Lord’s blitz as Broad inspires England to triumph

Broad put Tim Southee’s 10-wicket match haul for the Kiwis entirely in the shade on an astounding fourth day at Lord’s with career-best figures of 7-44 which fast-tracked England to victory and a 1-0 lead in this two-match series with more than four sessions to spare.

New Zealand must have thought Southee (6-50) had given them a chance of following up three draws on home soil two months ago against England, after their hosts had lost their last four wickets for 33 yesterday morning and 8-54 since they began to hit trouble on Saturday night.

But the tourists’ recent fragilities returned – they were blasted out for 45 at the start of this year by South Africa’s world-beating pace attack in Cape Town – as Broad made the most of conditions which have favoured swing throughout here.

Broad’s sensational day began with some valuable late-order batting, helping England to 213 all out – and then by lunch he had near single-handedly reduced the tourists to 29-6 in pursuit of what had at first seemed a perfectly feasible, if taxing, 239 to win.

BJ Watling, batting in pain after injuring his knee, and Neil Wagner rescued a little respectability – and took New Zealand clear of ground and country low-scoring records at least.

But there was to be no remarkable recovery to extend the contest significantly as only Broad and James Anderson were required to bowl for England in an innings which lasted under two hours.

Broad had earlier hit four fours in a run-a-ball 26 not out, and then dramatically seized the moment with the ball on another cloudy morning to see off openers Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford and the dangerous Ross Taylor in under three overs.

Fulton appeared a little compliant, edging behind on the back foot. But Broad then uprooted Rutherford’s off-stump with a very good delivery which went up the slope off the pitch, and had Taylor edging low to slip for a second-ball duck.

Broad had to wait another two overs for the wicket of Kane Williamson, caught at extra-cover as he tried in vain to give New Zealand’s second innings some impetus.

Anderson, who three days ago became only the fourth Englishman to take 300 Test wickets, got in on the act with a perfect one-two to Dean Brownlie – following up an inswinger with one that went the other way up the slope for another edge to slip.

Broad was not done with either, completing his five-wicket haul with the last ball of the morning – and another big scalp too, when Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum was pinned in front lbw.

After lunch, he soon had Southee – caught at deep square-leg, one ball after being dropped in the slips by a combination of Anderson and Alastair Cook – and Anderson had Watling edging low into the cordon.

Bruce Martin missed a mow at Broad and lost his middle-stump, before New Zealand’s innings ended in a tragi-comic run-out for Wagner.

England had begun the day doubtless hoping they could set the Kiwis at least 300 for victory. But Steven Finn was first to go, pushing outside off-stump and unable to bail out before edging Southee low into the safe hands of substitute fielder Martin Guptill at second slip in the first over of the day. Then England’s final specialist batsman Ian Bell, down at eight after spending time off the field with flu over the past two days, also poked a catch into the slips off Southee – to Brownlie at third this time.

Graeme Swann could never get started, before wafting an edge behind off Southee, and Anderson was last out when he drove Williamson’s part-time off-spin straight to cover.

Southee was, appropriately, the catcher – having recorded match figures of 10-108 with his seam and swing, and became only the second New Zealander after Dion Nash in 1994 to take 10 wickets or more in a Lord’s Test.

Once Broad got the ball in his hands, however, it was very quickly and abundantly clear Southee’s efforts would be in vain.