06/05/26 10:23:00
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06/05 10:21 CDT New Zealand rips out 4 England wickets in 11 balls as Lord's
pitch remains vicious
New Zealand rips out 4 England wickets in 11 balls as Lord's pitch remains
vicious
By FOSTER NIUMATA
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) --- New Zealand took four wickets in 11 balls to get back in the
fight against England on a dramatic second afternoon of the Lord's test on
Friday.
England was 166-6 in its second innings at tea and leading by 193 in a
low-scoring match on a wicked pitch.
If England was dismayed by the rapid demise of its middle order, it would also
have been buoyed by how much the pitch was still acting up with New Zealand to
bat in the fourth innings.
The home side looked as comfortable as it was possible to be on the pitch with
opener Emilio Gay on 57 on debut and at the other end England's all-time
highest run-scorer Joe Root.
Then havoc ensued.
Gay edged behind to a good ball by Nathan Smith and the newcomer received
hearty applause from the pavilion crowd.
Six balls later, Will O'Rourke started a new spell up the slope and pinned
Harry Brook for a duck.
Smith started the next over and got Root lbw on 8 and three balls later took
out Ben Stokes, who played inside the line and got his off stump clipped before
he'd scored. Smith had 3-49.
From 126-2, England was 127-6. Jamie Smith, 31 off 34, and Gus Atkinson, the
start of the tail, survived to tea.
England resumed after lunch on 72-1 and New Zealand was unlucky not to take a
wicket in the first over of the afternoon session.
Gay, on 24, was hit on the front pad by Matt Henry and New Zealand didn't
review. But video showed the ball hitting leg stump. In the same over, another
nip-backer caught Bethell cold. Umpire Adrian Holdstock again kept his finger
down. New Zealand reviewed this time, leg stump was hit, but the decision was
umpire's call.
Bethell, still on 8, was dropped by Devon Conway at backward point. But
Bethell's luck ran out on 14 when an unplayable daisy cutter by Henry shot
under his bat and bowled him.
Gay soldiered on and reached his half-century off 84 balls. The first England
opener to score a fifty on debut at home in 22 years was understated in his
celebration with a couple of waves of his bat.
Gay was impressive in tough conditions, compact and patient with an old school
fifty in England's Bazball era. He labored for 57 off 95 balls including eight
boundaries.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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