LONDON, May 18: Jonathan Trott and Joe Root shared a patient unbroken third-wicket partnership of 55 to lift England to 91 for two at tea on the third day of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s on Saturday.

The pair came together after openers Alastair Cook and Nick Compton both fell with the total on 36 and England’s first fifty partnership of the match left the hosts 116 runs ahead of New Zealand who were bowled out for 207 in their first innings.

Cook and Compton looked untroubled during their opening partnership until Trent Boult dismissed Cook for 21.

The left-hander was well caught by Dean Brownlie diving at third slip and Compton was comprehensively bowled for 15 by a fine delivery from left-armer Neil Wagner.

Trott and Root dug in, however, mixing watchful defence with determination to dispatch loose balls and the pair hit seven boundaries as the New Zealand bowlers failed to match the discipline they showed in the first innings.

Trott was unbeaten on 25 at the interval with Root on 28.

Earlier, England’s pace attack sliced through the New Zealand tail in the morning as they claimed the remaining six wickets for 54 runs.

James Anderson, fresh from taking his 300th Test wicket on Friday, completed figures of five for 47 and Steven Finn took four for 63 as England secured a first-innings lead of 25 runs.

After New Zealand had resumed on 153 for four, Stuart Broad struck in his first over of the day, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum driving loosely at a full-length delivery and nicking the ball to wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

The obdurate Kane Williamson, badly dropped by Prior when he had made 23, clipped Broad for two through mid-wicket to reach his fifty off 158 balls, an innings of intense concentration spanning over four hours.

B.J. Watling was spilled by Trott at third slip off Broad, a difficult but catchable chance.

Williamson struck the first four of the day in the 10th over but he was out for 60 when he glanced a leg-side ball from Anderson through to Prior.

Tim Southee greeted Finn to the attack with successive fours through mid-off but the pace bowler quickly took revenge when the batsman tried to pull him for another boundary and skied the ball into the covers where Joe Root took a simple catch.

Anderson picked up his fifth wicket by bowling Bruce Martin for a duck, the fast bowler producing a perfect seaming delivery to clip the top of off stump. It was Anderson’s 13th five-wicket haul in 81 Tests.

Finn wrapped up the tail, Watling edging a short ball through to Prior for 17 and Boult prodding a simple catch to Anderson at gully.—Reuters

Scoreboard

ENGLAND (1st Innings) 232 (J.M. Bairstow 41, J.E. Root 40; T.G. Southee 4-58, N. Wagner 3-70).
NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings, overnight 153-4):
P.G. Fulton c Swann b Anderson    2
H.D. Rutherford c Cook b Anderson    4
K.S. Williamson c Prior b Anderson    60
L.R.P.L. Taylor lbw b Anderson    66
D.G. Brownlie lbw b Finn    23
B.B. McCullum c Prior b Broad    2
B.J. Watling c Prior b Finn    17
T.G. Southee c Root b Finn    12
B.P. Martin b Anderson    0
N. Wagner not out    6
T.A. Boult c Anderson b Finn    0
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-8, NB-3)    15
TOTAL (all out, 69 overs)    207
FALL OF WKTS: 1-5, 2-7, 3-100, 4-147, 5-155, 6-177,
7-194, 8-195, 9-207.
BOWLING: Anderson 24-11-47-5; Broad 21-4-64-1 (2nb); Finn 15-3-63-4 (1nb); Swann 8-0-19-0; Trott 1-0-2-0.
ENGLAND (2nd Innings):
A.N. Cook c Brownlie b Boult    21
N.R.D. Compton b Wagner    15
I.J.L. Trott not out    25
J.E. Root not out    28
EXTRAS (W-1, NB-1)    0
TOTAL (for two wkts, 26 overs)    91
FALL OF WKT: 1-36, 2-36.
BOWLING (to-date): Boult 7-1-27-1; Southee 9-1-25-0; Wagner 7-2-24-1 (1nb, 1w); Martin 3-0-15-0.