England’s Bazball reset begins with win over New Zealand

England wrapped up a 115-run victory over New Zealand before lunch on Day 4 of the first cricket Test at Lord’s on Sunday, marking a positive start to its “Bazball” reset after the Ashes humiliation Down Under.

Resuming on 55-5 and requiring 254 for an unlikely win, New Zealand lost its remaining five wickets inside the first two hours of play and was dismissed for 138.

England pacer Gus Atkinson finished with team-best figures of 5-30 on a challenging, bowler-friendly surface at the home of cricket that saw 24 batters out bowled or lbw.

It was fitting that the match ended with the middle stump flattened after Atkinson clean-bowled Kiwi tail-ender, Matt Henry. That left Glenn Phillips stranded at the other end on 44 not out, making him New Zealand’s top scorer of a disappointing test for the tourists.

“You’ve got to play what’s in front of you, you’ve got to identify the conditions as a team and understand what you think is the best way for you to go out there and win,” England captain Ben Stokes said of the conditions in a match that lasted just 166 overs. “And we did that better than New Zealand this week.” This first test series of the summer has been regarded as a fresh start for England and its under-pressure leadership after a 4-1 loss to Australia during an Ashes tour featuring reports of excessive drinking and when England was accused of slack preparation and a wrong tactical approach.

The headline selections early in this second iteration of “Bazball” under coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes were opener Emilio Gay and seam bowler Ollie Robinson - and both delivered. With a second-innings 57, Gay had the highest individual score from either team on his test debut.

Robinson, recalled for the first time since 2024 when he was dropped over misgivings about his fitness and attitude, took seven wickets in total (5-39 and 2-38) - three of them coming in his magical first over - and was named man of the match.

“He said before he bowled in that first innings that he was more nervous than he was on his debut,” McCullum said of Robinson. “His natural length was going to be successful on this surface ... he needed relentlessness and accuracy and being able to get the ball to seam. With his height and skills, he was always going to be a handful.” New Zealanders gave themselves too much to do. What was already a tough position for New Zealand got even harder when Tom Blundell was trapped lbw by Josh Tongue in the seventh over of the day. That left the tourists on 58-6, but a 53-run partnership between opener Devon Conway and Phillips gave them a fighting chance of a remarkable comeback.

Then Conway, surprised by bounce of a delivery from Stokes, sent a leading edge to gully for the first of four dismissals in seven overs, ensuring New Zealand didn’t even make it to lunch.