England vs New Zealand: Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s team hints at improvement despite frantic nature in Lord’s Test | cricket news

After all the pre-match talk about whether England’s style would change in the wake of the Ashes defeat, a quick run through the scorecard at Lord’s after their loss to New Zealand would suggest the same.

Another wildly fast match (A couple of days after the Ashes, the first Test against the Black Caps would likely have gone the same way but for wet weather on Thursday and Saturday) and some dramatic batting collapses (England lost three wickets for three runs in their first innings and one wicket in the second).

But a dreadful Lord’s pitch, not reckless batting by either side, was responsible for the brevity of the game – 40 wickets fell in just 166 overs, one every 24.9 deliveries – leaving the visitors ticketed for five days. MCC quickly apologized on Sunday afternoonPromise to “act fast”.

Coach Brendon McCullum said it was difficult to judge whether England were the “smart” version of themselves that they needed to be based on a surface based on this game.

Yet there were positive signs.

McCullum’s men didn’t explode after that scramble of 3-3 and 1-4, while we saw examples of adaptability, an element that has often been their nemesis – See Perth in November 2025 as a recent example.

With wickets falling in England’s first innings at Lord’s, Harry Brook – a cautious start that saw him bowled out after 10 deliveries – realized a ball was about to write his name and took the attacking option, swatting his side to 55-5 and three figures.

In fact, Brook was named in three balls but the Yorkshireman perished with a 71-ball 56 that included 10 boundaries before New Zealand dropped the first two (Devon Conway at backward point, Rachin Ravindra at deep square).

So, yes, Brooke enjoyed a piece of luck but made her own luck in a deck where being passive was penalized. If anything, Brook’s teammates were too shot-shy in their opening digs. With the exception of Glenn Phillips and Kyle Jamieson, the New Zealand batsmen certainly were.

Gay looks comfortable on Test debut

However, there was still time for old-fashioned enforcement when faced with too much seam movement and up-and-down bounce on this pilloried pitch displayed by Ben Duckett and his opening partner, England debutant Emilio Gay.

Duckett has famously avoided rest since his return to the Test side in 2022 but took three of the first four balls and saw the opening maiden of the match after New Zealand trapped the hosts into bat on Thursday morning.

Then when he and fellow left-hander Gay stroked England’s second knock the next day, they dug in and shared a half-century stand of 52 runs in 13.4 overs with some high-quality bowling and devilish nature on the surface. It was a crucial pairing as the home team led by just 27 runs in the first innings.

This was achieved by using smarts: intercepting the straight balls that caused the carnage in this match – 24 bowled or lbw out of 40 dismissals – and then scoring from the wides. England showed the ability to think, to plan. Another indication that they are developing.

Gay, who replaced intact baseball stalwart Jack Crowley, was key and looked unfazed in his Test bow, top-scoring in the competition with a 95-ball 57.

McCullum asked him to change nothing about the game that has improved in county cricket and taken him to this level, with the idea that England want all their batsmen to push it.

The key for us was that you don’t have to do anything different to be part of this team. I think the language around it was consistent and when he got to the start line he was ready for that first ball. Obviously, he’s got a very good goal game, good defensive game. He is capable of scoring goals around the clock as well.

Being ‘bold and adaptable’ helped England win at Lord’s

After being run out by a superb delivery from Nathan Smith – one of four bowlers to take five wickets here, alongside fellow Kiwi Jamieson and England’s Olly Robinson and Gus Atkinson – the home team went on to lose four wickets in 11 balls.

But like Brook on the opening day, they had a counter-attacking threat. This time Jamie Smith supported by Atkinson and then Robinson took the score to 226 and set New Zealand a target of 254 which the Kiwis never came close to achieving.

McCallum said Sky Sports After the impressive 115-run win: “We have to be flexible, depending on the surface. There’s no need to be so binary for a one-sided game.

“I thought the conversation our guys had throughout the test match, from a coach’s point of view, was great and it allowed us to adapt a bit more when we needed to.

“I also thought the boys were really brave in parts. When I say brave, I don’t mean running at the wicket, swinging bravely – although there will be times where it’s needed. I mean brave as it’s a tricky surface.”

McCullum noted that the England batsmen “gave the bowlers something different to watch” from where they stood at the crease and was “really proud” that “the contact was the best we’ve seen for a while.”

Yes, it’s a small sample size — a game on a surface that people want to tear up — but maybe baseball has gotten bigger?

The final verdict will come at the conclusion of the three-match series – McCullum’s men face New Zealand at The Kia Oval and Trent Bridge later this month – or at the end of the summer, when they tour Pakistan for a trio of Tests across August and September.

Yet despite the frenzied nature of the Lord’s Test, it has been more restorative than repetitive. A promising first step after the Winter of Mistakes.

Now if only the skipper could score some runs…

Watch the first day of the second Test between England and New Zealand at the Kia Oval Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Events Wednesday June 17 from 10am (11am first ball). Stream cricket and more with NOW – no contract.