England fail to break New Zealand resistance as Black Caps take the lead after Daryl Mitchell’s ‘hard labour’ and Tom Blundell go 227 points clear

New Zealand rattled England’s positivity as they tackled a hard-fought 227-point lead on day two of their first Test at Lord’s.

The dominating 236-for-four advantage put a damper on the start of the Ben Stokes era, with England facing a mountain to climb despite the positives to build on.

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It was a day to forget for England despite moments of positivity[/caption]

Following a similar pace on day one, debutant Matthew Potts again impressed as he knocked opposition captain Kane Williamson out of action early for a 56-4 lead after lunch looking manageable.

However, Daryl Mitchell with 97 and Tom Blundell’s unbeaten 90 sealed a masterful display that all but swept away England’s dreams of a winning start under Brendon McCullum as manager.

England had added 25 points to their opening matchday slump on Thursday night before proceedings, being knocked out for 142, but after early resistance New Zealand quickly ended that advantage.

“It was hard work throughout, but building this partnership was very enjoyable,” Blundell later said.

“We just had to dig in and build that partnership and I think we did that very well.

“I think I’ll sleep well tonight. These milestones will take care of themselves, we have a big job tomorrow to build that lead.

“So I’m not really worried about that.

“There are still enough at the counter. I think that’s a new ball wicket, so when that happens, we’ll just have to dig in again and build that partnership.

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