After a gap of 147 days, England’s men’s Test side returned to action after their chastening experiences in Australia in the Ashes over the winter. Despite those disappointments, the triumvirate that leads the squad – managing director Rob Key, head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes – all remained in post. They lined up at Lord’s, which was hosting its 150th Test, to face New Zealand, who are currently ranked fifth by the ICC, while England are fourth. It suggested that a close-fought series lay ahead.

England made just one change to their top seven from the final Ashes Test, with out-of-sorts Zak Crawley dropped and Durham’s Emilio Gay given his debut, after a really strong start to the summer. Jacob Bethell, who had returned early from the IPL following an injury, was declared fit. The bulk of the changes came in the bowling unit: Shoaib Bashir replaced Will Jacks as the spin option; Gus Atkinson returned to open the bowling with the recalled Ollie Robinson, who had last played a Test in February 2024; Josh Tongue was the only frontline bowler from the last Test to keep his place.

With a forecast filled with rain, New Zealand captain Tom Latham decided to field first on an overcast day with the pitch looking quite green. Would England show the sort of resilience and patience that had been missing in Australia? Ben Duckett left the first two deliveries he faced, which in itself appeared to be a sign of a changed mindset. Meanwhile, Gay received a full toss first up from Kyle Jamieson (like Robinson playing Test cricket for the first time since February 2024) and hit it for four. But Jamieson recovered and bowled a great one to find Gay’s edge, and he was caught by Daryl Mitchell to fall for 8. After ten overs, England came off for rain with the score on 24 for one and that was it until after lunch.

Nathan Smith then trapped Duckett in front on 19. Will O’Rourke followed it up by having Bethell LBW, moving the ball up the slope, but also finding a big gap between bat and pad. With the pressure maintained, O’Rourke delivered a beauty to remove Joe Root, caught behind by Tom Blundell for 1 – England were in all sorts of trouble at 34 for four in the 15th over. Harry Brook was then dropped in the gully on 8, before Jamie Smith, who had been promoted above Stokes, left one from Jamieson that moved back up the slope and knocked his off stump out of the ground: 55 for five. That brought Stokes, on his 35th birthday, to the crease in the 20th over – hardly the present he would have wanted.

Brook and Stokes began something of a recovery, before Jamieson found the latter’s edge and he was brilliantly caught on 12 by Kane Williamson diving to his right. Brook was given a second life when a simple chance in the deep was put down by Rachin Ravindra. Soon after Brook reached his fifty off 64 balls. Atkinson was very late on one from Jamieson and was plumb LBW. Brook flicked one down to fine leg to be caught for 56 off the bowling of Smith. With batting continuing to be challenging, England came off for bad light on 118 for eight and tea was taken.

Straight after the break, Robinson feathered an edge to Blundell and it was 118 for nine, with England still four runs short of their lowest ever total at home against New Zealand. For Jamieson, it was his fifth wicket. Tongue and Bashir battled on, with Bashir making a career-best score of 14 in his 20th Test before he was caught by Williamson off Smith’s bowling. England were all out for 140 in 39.4 overs – the third time in their last six Tests they’d failed to survive for 40 overs in their first innings. Meanwhile, Jamieson finished with figures of five for 62. Given that Matt Henry had been unable to bowl more than four overs after suffering with a back spasm, it was an opportunity to wear down the attack that had been missed.

Now, as ever, the question was whether this was a total that reflected a poor batting effort or a fine use of friendly conditions by the New Zealand attack. In fairness to England, most of the wickets had fallen to great deliveries rather than rash or poor shots. Latham and Devon Conway opened the batting, and in Robinson’s third ball Conway was LBW. It got even better, as his fifth delivery removed Williamson, whose inside edge ballooned up to Gay at short leg. He closed the over by trapping Ravindra in front – New Zealand were 2 for three. Atkinson then followed it up by removing Latham LBW. Mitchell made the same mistake as Jamie Smith and left one only to see it hit off stump, giving Robinson his fourth wicket. Tongue then bowled Blundell with a beauty to give him 50 Test wickets and to leave New Zealand in tatters at 29 for six, still 18 short of their lowest-ever score in England, made at Lord’s in 1958. Supported by Nathan Smith, Glenn Phillips led a counterattack at the end of the day and they finished on 61 for six when they came off for bad light.

After a dramatic first day that produced 16 wickets in 59 overs, question marks were raised about the pitch that had been prepared at Lord’s. More significantly, would the batters’ chances improve or would there be more inconsistent bounce as well as plenty of movement for the bowlers. The second day had barely begun before Tongue sent Phillips’s off stump cartwheeling out of the ground, New Zealand’s dangerman removed. Then Nathan Smith became the third batter to shoulder arms only to watch the ball jag back and clatter into his off stump; Tongue was the bowler, 82 for eight. Atkinson found the edge of O’Rourke which was well caught by Brook. Finally Robinson beat Henry and sent his middle stump flying. New Zealand were all out for 113 in 29.5 overs and Robinson was on the honours board with five for 39.

With fewer than 70 overs played, England were heading out to begin their second innings. Duckett’s stay at the crease could have been shorter, but for a poor drop by Ravindra at mid-wicket when he was on 12. He and Gay went on to make the game’s first fifty partnership, off 75 balls. But soon after that, Duckett chopped one to Phillips at gully off O’Rourke to fall for 33, and at lunch England were 72 for one.

Straight after the break, New Zealand decided against reviewing an LBW shout from Henry against Gay, which would have gone on to hit leg stump, and then Bethell got the benefit of the doubt with a DRS review that showed it was clipping the top of the stumps. Bethell was then dropped at backward point. In a low-scoring match, these moments often prove crucial. Bethell’s luck ran out when one from Henry barely got off the ground and hit the stumps. Gay went to fifty on debut off 84 balls; he will hope for better batting conditions as his career continues.

Not long after, Nathan Smith bowled a beauty to remove Gay for 57, caught behind. Brook then fell LBW to O’Rourke without scoring. Smith got one to nip back and Root was also LBW, before Stokes was undone by Smith, bowled without scoring – England had slipped from 126 for two to 127 for six in 11 balls, leaving Jamie Smith to bat with the bowlers. He and Atkinson decided to be positive, and it paid off as they moved on to 166 for six at tea.

In the evening session the fifty partnership came up in 65 balls, but they didn’t add many more before Atkinson tried to pull one only to top-edge it back to bowler Jamieson. Robinson came out swinging, reaching 23 in just 12 balls. Jamie Smith was another to be undone by one that kept low and castled him, Nathan Smith the lucky bowler to remove him for 39. Tongue became Nathan Smith’s fifth victim, another one losing his off stump. Robinson was last to go, heaving it high into the air where Phillips caught the catch and Smith ended with six for 70. England were all out for 226, leaving New Zealand to chase 254, which on this pitch was always going to be a daunting target.

Latham pushed at one third ball and edged Atkinson to the safe hands of Brook at second slip. Tongue trapped Williamson plumb in front to remove New Zealand’s most important batter for 18. Nightwatchman O’Rourke was beaten all ends up by one from Atkinson that seamed away and hit the top of off. At the close of play, New Zealand were 33 for three and in all sorts of trouble. In a little more than 137 overs, 33 wickets had fallen across the first two days, and the questions about the pitch had only grown louder.

Day Three might have seen the game draw to a close, but only 58 deliveries were possible due to the weather. It was almost 1pm before play could start, but lasted for just 11 deliveries before they briefly came off for rain. Another short spell in the middle was ended by the return of the rain, and when the players came out for a third time Ravindra was undone by a beauty from Robinson, who hit the top of off. Mitchell didn’t last long before he was LBW to Robinson, third ball. Soon after, at 2.10, the rain came again and that was it for the day: New Zealand were 55 for five and on the verge of defeat.

On the fourth day, the weather was much better but the pitch still hadn’t improved. Tongue got one to scoot along and Blundell was LBW for 4. Phillips came out and batted positively, but Conway was given a life when he was dropped in the slips by Brook. The pair went on to make New Zealand’s first fifty partnership of the match, in 64 balls, and soon after Conway was squared up by Stokes and Bethell completed the catch in the gully. It was then the turn of Atkinson to wrap things up: he drew Nathan Smith into edging him to Jamie Smith. Then, in his next over, Jamieson chipped one to mid-wicket where Duckett made no mistake. Finally, Atkinson took the last wicket, bowling Henry. New Zealand were all out for 138, and England had won by 115 runs. Atkinson had figures of five for 30.

It was a good result for England, with Ollie Robinson named Player of the Match. With just 617 runs scored in the match and 40 wickets falling in 166 overs, less than two full days of playing time, the biggest questions were over the pitch preparation. New Zealand had been poorer in the field, but bowlers from both sides had looked almost unplayable at times, while England’s batters probably edged it. It’s unlikely that The Oval will be as bowler-friendly when the two sides meet again on 17 June. England have Jofra Archer waiting in the wings on a pitch that traditionally suits faster bowlers. Bashir, who did not bowl all match (unsurprisingly), or Robinson (despite his success here) might be the ones to make way, if he is recalled.