’s debutant Ollie Robinson also had a good outing as he returned with figures of 2/50.
International cricket returned to Lord’s after a gap of 654 days, and it was a day where the visitors drove home the advantage. New Zealand were the ones who were on top for the most part of the day and finished on a high as well. And it was debutant Devon Conway who led the charge for New Zealand as the England bowlers toiled hard throughout the day.
Conway’s 136 not out, which is the highest score by a debutant at Lord’s ensured New Zealand make full use of the good batting conditions. He had Henry Nicholls for a company who batted well at the other end for his unbeaten 46. The England bowlers found it tough to get regular breakthroughs.
Kane Williamson won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. There was a slight tinge of green on the surface, but that didn’t make a difference.
James Anderson got the ball to move around a bit – both in the air and off the surface, while Stuart Broad got a little more seam. The veteran duo did beat the bat and trouble the New Zealand openers a little, but they went through unscathed. Conway, in particular, was solid in the front foot and was pretty comfortable playback as well.
The duo of Tom Latham and Conway even scored at a fair clip in the first hour, and they notched up the 50-run stand in just 13.4 overs. After the drinks break, England got their first breakthrough and debutant Ollie Robinson who knocked over Latham for 23. Kane Williamson walked out at No. 3 and looked composed and batted through to lunch alongside Conway.
Right after the lunch interval, Anderson struck as he had Williamson dragging one back onto his stumps. It was the seventh time Anderson dismissed the New Zealand skipper in Test cricket, and it is the most by any bowler. Ross Taylor came in and looked all at sea. Broad bowled a testing spell post-lunch but without any luck. Taylor was finally dismissed for a scratchy 38-ball 14, and Robinson pinned him LBW to pick his second wicket.
But that was the last of England’s success for the day. In between the two wickets that England got in the second session, Conway raised his maiden half-century in Test cricket. He had Nicholls for company, who played the role of second fiddle to perfection. The left-handed pair added an unbeaten stand of 132 runs for the fourth wicket.
Nicholls was pretty sedate at the start of his innings and scored just 10 runs in his first 54 balls, helping New Zealand to go to Tea with only three down. Conway was batting on 71 at the end of the second session. The duo scored runs freely in the last session as they piled on the misery on the tiring England bowling attack, which didn’t comprise of a frontline spinner. The four fast bowlers tired down in the third session, and Conway capitalised.
The South African-born drove his way to a fantastic ton and became the 12th New Zealand batsman to score a ton on Test debut. He found the boundaries frequently in the final session while Nicholls batted solidly at the other end.
England did take the second new ball late in the day, and the Anderson-Broad duo posed some threat, but Conway and Nicholls weathered that storm to play through till stumps. There were some plays and misses, but the fourth wicket continued to elude England.
Brief Scores
New Zealand 246/3 (Conway 136*, Nicholls 46*, Robinson 2/50, Anderson 1/55) vs England
