Sussex paceman Jofra Archer was quickly among the wickets on his England return at The Kia Oval.
A new-look England side made a steady start on day one of the second Rothesay Test, reducing New Zealand to 166 for four at tea under the guidance of returning captain Joe Root.
Root was leading his country for the 65th time but first in more than four years as a result of Ben Stokes’ dramatic removal from the squad, providing a sense of familiarity in a hastily rearranged team.
He fronted a group including three debutants and five changes from the series-opening win at Lord’s.
Wearing his old blazer for the first time since March 2022, Root won the toss and opted to bowl first after a half-hour rain delay that left hint of early cloud cover in its wake.
In doing so he handed the stage to a bowling attack showing just one survivor – Josh Tongue – from the victory at Lord’s.
With Gus Atkinson stood down alongside Stokes and Ollie Robinson injured, new-ball duties fell to Archer and Matt Fisher. The latter, winning his second cap four years on from his first, turned in a tidy opening spell but hit the jackpot with the loosest delivery of the lot.
Dragging one down the leg side to Devon Conway, who completed a 23,000-mile round trip to Wellington to attend the birth of his child between games, he grazed the glove on the way through to newcomer James Rew behind the stumps. Rew had been a late addition to the line-up after replacing another new father, Jamie Smith.
That was the only breakthrough in the opening 20 overs, Henry Nicholls surviving a hopeful DRS call for caught behind in Sonny Baker’s first Test over and a run out chance from Tongue’s kick.
It took the reintroduction of Archer to get England’s second, squaring up away skipper Tom Latham and giving Jacob Bethell the chance to take a brilliant diving catch in the gully.
At 75 for two at lunch on a benign pitch, Root would have allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. Things got even better for the hosts shortly after the restart, Tongue’s pace forcing Nicholls on to the back foot and bowling him via a thick edge.
Share