England tighten grip on Lord's Test as rain-hit day leaves New Zealand reeling

New Zealand tour of England, 2026
by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on Sat, Jun 6, 2026 • 5:59 PM

Less than 10 overs of play was possible on the third day at Lord's as England further strengthened their position in the first Test by dismissing Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell and reducing New Zealand to 55 for 5, with the visitors still 199 runs away from the target.

Rain ensured a delayed start, with the first session washed away completely. When play resumed at 12:43 PM, it was short-lived, as another rain spell halted play after 11 deliveries.

Play resumed again after 33 minutes. Devon Conway drove Gus Atkinson for a boundary. The bounce was unpredictable—some deliveries shot up, some stayed low. Ollie Robinson troubled Rachin Ravindra with uneven bounce before cleaning him up on 8 with a delivery that stayed low.

Robinson added another wicket in his next over by trapping Daryl Mitchell leg-before for a duck with a nip-backer. Conway remained unbeaten when another rain spell at 2:10 PM ensured no further play.

Brief Scores: England 140 & 226 (Emilio Gay 57, Jamie Smith 39; Nathan Smith 6-70, William O'Rourke 2-45) lead New Zealand 113 (Kyle Jamieson 38*; Ollie Robinson 5-39, Josh Tongue 3-40) & 55/5 (Devon Conway 19*; Gus Atkinson 2-16, Ollie Robinson 2-18) by 198 runs.