The England cricket team was dismissed for just 232 runs in their first innings on the second day of the first test match against New Zealand which is being played at Lord’s.
At the end of the first day, the score of England was 160 for the loss of 4 wickets. The two not out batsmen at the crease were Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.
These two young men looked good in the first hour of the second day. They showed good technique against the moving ball and didn’t play too many shots in anger. They were looking set for a big partnership, but, all of a sudden, Root perished in a strange manner.
It was an incoming delivery from Southee which was going further down the leg side after pitching in line of the leg stump. Root tried to glance it, but, he glanced it too fine. The wicketkeeper took a good catch diving towards his left and the umpire’s finger went up.
On the very next ball, Matt Prior was also dismissed. It was another in swinger from Southee and this time his line was spot on. It pitched on the off stump and was hitting Prior’s pad in line of middle and leg. The umpire had no hesitation in giving that out and all of a sudden, the scorecard was showing 192 for 6.
The tail-enders couldn’t survive for too long against the swinging ball and England was all out on a modest score just after lunch.
In reply, New Zealand had a disastrous start. Both the openers were in the pavilion with only 7 on the board. The ball was moving a lot and Alastair Cook was on the attack. Batting was looking extremely difficult.
Ross Taylor decided to counter attack and that ploy worked for him. With a flurry of boundaries, he forced Alastair Cook to be a bit defensive and spread the field.
Taylor put up a partnership of 93 runs with Kane Williamson for the third wicket before being adjudged leg before wicket off the bowling of James Anderson.
Dean Brownlie walked out to bat after the fall of Taylor’s wicket and he was playing quite calmly. But, just before the end of the day’s play, Steven Finn trapped him in front of the wicket with a quick, full, incoming ball. The on field umpire didn’t give that out and Alastair Cook had to take the help of the DRS system to get the decision in his favour.
The New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum along with Kane Williamson negotiated the remaining overs safely. At the end of the second day’s play, the score of New Zealand was 153 for the loss of 4 wickets.