Black Caps bowler Nathan Smith celebrates taking the wicket of England’s Ben Stokes during the second day of the first test at Lord’s in London on Saturday. PHOTO: REUTERS He is the king of Centennial Park and now he is on the honours board at Lord’s. Oamaru-raised Nathan Smith has come a long way since terrorising batters during his days at Waitaki Boys’ High School. Black Caps fall short as England win first test The 27-year-old right-armer nabbed six for 70 in England’s second innings on day two of the first test at Lord’s. That effort means he joins the likes of Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe and Kane Williamson on the honours board at the spiritual home of cricket. He also joins Kyle Jamieson, who claimed a five-wicket bag for the Black Caps in the first innings. ‘‘It was cool to see when you walk in there,’’ Smith told media. ‘‘You don’t even know if you’ll play a test at Lord’s, or play for your country. ‘‘You never let yourself dream too much, but it’s cool to achieve that today.’’ Late last month, he took a career-best six for 40 against Ireland, and he now has 27 wickets at an average of 22.18 in six tests. Smith’s name is added to the Lord’s honours board, along with team-mate Kyle Jamieson’s. PHOTO: NZ CRICKET Smith, who made his debut for Otago as a 17-year-old before transferring to Wellington five years ago, is building a compelling case to remain in the starting XI. Matt Henry has first dibs on the new ball, and the twin towers of Will O’Rourke and Jamieson are the next two seamers jotted down on the team sheet. Otago’s Jacob Duffy, who is unavailable for the tour of England, and the likes of Blair Tickner, Ben Sears and Zak Foulkes are all pressing for opportunities as well. New Zealand’s bowling depth has arguably never been stronger. Smith took three wickets in the first innings and among his victims in the second dig was Joe Root, the ICC No 1-ranked test batter. He also removed Ben Stokes for a duck. The ball angled in, nipped away and crashed into off stump. ‘‘It’s always nice when you come up against great players,’’ Smith said. ‘‘It’s just about trying to challenge him on both sides of the bat. I took a couple away and decided it was time to bring one back, so it was nice to get that one.’’ Smith is proud to hail from Oamaru and has promised to return and play for North Otago again in the Hawke Cup some day. He helped set up a gym at his old high school and is widely revered in the region. adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
