- First Test, day two: New Zealand: 378 all out, England 112-2
- Burns justifies recall as partnership with Root steadies ship
The Long Room at Lord’s sits deserted for this first Test of the English summer, the members having been locked out to ensure a sterile environment exists for the players as they move between the dressing rooms and the field of play. As such, where Joe Root and Rory Burns might have expected to receive hearty applause, they returned to relative silence at the end of the second day against New Zealand, albeit with no less a sense of satisfaction after ensuring England’s fightback with the ball was not squandered with the bat.
There remains much work left to do but, having kept New Zealand relatively in check at 378 all out through Mark Wood’s three-wicket burst, England’s reply could easily have gone south when Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley disappeared in the first seven overs of the reply and the score read 18 for two.
