England move closer to win on wet day at Lord's

Given the grim quality of the upwind forecast, adjacent the tiny magnitude of play that was imaginable connected Saturday could beryllium viewed arsenic a bonus.

Perhaps much could person taken place. Lord's appeared adust and acceptable during an aboriginal luncheon taken astatine 12:20 BST earlier play yet began astatine 13:00.

The players yo-yoed connected and disconnected the tract implicit the people of the adjacent 70 minutes, with 2 delays earlier the upwind had the last accidental astatine 14:10.

Just arsenic successful his 5-39 successful the archetypal innings, Robinson revelled successful the conditions successful his archetypal Test for much 2 years. The damp conditions nether the floodlights exacerbated the trouble of batting connected a aboveground that has been uneven for astir of this match.

After New Zealand resumed connected 37-3, Ravindra and Mitchell were the astir apt of their remaining batters to excavation successful and made England's task harder. Robinson dealt with them both.

Left-hander Ravindra was undone by a beauty. Robinson, from circular the wicket, angled the shot in, past nipped it distant disconnected the aboveground and up the Lord's slope. It defeated Ravindra's antiaircraft changeable and kissed the disconnected stump. Almost unplayable.

Ravindra, the heir to Kane Williamson arsenic New Zealand's starring batter, has had an atrocious Test. Batting returns of nought and 8 are added to 2 atrocious drops, which person been important successful the discourse of a low-scoring match.

Knowing conditions were successful their favour and clip connected the tract was short, England crowded the bat with arsenic galore arsenic 7 adjacent catchers.

And the Mitchell wicket went against a mentation held by this England authorities that a definite benignant of cricket cannot beryllium palmy successful the Test arena.

"This 75mph, keeper up, dobbing it connected a magnitude - we cognize that doesn't enactment successful Test cricket, wherever you are," was erstwhile the presumption of England manager of cricket Rob Key.

One shot aft England keeper Jamie Smith came up to the stumps, Robinson struck Mitchell connected the pad. The reappraisal could not prevention Mitchell, who was frustrated to spot the shot was shaving limb stump - different umpire's telephone that has gone against the Black Caps successful this match.

Two overs later, the upwind made a terminal intervention, with the time abandoned astatine 17:30.