England beat New Zealand by 115 runs at Lord’s to lead series

Gus Atkinson’s five-wicket burst wrapped up England’s 115-run victory over New Zealand at Lord’s and gave Ben Stokes’ side an early 1-0 lead in the three-Test Crowe-Thorpe Trophy series. New Zealand were bowled out for 138 in 40.3 overs, with Glenn Phillips left unbeaten on 44 as the visitors fell well short of a target of 254.

The win was built in a match played on a pitch that refused to settle. England made 140 all out in their first innings and 226 all out in their second, while New Zealand were dismissed for 113 and then 138, leaving both sides exposed to variable bounce and uneven carry. The contest was completed early on day four, and the state of the surface became one of the central issues of the series opener.

England’s bowling was again the difference. Atkinson finished with 5 for 30, his fourth five-wicket haul at Lord’s, and his spell broke New Zealand’s resistance after Devon Conway had made 41 and Kane Williamson 18. Ollie Robinson took 2 for 38 and was named player of the match, Josh Tongue added 2 for 48, and Stokes chipped in with 1 for 12 as England kept the pressure on from both ends.

The result offered a useful marker for England after their 4-1 Ashes defeat over the winter, and it came with Emilio Gay making his Test debut in place of the dropped Zak Crawley. That selection change, along with the way England leaned on pace and movement rather than prolonged top-order stability, underlined how thin the margin for batting remained on a Lord’s surface that left little room for error.

The Marylebone Cricket Club said it was “frustrated” that the pitch showed more variable bounce than it would have wanted, and Stokes warned after the match that Test cricket needs better pitches. Sky Sports’ Stuart Broad said the batting should be judged in the context of a difficult surface, but England will still take confidence from the way their attack closed out a game that had looked set to go deeper. The next Tests are scheduled for The Kia Oval on June 17 and Trent Bridge on June 25, with England carrying momentum and New Zealand already under pressure to respond.