England close in on New Zealand victory as rain hampers Lord's Test

England turned a rain-shortened day at Lord’s into a near-winning position, and the larger significance was hard to miss: this was the kind of disciplined, opportunistic passage that can anchor a reset. With fewer than 10 overs possible because of persistent rain and bad light, Ollie Robinson’s return to Test cricket tilted the first Rothesay Test decisively toward England, leaving New Zealand needing 199 more runs with five wickets down.

Robinson struck twice in New Zealand’s second innings, removing Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell after England had already forced the visitors into trouble on 37-3 overnight. By stumps, New Zealand were 55-5, with Devon Conway unbeaten on 19 and Tom Blundell on 2, and the target of 254 already looking distant on a surface that was offering seam and swing. Robinson’s first-innings return of 5-39 had already shaped the match; by the end of day three, his figures stood at 7-57.

The day itself was a case study in how little cricket could still matter a great deal. Players went to an early lunch at 12:20 BST, play finally began at 13:00, and the weather shut everything down again at 14:10. Only 9.4 overs were bowled, yet England extracted enough from the conditions to move to the brink of a much-needed victory in the series opener at Lord’s, which has been played from June 4 to 8, 2026.

That matters for England beyond the scorecard. A victory here would give Ben Stokes’ side the kind of tone-setting start they wanted to a post-Ashes rebuild, especially after innings of 140 all out and 226 all out had left room for New Zealand to stay alive. New Zealand’s first-innings 113 kept them behind, but the chase from 254 now looks all but impossible unless Sunday’s dry forecast is wrong and England lose the control they imposed so quickly.

Robinson’s performance carried added weight because it came in his first Test for more than two years, after being out of the side for 24 Tests. On a day when rain and bad light repeatedly stalled the game, England still made the decisive moves. That is what made the position at stumps more than a weather story: it was a sign of a side taking advantage of every opening.