England bowled New Zealand out for 132 within two sessions of Ben Stokes' first Test as captain, but the match was back in the balance at the end of day one after yet another batting collapse.
Winless in nine Tests – their worst run in eight years – England's inability to score big dogged them in the final days of Joe Root's leadership.
Perhaps then the Lord's crowd should have known this was too good to be true when Stokes' side followed up a stunning bowling display with a steady start with the bat.
An opening partnership of 59 between Alex Lees (25) and Zak Crawley (43) hinted at a one-sided series opener, only for those old England issues to rear their ugly head.
Root and Stokes were among the wickets to follow in quick succession as a team now overseen by New Zealand great Brendon McCullum bowed under the pressure of the Black Caps attack.
England were 116-7 at stumps, with the final departure of the third session that of Matthew Potts – an improbably miserable ending to a day the Durham bowler will never forget.
In for his debut, Potts had played a starring role in England's fine early work with the ball, requiring just five deliveries to get New Zealand captain Kane Williamson before finishing with figures of 4-13. Only an apparent bout of cramp denied him a shot at a Lord's five-for.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad – two other newsworthy inclusions – also contributed handily, as the returning old-timers got England going with the first three wickets thanks to a trio of fine Jonny Bairstow catches.
Anderson added two more almost identical dismissals – both caught by Potts at the boundary as the Black Caps sought to counter – to finish with 4-66, but he is now set to be back out in the middle with the bat far sooner than he might have imagined, with England still 16 behind.
Anderson at it from the off
Anderson was overshadowed first by Potts and then by his New Zealand counterparts, but he first made sure to provide a reminder of his immense talents with the ball.
New Zealand were 2-2 when Will Young and Tom Latham each departed to Anderson inside five overs, meaning the England great has now dismissed both opening batsmen in 27 Test innings – ahead of Glenn McGrath (26) for the most ever.
New captain, same problems
England did not score 300 once in their dismal away Ashes series that represented the nadir of the Root era, and they will almost certainly fall well short of that mark again in this Test.
Of course, Stokes' side did not even need to reach that total to maintain control of this match, but England struggled just to make three figures on a day for the bowlers on both teams.
Second washout stops England and Pakistan's T20 World Cup preparation
For the second time this series, England and Pakistan saw a game abandoned due to rain, this time at Sophia Gardens on Tuesday.
After their opening game at Headingley was washed out, the teams endured another frustrating day in Cardiff as the umpires called off the third match without a single bowl being bowled.
England’s 23-run victory at Edgbaston on Saturday means they have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.
However, Pakistan have one last chance to level things at The Oval on Thursday before both teams head off to the United States for the T20I World Cup in June.
Owen gives Bellingham 'massive chance' of Ballon d'Or success
Michael Owen believes Jude Bellingham has a "massive chance" of winning the Ballon d'Or after a stand-out debut season at Real Madrid.
Los Blancos won their 36th LaLiga title, losing just one of their league games while finishing 10 points clear of second-place Barcelona.
Bellingham ended the league campaign as Madrid’s top-scorer, netting 19 LaLiga goals and added another four in the Champions League to help them on their way to the final.
The attacking-midfielder has also created more chances under pressure (19) than any other midfielder in the Champions League, with four of those resulting in an assist for a Madrid teammate.
Bellingham is due to join up with England for Euro 2024 following the Champions League final as the Three Lions aim to win their first major trophy since 1966.
Bellingham is among the favourites to get his hands on the Ballon d'Or and would be the first Englishman to win it since Owen himself in 2001.
"The Ballon d'Or comes to players who have an exceptional season, not only personally, but who have had a season where they have won something or multiple titles," Owen told TNT Sports.
"If Jude Bellingham goes and wins LaLiga, which he already has done, as well as the Champions League all while being one of the stars of the show in that team, then he has got to be in the conversation.
"A lot will depend on Euro 2024 with England. If he has a good tournament and England go far, then you could rightly say that he has a massive chance."
Bellingham will face former club Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday as Madrid aim to lift a record-extending 15th title in the European Cup.
“We got taught a lesson”: van der Dussen credits Windies for dominant performance in T20I series
South Africa stand-in Captain Rassie van der Dussen gave his West Indian counterparts all the praise in the world after his side suffered a dominant 0-3 defeat in their three T20Is from May 23-26 at Sabina Park in Kingston.
The hosts won last Thursday’s first encounter by 28 runs, their biggest win over South Africa in T20Is, and followed it up with a 16-run win in the second game on Saturday and a dominant eight-wicket triumph in the third match on Sunday.
The skipper put the South African performance down to an inability to quickly adapt to the conditions of the Sabina Park pitch.
“We just couldn’t adapt early enough. Yes, we had a long week in terms of layovers in Miami and so forth. I think we saw that in the first match but you can’t keep making the same mistakes,” van der Dussen said after Sunday’s game.
“I think we just got taught a lesson on how to play in Caribbean conditions, especially from a bowling front. It was a difficult wicket to bat on. I think they just out-skilled us, especially with the ball,” he added.
When asked about positives he could take from the three games, he singled out openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks as well as young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter who played the last two games, the first two T20Is of his career.
The 35-year-old, who was left out of South Africa’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, says an adjustment he hopes the team makes with the bat is to take a few more chances up front.
“Maybe just be a bit braver. We saw the way the West Indies play, especially in the power play. They really take it on and when the ball’s newer, it’s easier to score than in the back end when the ball gets soft,” he said.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
