London, June 8:
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.”