LONDON: New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell starred with the bat, after England debutant Matthew Potts had rocked the Black Caps once again, to leave the first Test at Lord’s intriguingly poised at tea on Friday’s second day.

New Zealand were 128 for four in their second innings, a lead of 119 runs, with Mitchell unbeaten on 43.

He received good support from wicket-keeper Tom Blundell (39 not out) in an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 72 after the pair had come together with New Zealand struggling at 56 for four.

Given how England had suffered a top-order collapse of their own in making 141 in reply to the World Test champions’ seemingly modest first-innings 132, the Black Caps may yet be approaching a match-winning lead in the opening encounter of this three-Test series.

Durham quick Potts, who enjoyed a superb return of four for 13 in the first innings, struck again with a pre-lunch burst on Friday of two for 11 in four overs.

For the second time in the match, the 23-year-old dismissed New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

He had needed just five balls on Thursday to claim the scalp of the star batsman as his first Test wicket.

And on Friday he produced a fine lifting delivery that Williamson could only edge to third slip Jonny Bairstow.

Williamson was out for 15 and New Zealand’s 30 for two soon became 35 for three when Potts had opener Tom Latham (14) caught behind off such a thin edge that wicket-keeper Ben Foakes did not even appeal.

After lunch, Devon Conway -- who last year marked his Test debut with a brilliant double century at Lord’s -- fell cheaply for the second time in this match when a mistimed pull off Stuart Broad was caught behind down the leg-side.

But Mitchell, the son of former All Blacks rugby coach John Mitchell, took advantage of an increasingly flat pitch to hit two fours off successive balls from new England captain Ben Stokes.

An in-swinger from the all-rounder was clipped through mid-wicket before Mitchell drove Stokes down the ground.

With New Zealand now 90 for four off 32 overs, Stokes summoned Matt Parkinson for his first bowling stint in Test cricket.

The Lancashire leg-spinner became England’s inaugural concussion substitute after being summoned from Manchester on Thursday to replace Jack Leach, who had fallen on his head while saving a boundary.

Parkinson bowled tidily without threatening a wicket, having earlier helped England into a slender first-innings lead of nine runs.

Parkinson walked out to bat with England still behind at 130 for nine.

But he got off the mark with a clipped two off Tim Southee, who took four for 55, before driving him down the ground for four -- one of the best shots of the innings.

Parkinson was last man out, caught in the slips off Trent Boult.On Thursday, England slumped to 116-7 by stumps as 17 wickets fell on the opening day of the Test.

Prior to this three-match series, there had been talk of England making a fresh start under their new Test leadership duo of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, the former New Zealand skipper.Zak Crawley, who along with his left-handed opening partner Alex Lees (25) gave England a 59-run start, launched England’s reply with a brisk 43 before he was caught behind off Kyle Jamieson to spark a slump that saw seven wickets fall for just 41 runs on a good pitch beneath sunny blue skies — seemingly ideal batting conditions.

Number three batter Ollie Pope (7) was caught by Blundell off Jamieson Root struck a trademark forcing shot boundary off de Grandhomme only to be caught in the gully playing a similar stroke off the same bowler for 11. Left-handed Lees after a 77-ball vigil was then trapped in front by fast bowler Southee Stokes and Jonny Bairstow both fell for just one apiece, before Boult brought Potts back down to earth by removing the newcomer for a duck in his first Test innings.

New Zealand left-arm quick Trent Boult took two for 15 in 10 overs and the towering Jamieson 2-20 in seven.

Scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings) 132 (M Potts 4-13, J Anderson 4-66)

ENGLAND (1st Innings, overnight: 116-7):

A. Lees lbw b Southee 25

Z. Crawley c Blundell b Jamieson 43

O. Pope c Blundell b Jamieson 7

J. Root c Southee b de Grandhomme 11

J. Bairstow b Boult 1

B. Stokes c Blundell b Southee 1

B. Foakes c Mitchell b Southee 7

M. Potts c Mitchell b Boult 0

S. Broad b Southee 9

J. Anderson not out 7

M. Parkinson c Mitchell b Boult 8

EXTRAS (B-14, LB-7, NB-1) 22

TOTAL (all out, 42.5 overs) 141

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-59 (Crawley), 2-75 (Pope), 3-92 (Root), 4-96 (Lees), 5-98 (Stokes), 6-100 (Bairstow), 7-100 (Potts), 8-125 (Broad), 9-130 (Foakes)

BOWLING: Southee 14-3-55-4; Boult 13.5-4-21-3; De Grandhomme 8-2-24-1 (1nb); Jamieson 7-3-20-2

NEW ZEALAND (2nd Innings):

T. Blundell not out 39

T. Latham c Foakes b Potts 14

W. Young c Foakes b Anderson 1

K. Williamson c Bairstow b Potts 5

D. Conway c Foakes b Broad 13

D. Mitchell not out 43

EXTRAS (NB-3) 3

TOTAL (for four wickets, 43 overs) 128

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-5 (Young), 2-30 (Williamson), 3-35 (Latham), 4-56 (Conway)

BOWLING: Anderson 11-3-36 -1; Broad 12-5-21-1; Matthew Potts 10-1-26-2; Ben Stokes 4-1-24-0; Matt Parkinson 6-0-21-0

STILL TO BAT: Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2022