CRICKET:NEW ZEALAND fought their way back into the first Test yesterday afternoon after England, without bowling particularly well on an overcast seamers' day, had threatened to run through the innings. When bad light ended play early at a quarter to six - inevitably, given the cloud that persisted even after the morning rain had departed - the tourists had reached 208 for six. It was a less modest effort than it appears, and a significant recovery from 104 for five shortly before tea.
For this renaissance they had to thank their remarkable wicketkeeper-batsman, Brendon McCullum, who, industriously at first but later expansive in the manner to which we have become accustomed, made 97 before he played across a delivery from Monty Panesar and was bowled off his front pad.
In this corresponding match four years ago, McCullum made a less robust 96 before falling to Simon Jones and his reverse swing and now, for fully 10 seconds, McCullum stood at the crease comprehending that for the second time in his career a Test-match hundred at Lord's had been plucked from his grasp.
The standing ovation he received was warm, though, and rightly so. With the upright diligence of Jacob Oram at the other end, he had been the majority shareholder in a sixth-wicket stand of 99, in just 81 minutes. It was a rumbustious affair when McCullum was facing, allied to stoicism as Oram flagged delivery after delivery harmlessly by. Oram will resume today having faced 62 balls for his 23.
Towards the end of his stay, as the adrenaline pumped, McCullum began to enter the Indian Premier League world he has not long since departed. Stuart Broad was treated roughly from areas down the pitch too close to the bowler for comfort, and clobbered disdainfully over extra cover for six.
Panesar, brought on to try to bring a measure of control, and unlucky in his single pre-tea over not to have gained more sympathy from Steve Bucknor for successive lbw appeals, was belted through mid-on and then rifled over long-on for six. If McCullum's innings does not prove a match-turner, then it has at least kept New Zealand in a contest that might have been decided in the opening exchanges. He hit 13 fours and two sixes.
It was not, though, a premium display of pace bowling that the England trio produced in ideal conditions. A day earlier, in pristine weather, bowling first would have been an aberration. At Lord's though, a captain looks up first and foremost: it was an excellent toss for Michael Vaughan to have won, and, when play finally began at 1.20pm, it brought immediate dividends as Aaron Redmond, a grafter by repute and on his debut, was well taken at third slip without scoring, to give James Anderson, the paciest of the bowlers, the first wicket of the three he was to take.
At the other end, however, Ryan Sidebottom looked a notch or two down from the triumphant performer he was barely six weeks ago. He swung the ball, certainly, as did all three seamers and Paul Collingwood as well, but as with all of them was unable to control and apply consistent pressure. As Anderson collected his wickets - and Broad managed a couple as Ross Taylor toe-ended a shot to second slip and James Marshall edged to first slip - Sidebottom went empty-handed.
A change of ends to the Pavilion, which in theory ought to have settled him more easily into his delivery, produced little more than a stint down the leg side for Tim Ambrose behind the stumps, and was soon abandoned. Later, to McCullum, he tried round the wicket but with no more success.
On a seamers' day, the most impressive bowling came from Panesar, who opted for pace rather than loop and felt aggrieved that he had not snared McCullum as he propped forward with bat tucked behind his front pad.
New Zealand: first innings:
J How c Ambrose b Anderson 7
A Redmond c Cook b Anderson 0
J Marshall c Strauss b Broad 24
R Taylor c Collingwood b Broad 19
B McCullum b Panesar 97
D Flynn b Anderson 9
J Oram not out 23
D Vettori not out 5
Extras (b-12 lb-8 w-1 nb-3) 24
Total: (for six wickets, 52.1 overs) 208
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-18, 3-41, 4-76, 5-104, 6-203.
Bowling (to date): Sidebottom 18.1-5-50-0, Anderson 12-3-42-3 (1nb, 1w), Broad 15-3-70-2 (2nb), Collingwood 3-1-11-0, Panesar 4-1-15-1.
To bat: K Mills, T Southee, C Martin.
England: A Cook, A Strauss, M Vaughan (captain), K Pietersen, I Bell, P Collingwood, T Ambrose, S Broad, R Sidebottom, M Panesar, J Anderson.
