The iconic Home of Cricket witnessed an absolute rollercoaster on Day 2 of the competition 1st Test between England and New Zealand in his Lord. Starting on 04th June 2026, this highly anticipated ENG vs NZ series opener has kept cricket pundits on the edge of their seats. After a frantic opening day where wickets fell at a steady clip, Day 2 kept the match dynamic with high drama, tactical reviews and extreme changes.
Nathan Smith’s stunning six-wicket run speeds New Zealand’s way
The defining story of the afternoon belonged to New Zealand’s right-arm medium fast bowler. Nathan Smith. New Zealand need plenty of inspiration as they continue the day with the Black Caps all out for 113 in their first innings thanks to Ollie Robinson’s brilliant 5-wicket haul. England took a slim lead in the first innings after scoring 140, but the second innings promised to set a tough target.
Enter Smith. He found some stability through England’s top order Emilio Gay57 off 95 balls, and anchored the batting with a patient Ben DuckettSmith turned the match on its head in the 33rd minute. In an unusual post-lunch spell, he caused a disastrous mid-order collapse.
Smith destroyed the core of England’s batting line-up. Trapped the legendary Joe Root Wickets before the leg for just 8 runs before immediately sending the English captain off Ben Stokes return to the pavilion for the duck. The pressure was relentless. Smith continued his attack by clearing the keeper Jamie Smith 39 for, dismisses Ollie Robinson 29 for and crushing Josh Dil’s stumps 5.
supported by Will O’Rourke‘s 2 46, Smith finished with magnificent figures of 6 for 70 in 17 overs. His heroics restricted England to 226 in 56 overs, setting New Zealand a highly competitive but achievable target of 254 runs.
England end Day 2 on top as New Zealand suffer another top-order collapse
Despite the euphoria of Smith scoring 6 goals, the guests’ joy was short-lived. Chasing 254 for victory at Lord’s is a historic feat and New Zealand’s second innings chase got off to the worst possible start under a gloomy London sky.
Gus Atkinson He struck gold for the first time, dismissing his Kiwi skipper Tom Latham for a three-ball duck caught by Harry Brooke. An early strike forced it Kane Williamson next to the crease to rebuild Devon Conway. Williamson fought hard to score 18 runs off 36 balls but the English bowlers gave nothing away. The pressure paid off when Tongue trapped Williamson lbw, a decision vindicated after a dramatic, failed look by the batsman.
To make matters worse for the Black Caps, O’Rourke was sent in as the night watchman but was bowled clean by Atkinson for a duck just before stumps. New Zealand end at 36 for 3 after 11.5 overs. Devon Conway He remains the lone batsman at the crease on the 12th. Still needing 218 runs and with seven wickets in hand, New Zealand face an uphill battle on Day 3 against a surging English bowling attack.
Also READ: ENG vs NZ: Fans call out hypocrisy after 16 wickets on opening day of Lord’s Test
Here’s how the fans reacted:
England finished an eventful second day with a strong performance that put themselves in a good position to secure victory in this test match 👏#ENGvNZ #cricket pic.twitter.com/q8c7O7aIgL
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) June 6, 2026
“Nathan Smith looks like a very good bowler. One day he could be the greatest bowler in New Zealand history. pic.twitter.com/Nb40bNaUks
— Mufaddal Shailu (@Shailu_15Jul) June 6, 2026
Nathan Smith etched his name on the Lord’s Honor Roll with a magnificent six-wicket haul pic.twitter.com/JVFXfvj3qp
— Fearless Baz 🇳🇿 (@Kiwiscricketfan) June 5, 2026
Another name on the Lord’s Roll of Honor this time is Nathan Smith 🖐️❤️ pic.twitter.com/fw0lo8Xs1c
— Sandeep Yadav (@Kohliitak) June 5, 2026
Back to back quizzes for Nathan Smith 🔥
He has been trolled, doubted and deleted by many, but he allows his speeches.
The way he uses the crease, creates awkward angles and keeps hitting those wide lengths is pure Test-match bowling.
It was worth it 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/CufyylM9km
— Deepak Chauhan (@foreverblackcap) June 5, 2026
NATHAN SMITH LORD’S 🇳🇿 SHAKRI KURTA pic.twitter.com/tbpdb0hPzC
— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) June 5, 2026
Nathan Smith
Kyle Jamieson
Matt Henry
Will O’RourkeSuddenly the NZ pace attack looks like the best in the world.
India will face them in NZ later this year🥶 pic.twitter.com/i3ToA35JMH— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) June 5, 2026
@ 𝐎𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐨. 𝐍𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡.
𝐓𝐡𝐬𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐬𝐬𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝’s 𝐢𝐬 𝐬__𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐬𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜. pic.twitter.com/KGXZapuZ8j
– Fatima (@Fatima7223) June 6, 2026
Lord’s honor roll for Nathan Smith! 👏
6/70 in 2nd innings against England. Destroyed England’s middle and lower order with a brilliant five-wicket haul at the Home of Cricket.
The match made this magic happen 🔥 #ENGvNZ #Lords #NathanSmith pic.twitter.com/qWywH9wLgl– Muhammad Areeb Uddin Sheikh Areeb Cricket World (@areeb_7official) June 5, 2026
Fantastic five wickets from Nathan Smith! 🔥
Magic built on precision, movement and pure control. pic.twitter.com/vG8fnXVeWi
— Spirit of Content✌️🎯🩵 (@rajeshkodavati) June 6, 2026
🚨 THE LORD HAS A NEW HERO! 🚨 🇳🇿🔥
Nathan Smith climbs the iconic Lord’s Hall of Fame with a sensational SIX-LOCK haul against England! 🖐️
💥 6 doors
💥 In the House of Cricket
💥 Against England
Magic for the ages and a day Nathan Smith will never forget! pic.twitter.com/6SOSWDE0cZ— CricInformer (@CricInformer) June 5, 2026
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