Atkinson picks five as England wrap up victory on up-and-down Lord’s pitch

Atkinson picks five as England wrap up victory on up-and-down Lord's pitch

Led by Gus Atkinson's five-fer, England secured a comfortable 115-run win in the Lord's Test on Sunday. Despite a competitive target of 254, the English pacers had pegged back New Zealand enough in the fourth innings to ensure the result was never in doubt, even with multiple rain breaks.

Resuming the final day on 55 for 5, hopes rested on Devon Conway to push New Zealand's fight. But Josh Tongue had Tom Blundell trapped leg before on 4, reducing New Zealand to 58 for 6.

Glenn Phillips then counter-attacked, crunching boundaries while Conway remained tentative. The 53-run stand ended when Ben Stokes found Conway's edge, with Jacob Bethell taking a fine catch at gully.

That dismissal sparked a collapse. Atkinson dismissed Nathan Smith and Kyle Jamieson in successive overs to leave New Zealand at 124 for 9. Phillips briefly entertained with some aggressive hitting, but Atkinson cleaned up Matt Henry for a duck.

The match became the second shortest at the venue (by balls bowled). The two teams meet at The Oval on June 17, with New Zealand aiming to level the series and England looking to seal it.

Brief Scores: England 140 & 226 (Emilio Gay 57, Jamie Smith 39; Nathan Smith 6-70, William O'Rourke 2-45) beat New Zealand 113 (Kyle Jamieson 38*; Ollie Robinson 5-39, Josh Tongue 3-40) & 138 (Glenn Phillips 44*, Devon Conway 41; Gus Atkinson 5-30) by 115 runs.