England crush New Zealand by 115 runs as Baseball reboot begins with dominant win at Lord’s

NEW DELHI: England registered a massive 115-run victory over New Zealand before lunch on the fourth day of the opening Test at Lord’s on Sunday, an encouraging start to a new chapter in the much-discussed philosophy of “Bazball” after their disappointing Ashes campaign in Australia.Starting the day at 55 for 5 and needing another improbable 254 runs to win, New Zealand’s resistance quickly crumbled. The visitors lost their remaining five wickets during the opening session and were bowled out for 138.Fast bowler Gus Atkinson played for England with figures of 5 for 30 on a pitch that consistently favored seamers. The surface at Lord’s proved extremely challenging for the batsmen, with 24 dismissals coming either by bowling or lbw, while the spinners failed to bowl a single delivery in the entire match.Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 44 and was New Zealand’s top scorer, though it ended a difficult outing for the touring side.The series opener attracted considerable attention as England struggled to move on from a turbulent Ashes tour that ended with a 4-1 defeat by Australia amid criticism over preparation, tactics and off-field behaviour.The inclusion of opener Emilio Gaye and the recall of seamer Ollie Robinson were among the main selection demands for this final phase under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, with both players repaying the faith shown in them.Gay top-scored with 57 in the second innings on his Test debut, while Robinson, playing his first Test since 2024 after concerns over his fitness and attitude led to his omission, took seven wickets in the game, returning figures of 5-39 and 2-38.Despite England’s dominant performance, the nature of the pitch made it difficult to draw wider conclusions. The match lasted just 166 overs, making it the second shortest completed Test among the 150 played at Lord’s.“It’s a surface we didn’t expect,” New Zealand captain Tom Latham said. “I don’t think anyone expected such a surface.”McCullum acknowledged the difficulties caused by the wicket but praised his side’s ability to adapt to the conditions and execute their plans in what he described as a “low-scoring shootout”.“At times we were brave and at times calculated,” said the New Zealand-born England coach.The teams will now head across London for the second Test of the three-match series at The Oval, starting on June 17.