The China Mail - Atkinson double leaves New Zealand reeling at Lord's

New Zealand were 36-3 in their second innings at stumps, needing a further 218 runs to reach a victory target of 254 -- what would be the highest total of a match where batsmen on both sides have struggled on a bowler-friendly pitch.

Their pursuit suffered a woeful start when captain Tom Latham fell for a third-ball duck, edging a loose drive off Atkinson to Harry Brook in the slips.

Kane Williamson, in what could be the key batsman's final appearance at Lord's, battled hard in orthodox fashion for 18 before he was lbw to fast bowler Josh Tongue shortly before the close.

New Zealand sent out a nightwatchman in Will O'Rourke but he was bowled for a six-ball duck by paceman Atkinson, who had close figures of 2-10 in 3.5 overs.

Devon Conway was 12 not out.

Earlier, Jamie Smith helped England recover from a middle-order collapse before they were dismissed for 226 in their second innings of a frenetic clash in north London.

New Zealand's Nathan Smith took 6-70, the second five-wicket haul of the paceman's six-match Test career.

But given New Zealand were dismissed for just 113 in the first innings, they need a vastly-improved batting effort to prevent England going 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Debutant opener Emilio Gay was England's top-scorer in their second innings with 57 and wicket-keeper Smith made 39.

- Gay relieved -

England lost four wickets for just one run as 126-2 quickly became 127-6 before Smith steadied the ship in the 150th Test at Lord's -- the most of any ground.

Smith received good support from Atkinson during a seventh-wicket stand of 57.

But Atkinson gave his innings away on 14 when his miscued pull off Kyle Jamieson was caught by the towering fast bowler.

This is England's first Test since a 4-1 series loss in Australia where they squandered several promising positions.

It appeared that they might be suffering a repeat of their Ashes debacle when Brook, fresh from a first-innings fifty, and England captain Ben Stokes were both dismissed without scoring on Friday.

There was little Jamie Smith could do when Nathan Smith bowled him with a delivery that kept low to end a 52-ball innings which included six fours.

England were 99-2 when Jacob Bethell was bowled by a Matt Henry delivery that kept low.

Gay, who survived a Henry lbw appeal when the Durham batsman would have been out for 24, pressed on to an 84-ball fifty, including seven fours, before he was caught behind off Smith to leave England 126-3.

Brook was trapped in front by O'Rourke for a duck and Joe Root fell in similar fashion to Smith for eight.

Stokes was bowled by an excellent Smith delivery that angled in before clipping the top of the left-hander's off stump.

Ollie Robinson made a useful 29 before he holed out off Smith to end the innings.

Before that, Robinson celebrated a five-wicket haul on his comeback to England duty.

The Sussex pace bowler, playing his first Test in more than two years, produced a triple-wicket maiden on Thursday during a sensational return of 4-10 in six overs as New Zealand slumped to 61-6 at stumps.

He wrapped up the innings on Friday by bowling last man Henry for a duck to leave New Zealand 27 runs behind England's first-innings 140 all out.

Robinson finished with his Test-best figures of 5-39 in 10.1 overs.

U.Feng--ThChM