New Zealand 113 (Robinson 5-39) and 36 for 3 (Conway 12*) need 218 more runs to beat England 140 (Brook 56, Jamieson 5-62) and 226 (Gay 57, Smith 6-70)

Henry was limited to four overs on the opening day by back spasms and New Zealand’s three other quicks shouldered a heavy workload as a result. But his only wicket summed up the challenge for batters: the ball shot low from a good length, sneaking under the toe-end of Jacob Bethell’s bat to knock back his off stump.

Gay’s maiden Test innings had lasted only 14 balls as Jamieson worked him over, but he played tightly and patiently in his second in adding 52 with Ben Duckett. He slowly went through the gears after a cautious start, reaching an 84-ball half-century – the first by an England opener on debut since Keaton Jennings in 2016 – when taking 16 runs off a Smith over.

But New Zealand will rue a series of missed opportunities. Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway both dropped catches for the second day in a row – Ravindra shelled Duckett at short midwicket, and Conway gave Bethell a life at gully – while Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham left a slip catch for one another when Henry found Gay’s outside edge.

Duckett made 33 before slicing O’Rourke to gully while camped on the back foot expecting a short ball before Henry’s daisy-cutter did for Bethell, but it was Gay’s dismissal – fiddling Smith’s outswinger behind – that prompted England’s collapse: Harry Brook and Joe Root were pinned lbw, while Ben Stokes lost his off stump to Smith as 126 for 2 became 127 for 6 in 11 balls.

It took a 57-run stand between Jamie Smith and Atkinson – the highest partnership of the match – to drag England’s lead past 200. Smith, promoted above Stokes to No. 6, was bowled shouldering arms in the first innings but played with far more conviction in the second, driving Henry to both the cover and mid-off boundaries in the over before tea.

Atkinson miscued a flat-batted swat straight up to be caught-and-bowled by Jamieson but Robinson took over from him by swiping at New Zealand’s short balls. Nathan Smith was rewarded when he went fuller, bowling both his namesake Jamie and Tongue before Robinson’s heave to midwicket gave him a second successive six-wicket haul.

It left New Zealand needing the highest score of the match to secure only their second win at Lord’s and while higher targets than 253 have been hauled in across the previous 149 Tests at this ground, few of those can have been on surfaces offering fast bowlers as much encouragement as this one.

Latham decided to chance his arm, chasing Atkinson’s third ball with a hard-handed drive which he steered straight to Brook at second slip. Unsurprisingly, Robinson’s first over was less eventful in the second innings than his three-wicket effort in the first, but he very nearly had Kane Williamson bowled shouldering arms in his second.

Robinson was chuntering when Stokes brought the keeper up to force Williamson to stay in his crease, and his attempts to send Jamie Smith back were ignored. But the argument came to a natural end between overs as Williamson was pinned lbw by Tongue, reviewing only in desperation as his fifth and likely final Test at Lord’s ended with scores of 0 and 18.

O’Rourke was given the unenviable task of walking out as nightwatcher, and lasted six balls before he was castled by Atkinson. Devon Conway, who reached the close unbeaten on 12, will need substantial support from New Zealand’s middle order to reel in the remaining 218 runs.