The first Test between New Zealand and England at Lord's was a breath of fresh air after two long months of IPL. Moreover, Day 1 of action between the Kiwis and the Three Lions became all the more iconic and memorable as batters from both sides struggled and a staggering 17 wickets fell on the first day itself.
Having won the toss and choosing to bat first, New Zealand found themselves in trouble as debutant Matty Potts impressed on his bow, narrowly missing out on a fifer. He hunted in pair alongside veteran James Anderson with each of them registering four scalps.
The pace and movement of English bowlers gave all sorts of trouble to the Kiwis as they were bundled out for 132 runs. Newly crowned England skipper Ben Stokes was so aggressive in his approach that fans got to see an incredible and rare sight - with six fielders being deployed at slip.
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Netizens meanwhile were thrilled with England's approach, and as soon as the Three Lions lined up at slips, the images of their field setting started to go viral on social media.
While some fans shared the picture and hailed it as the beauty of Test cricket, others were happy to see the return of the longest format, after a two-month IPL 2022 season.
Once the Kiwis were bundled though, they gave England a taste of their own medicine as Stokes' side also lost seven wickets before stumps as New Zealand reduced them to 116/7. Fair to say that the wicket at Lord's was a bowler's fairytale and a batsman's nightmare.
With the game evenly balanced on Day 1, we can expect more of the same once action resume on Day 2.
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