The Black Caps, set a daunting 254 to win the opening game in the three-match series, were dismissed for 138 before lunch on the fourth day after resuming on 55 for five in the 150th test at the home of world cricket.
The Marylebone Cricket Club issued a rare public apology after the test turned into a bowler’s paradise as wickets tumbled every 25 balls on average.
The first wicket of the day fell after only seven deliveries when paceman Josh Tongue jagged the ball late into wicketkeeper Tom Blundell (4) who was hit low on the back pads and given out lbw.
Tongue then had opener Devon Conway dropped on 24 by Harry Brook at second slip in his next over when the ball flew through the fielder’s outstretched hands as he reached over his head.
Left-hander Conway battled his way to 41 from 91 balls when he was brilliantly caught low in the gully by Jacob Bethell off captain Ben Stokes’ bowling, and Nathan Smith was caught behind by Jamie Smith for four off Gus Atkinson.
Glenn Phillips, as he had in the first innings when he scored 34 in his team’s meagre 113, opted to play his shots, but soon lost new partner Kyle Jamieson caught by Ben Duckett at short mid-wicket for six off Atkinson, who finished with five for 30 while man of the match Ollie Robinson took two for 38.
Black Caps captain Tom Latham said while playing at Lord’s was always ‘‘a great week’’, for the game to play out like it did was unfortunate.
‘‘We certainly didn’t think the wicket was going to play like that from a duration point of view,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s been under two full days of cricket played on that surface ... it wasn’t ideal.
‘‘We saw a lot of guys getting hit on the gloves today, which to me just shows that there’s not necessarily the trust on the surface where you’re able to trust the length that the bowlers are bowling which keeps guys caught on the crease.’’
England captain Stokes, who endured a stressful stretch when his team lost the Ashes series in Australia in only 11 days of cricket, paid tribute to debutant opener Emilio Gay, who scored one of only two half-centuries in the match on the unpredictable Lord’s surface.
‘‘That’s as tough as it gets in test cricket,’’ Stokes said. ‘‘The 50 runs he got were priceless.’’
The MCC said the weather was to blame for the pitch condition.
‘‘We recognise that the pitch for this test has shown more variable bounce than we would have wanted,’’ it said in a statement after what was the second-shortest test at Lord’s.
‘‘We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are naturally frustrated when a surface falls short of those expectations.’’
The second test will start on June 17 at the Oval. — Reuters/Allied Media
