England are battling to stay in contention at Lord’s and avoid a false start to their Ashes summer, after conceding a 134-run first-innings advantage to New Zealand.
Captain Alastair Cook and his former deputy Ian Bell were engaged in a critical rearguard, still behind on 74 for two at stumps on day three, after Kane Williamson (132) underpinned the Kiwis’ 523 all out in the first Test.
Williamson was statistically responsible for almost all of his team’s lead, assisted by four other half-centuries, as the England attack failed to haul back an established imbalance.
They bowled better on Saturday than for much of Friday, in more helpful conditions either side of a rain-extended lunch break, but the improvement was not reflected on the scoreboard – even after Moeen Ali hinted at a fightback with two wickets in three balls.
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Williamson, whose annual aggregate in just three innings was already more than 400 before he completed his 10th Test century on a cloudy morning, was immovable for more than six hours until he went bat-pad to Moeen.
Among the England bowlers, Ben Stokes especially deserved more than his figures of 0-105, while the rewards came belatedly for Stuart Broad (3-77) and debutant Mark Wood (3-93).
Edges were most often either passed or evaded fielders and, in the case of Williamson on 120, burst through the fingers of second slip Bell, who dropped his second chance of the innings off Stokes.
Williamson, 92 overnight, and Ross Taylor, who was on 47, both made sure of their personal milestones before England could even complete three overs to the second new ball.
After the meticulous No 3 passed his century from 148 balls, having hit 12 boundaries, Taylor (62) was brilliantly caught-behind one-handed down the leg-side off Broad by a diving Jos Buttler to end a third-wicket stand of 189.
Williamson was content to sit in and tire England, but new batsman Brendon McCullum was soon in “one-day” mode.
The New Zealand captain brought his team level with successive fours behind point off Wood and then hit Stokes high over midwicket for six.
James Anderson continued unable to add to his 397 Test wickets, until Tim Southee miscued a pull shot for New Zealand’s eighth wicket, and he also failed to run Williamson out on 108 when a direct hit from mid-on would have beaten a scampered single.
But Wood, who thought he had a maiden wicket the previous day only to hear a no-ball call, got his reward when McCullum went to scythe more leg-side runs and instead mis-hit to third man where Joe Root took an awkward, steepling catch.
McCullum, gone for 42 from just 38 balls, was the first in his team to make less than 50.
Corey Anderson was then first to go in single figures, to another spectacular leg-side catch by Buttler off Wood.
But Williamson kept rolling on in another half-century stand with BJ Watling (61no) until he was caught at backward short-leg off Moeen, who doubled up two balls later with Mark Craig lbw for a duck.
Watling dug in again, with one piece of fortune on 46 when he gloved Anderson low to gully only for the third umpire to rule out a low catch, which would have put England’s record-breaker on a hat-trick in search of that historic 400th wicket.
Wood and Broad took the last two wickets after tea, leaving England a scheduled 32 overs in which to demonstrate their viability for the remainder of the match.
After Yorkshire pair Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance each failed for the second time, respectively caught at second slip off Trent Boult and then bowled off stump for a 12-ball duck by a variation cutter from Southee, Cook had a tough task to keep his team competitive.
Almost two hours later, it could be said at least that he had made a start.
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