Tongue strikes twice as England rattle New Zealand at Lord's

Josh Tongue gave England the kind of early strike they had been looking for, blowing away Glenn Phillips and then Nathan Smith as New Zealand resumed day two of the Lord's Test under pressure at 61 for 6, still 79 runs behind.

Tongue's double breakthrough mattered as much for what it said about England's plan as for the wickets themselves. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have spent this summer leaning into a sharper, more aggressive pace attack, and Tongue was asked to attack the stumps and exploit movement off the Lord's slope. He did exactly that, flattening Phillips's off stump before striking again when the ball came back sharply down the hill to remove Smith.

The result tightened England's grip on a match that had already begun in chaos. England were dismissed for 140 in their first innings, and the first day alone produced 16 wickets, a burst of disorder that recalled the notorious England-New Zealand Test at Lord's in June 2022, when 17 wickets fell on the opening day. This time, England used the surface and the slope better after their own collapse, forcing New Zealand straight back under the pump.

Tongue's role carried added weight because he had not played a Test for England since the trip to Australia in January 2026. His return came as part of England's effort to refresh the seam attack after the Ashes, and this performance offered a reminder of why he remains an option in the broader selection picture: pace, steep angles and the ability to hit the top of off stump quickly enough to punish any hesitation.

New Zealand's problems deepened with Matt Henry dealing with back spasms, leaving their lower order vulnerable if England could keep the pressure on. With Phillips and Smith gone early on day two, England were in position to finish the innings quickly and turn a volatile opening Test into a controlled one.

The series continues at The Oval in London from June 17 to 21, but the opening hour at Lord's suggested England may already have found the blend Stokes and McCullum want: a pace attack built not to contain New Zealand, but to seize the match before it settles.