Cricket: Triumph to tragedy as NZ batsmen lose the way

Tim Southee. Photo / Getty Images

Tim Southee knows how to steal a scene. He chose Lord's to secure his first test 10-wicket bag and underline his status as New Zealand's premier strike bowler on the fourth morning of the first test.

That's where the bouquets ended for the visitors. England stole the rest of the show.

The New Zealand batsmen couldn't back up Southee's effort in leading the attack that dismissed England for 213.

At lunch, chasing 239 for victory, they had collapsed to 29 for six. No, that's not a misprint.

They were still behind landmarks like the lowest test score at the ground (India's 42 in 1974), their predecessors' worst (47 in 1958) - or their own 45 at Cape Town in January. All hope of a second test win in 16 attempts at the Marylebone Cricket Club ground looked gone.

Compounding matters was that a total greater than 239 has been achieved twice in 126 previous tests over 129 years, and injuries to B.J. Watling and Bruce Martin meant neither was capable of running in any rigorous capacity.

The top order was again not up to the task as New Zealand lurched from bad to worse with the timid loss of Peter Fulton, Hamish Rutherford and Ross Taylor.

Even Kane Williamson played an uncharacteristic drive in the air to mid-off.

Dean Brownlie edged to slip and another Brendon McCullum review, this time for an lbw, failed . New Zealand faced a barrage of Stuart Broad and James Anderson deliveries aimed at fourth stump.

Broad got the spoils with five for 22 but Anderson offered just as much scrutiny.

On the New Zealand dressing room balcony, several pieces of chewing gum looked like they were taking the rap. Back molars dished out the punishment in the 30 minutes leading to lunch.

Earlier, Southee bowled a full length and coaxed the batsmen to play as he joined Dion Nash as the only other New Zealander to take 10 or more wickets in a test at Lord's.

He personified rhythm and swing from the Pavilion end to finish with innings figures of six for 50 and match figures of 10 for 108.

He is the 17th New Zealander and the fifth bowler after Sir Richard Hadlee, Nash, Chris Cairns and Daniel Vettori to qualify to have his name on the honours board in the visitors' dressing room.

Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie and Brendon McCullum played cameos to Southee with safe hands at second slip, third slip and wicketkeeper respectively.

Regular gloveman Watling continued to rest his injured left knee.

England could only offer 33 runs of resistance and were dismissed within the first hour.

They lost their last eight wickets for 54 and that was with a minimum of spinning peril from Martin (who remained off the field with a right calf injury) and Williamson (who got one to bite back for Jonathan Trott's wicket).

Williamson also got Anderson rather fortuitously when a shot ballooned off the boot of silly point.