Ben Stokes returns to the pavilion
Ben Stokes returns to the pavilion

New Zealand v England first Test: England score 28 all out in first innings of day-nighter in Auckland


England just avoided their lowest total in Test history after an astonishing first innings collapse in New Zealand that saw them already fall 117 runs behind.

England 58 all out (Boult 6-32, Southee 4-25)
New Zealand 175-3 (Williamson 91no)

Day One report

England made a horror start to their first day-night Test against New Zealand in Auckland as they collapsed to just 58 all out in the first innings - a failure which looked even more awful when home captain Kane Williamson (91no) took the reply to 175-3 at stumps.

New Zealand are now 2/9 to win the Test, with England 25/1 and the draw at 4/1

Only a top score of 33 from Craig Overton managed to get England beyond Test cricket’s all-time low of 26 as they slipped to 27-9 on the first day with the pink ball.

Overton then managed to drag England above their own lowest total of 45 as James Anderson kept him company as the innings lasted just under 25 overs.

Trent Boult (6-32) and Tim Southee (4-25) did the damage as they proved unstoppable with the pink ball on day one.

The new-ball pair wreaked havoc as the tourists first marginally managed to pass Test cricket's all-time lowest total - 26 by New Zealand against them here in 1955.

After falling to 27-9, it seemed a long shot England could get anywhere near beating their own historical low of 45 all out against Australia in Sydney in 1887.

But number nine Overton (33no), playing here only because Ben Stokes' stiff back meant he may not be able to bowl, had other ideas - scoring more than half England's runs as they instead recorded merely their sixth-lowest total.

By the time Williamson began to near his 18th century, a national record, Stuart Broad had claimed Tom Latham as his 400th Test victim - second only behind Anderson - but such was England's plight, his achievement rated only as a footnote.

Apart from Overton, only Mark Stoneman made it into double figures for England, with Root, Stokes, Bairstow, Ali and Broad all falling for a duck.

New Zealand replied with necessary early caution as England bowled well but without reward.

Broad broke a second-wicket stand of 84 when Latham chipped him compliantly to midwicket for his 400th.

But almost everything was still going wrong for England, encapsulated when no one was prepared to take Woakes' word for it that he got a finger-end on a straight-drive which hit the non-striker's stumps - with Williamson out of his ground on 64.

He therefore closed on course for Test century 18, one more than both the great Martin Crowe and Ross Taylor - who fell here to a mis-pull at Anderson under lights.

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