England v New Zealand (1st test) Lords

[tiger76]

Hopefully the 1st morning of a great summer of cricket, Bracey and Robinson selected for their debuts, and obviously England missing several regulars, so a good chance for New Zealand to strike ahead of their WTC final against India later this month, although they are without their talisman Trent Boult.

Jimmy plays as part of a pace attack in his 161th test equalling Alistair Cook's record, and all being well he'll no doubt pass that landmark later in the summer, but no Jack Leach.

Unsurprisingly NZ won the toss and they'll bat 1st.

[fatboy47]

Just tuned in. I understand why they drag the boundary boards in for t20 games..keeping the biff-bang herberts happy with umpteen 6's.....but is it necessary for proper cricket?
Maybe it's just me, but they seem to be creeping in a bit further every time I watch. A couple of the corners today seem excessive.

[tiger76]

50 opening stand between Latham and the debutant Conway has just been ended by a beauty from Ollie Robinson to bowl Latham, 58-1 and this looks a cracker of a pitch which Williamson will fancy batting on for a long time.

[Foulthrow]

When was Conway at Nelson?

[dandeclaret]

Just tuned in. I understand why they drag the boundary boards in for t20 games..keeping the biff-bang herberts happy with umpteen 6's.....but is it necessary for proper cricket?
Maybe it's just me, but they seem to be creeping in a bit further every time I watch. A couple of the corners today seem excessive.

Presume it’s for players to have a run off area when they chase a ball down..... they wouldn’t want the insurance Bill of them hurtling into the walls.

[onewillieirvine]

Foulthrow- I think it was 2017, He clattered 231 in a Worsley Cup match against, possibly Rishton...

[fatboy47]

Presume it’s for players to have a run off area when they chase a ball down..... they wouldn’t want the insurance Bill of them hurtling into the walls.

Not sure Dan... I'd have thought it'd be a uniform distance if that were the case.. Just feel its taking spectators ever further from the action... Like footy pitches with running tracks around them I guess.

[tiger76]

85-1 at lunch definitely New Zealand's morning, and they look on course to post a formidable total.

[claretonthecoast1882]

Jimmy gets Williamson. Big wicket

[tiger76]

2nd for Robinson, Latham and Taylor on his 1st day of test cricket isn't a bad return is it. 114-3 it's a different game since lunch.

[tiger76]

100 on debut for Conway, and England are toiling in the field, that decision not to play a specialist spinner isn't looking a great call ATM.

198-3 the Kiwis, and the over rate has been terrible today even by the normal standards. It's nearly 5 PM and there's still 27 overs due in the day.

[Quickenthetempo]

England bowled well after lunch but for the rest of the day it's looked like a feather bed that Lords usually is.

Draw must be favourite as both teams will be very disappointed getting bowled out twice.

[Milltown1882]

Tough first day for the bowlers that, Robinson looked useful though. Surprised Conway’s score is the highest by a Test debutant at Lords.

Naturally an impressive debut for Robinson gets overshadowed by tweets from him from 8 years ago being uncovered and a stink being kicked up.

[tiger76]

246-3 at the close Conway unbeaten on 136 what a performance by him, and NZ most definitely in the box seat.

It does look a good deck however if NZ pile up a huge total then scoreboard pressure could tell on England when our turn comes to bat.

The positives for England is the wickets for Ollie Robinson and Jimmy adding to his 600+ test scalps, and he's also closing in on his 1,000th first-class wicket.

Only 86 overs completed in the day BTW.

[Longsidelenny1882]

Robinsons action reminds me of josh hazlewood hope he turns out as good as him upthecolne

[rufus lumley]

Todays slogan Cricket is for everyone then someone with a grudge goes and spoils it all.

[Milltown1882]

Todays slogan Cricket is for everyone then someone with a grudge goes and spoils it all.

Is a bizarre one as he has less than 2500 Twitter followers (now protected account) and someone has trawled through 9 years of tweets to dig up dirt. Not condoning his actions whatsoever but he looked a broken man giving that statement so hopefully he’ll have the lads in his ear tonight keeping his head in it. Everyone makes mistakes at that age.

[tiger76]

I don't know all the details of the Ollie Robinson episode, but I'm just glad social media wasn't invented when I was younger given some of the escapades I got up to in my youth.

This incident smacks of envy, and bears remarkable similarities to the furore surrounding Andre Gray's historic Tweets following his 1st ever PL goal in our famous 2-0 win against Liverpool.

Sadly for both what should have been memorable days in their respective careers will have been completely overshadowed by all the off the field stuff.

[fatboy47]

Hmmmm...tricky one I guess.. I'm not sure I'd agree that trading in nasty racist or homophobic bile should be discreetly swept under the carpet because it may rain on some poor wee soul's parade.

If a young Mr Robinson or Mr Gray had plucked a drowning infant from the raging Atlantic back in the day I'm sure we'd all be lapping it up.

[claretonthecoast1882]

Has it been disclosed who exposed the tweets ?

You would like to think there aren't people out there sat on things like this waiting until an opportune moment to make some form of announcement regarding age old comments. Why not reveal them as soon as you know about them.

[Quickenthetempo]

What a good session for England so far with 4 wickets.

Wood and Robinson have been very good.

294-7

[SalisburyClaret]

Robinson has certainly put the Twitter stuff behind him this morning and Wood has been terrific

[Buxtonclaret]

Keep them under 350 and we've done OK

[SalisburyClaret]

Annoyingly, they bat down to no. 11

[Quickenthetempo]

Great last partnership and what an innings from Conway. 200n.o

[Quickenthetempo]

Root gets lucky with a run out. Missed his first attempt and got him by millimetres on the 2nd attempt.

[Quickenthetempo]

378 is a little below par for me but it doesn't mean England will get that many.

[claretonthecoast1882]

England all out under 275 @ 3/1 is tempting

[tiger76]

Good fightback by England after NZ threatened to rack up a huge score, now let's see what the batsman can do on a decent surface.

This Conway is some player isn't he a double ton on debut at Lords.

All Robinson can do is perform on the field, and he's certainly delivered the goods in this innings, Wood also outstanding, and Jimmy chips in with yet another pole, he's only 3 shy of overtaking Kumble and going into 3rd, but he's still a long way adrift of warne and Murali, so I doubt he'll climb any higher than 3rd.

[tiger76]

378 is a little below par for me but it doesn't mean England will get that many.

Well if England can't score runs on this against an attack short of Trent Boult, then serious questions will quite rightly be asked, Conway has jut batted for nearly 10 hours on this pitch, so it can't be that difficult to post a total, my worry is England's tail looks incredibly long, and a couple of early wickets will put nerves through the England dressing room, and we all know that an England collapse is always just around the corner.

[Spijed]

Didn't take long did it?

[Vino blanco]

What an awful shot from Crawley. Our top order looks very poor.

[claretonthecoast1882]

2 wickets away from the tail inside 7 overs.

The 3/1 odds for under 275 are now odds on

[Quickenthetempo]

Sibley should not have been given out there. DRS at it's worst. There to protect the umpire. Probably 2% of the ball clipping the stump. Never in a million years is that enough contact to dislodge a bail.

But these two bowlers are swinging it both ways where as Jimmy and Broad got nothing.

[Local cricketer]

Great balls shown from Ollie Robinson. Showing the cancel culture where to shove it.

His tweets were out off order but this was a young lad out of control as his sacking from Yorkshire show

[tiger76]

England's day by a small margin, Burns and Root rounding off a good comeback after a day spent chasing leather yesterday, however one or both of these set batters needs to go on and get a century, ideally a big century as well, we saw how quickly NZ fell away following the big partnership of Conway/Nicholls, and England can ill afford for that to happen in their 1st innings, as big runs are vital in the 1st dig, especially with the prospect of this pitch drying out on days 4/5 and offering assistance for Santner, really England should hope to still be batting by the close tomorrow to keep themselves in the game, because if NZ get any sort of 1st innings lead it becomes very tough to see how England can win batting 4th.

[LeadBelly]

Agreed. England have to bat the whole of Friday to have a win chance. The draw is favourite at this stage but 2/3 wickets tomorrow morning and a NZ win becomes favourite.
That last wicket 40 stand by NZ might yet be key.

[Iloveyoubrady]

But these two bowlers are swinging it both ways where as Jimmy and Broad got nothing.

Amazing how swing is so unpredictable. Sometimes it just does. New Zealand must have got a better ball for it. Jimmy still bowled very well first innings and at good pace so I’m sure he’s still got plenty left in him once we get him in cloudy conditions on a green seamer.

[tiger76]

A sodden day at Lords, and no imminent prospect of any play sadly, it's possible they may not even get on today if this rain persists as it's looking like it might well do, nice to see the traditional British Summer rearing it's ugly head again after a few glorious days of sun.

Probably makes a draw all the more certain than it already was, but England will still need to keep their concentration when play finally resumes, as 2/3 quick wickets and it' a different game, indeed I suspect England would rather the entire day was washed out than face a dangerous prospect of an hour or so's batting in fading light against an attack which has had their feet up all day and can come steaming in all guns blazing.

[ClaretTony]

I’ve just enjoyed a beer in a neighbours sun drenched garden. Meanwhile there has been no play at Lord’s.

[tiger76]

A good day for England we didn't lose a wicket. Not great for the game though, and you do wonder why they aren't making up the lost time earlier in the day on Saturday & Sunday, as there's every chance that adding overs at the end of the day will be scuppered by bad light, plu it hasn't helped that both sides over rates have been appalling throughout this match, and there's no excuse especially when a spinner is operating on both sides.

Day 1 86 overs bowled.

Day 2 79 overs bowled.

So that's roughly an hour's cricket lost by that alone, time that pressure was exerted on the fielding side to get on with the game, I advocate considering penalty runs for overs not delivered, is it really that much too expect them to manage 15 overs an hour, I don't think it is, and this along with unnecessary weather delays is where cricket does itself no favours at all.

[tiger76]

For heaven's sake Root goes to the first ball of the day, cue an England collapse?

[box_of_frogs]

For heaven's sake Root goes to the first ball of the day, cue an England collapse?

A collapse wouldn’t be surprising.

[tiger76]

A slight recovery by this pair, Burns was fortunate to survive a close LB shout in the last couple of overs though, however Pope looks in great touch 5 boundaries already for him in his brief stint at the crease.

Batting does appear tougher this morning as many expected, and England just need to dig in and get through this period.

[ClaretTony]

Two wickets in two overs - now 140/5

[RVclaret]

The collapse is ON

[ClaretTony]

And 140/6 - Bracey follows Lawrence back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers

[DAVETHEVICAR]

First Test innings for Bracey so a long way to go but there is a massive difference to County Cricket and Test Match Cricket and we will have to see if Bracey is good enough to bat at No 3 as he says he is aiming for
Clearly missing Stokes, Buttler,Malan Bairstowe and dare I say Jason Roy !!

[Spijed]

First Test innings for Bracey so a long way to go but there is a massive difference to County Cricket and Test Match Cricket and we will have to see if Bracey is good enough to bat at No 3 as he says he is aiming for
Clearly missing Stokes, Buttler,Malan Bairstowe and dare I say Jason Roy !!

Bairstow isn't good enough.

[CleggHall]

Yes the 2nd string batsmen are clearly not up to it, Test cricket at Lord’s finds out many, today is one of those days!