Despite Kane Williamson's 93, England dominate Day 1 of 1st Test vs New Zealand

NZ vs ENG: Kane Williamson scored a brilliant 93 as New Zealand ended Day 1 at 319/8

In Short

• Kane Williamson missed out on a century by 93 runs
• New Zealand ended Day 1 at 319/8
• Shoaib Bahsir was pick among bowlers with four wickets

It was quite an intriguing start to the 3-match Test series between England and New Zealand. The Day 1 of the 1st Test witnessed England, led by Ben Stokes, opted to bowl first, banking on the pitch's grassy cover to assist their bowlers. Gus Atkinson justified the decision early by removing Devon Conway in the second over, but New Zealand's batters made steady progress to finish the day at 319/8, setting up an evenly poised contest.

Kane Williamson, returning from injury, was the standout performer for the hosts. The seasoned batter demonstrated his trademark resilience, as he scored a masterful 93. Despite a scratchy start against the England seamers, he anchored the innings with poise, forging crucial partnerships throughout. Williamson became the first New Zealand batter to surpass 1,000 runs against four different Test-playing nations.

Williamson's brilliant 93

NZ vs ENG: As it happened

Tom Latham provided early momentum with a brisk 47, driving fluently through the off-side before nicking behind off Brydon Carse. Rachin Ravindra (22) and Daryl Mitchell (24) offered support, but their dismissals left Williamson to shoulder much of the responsibility. Rachin was undone by a loose flick off Shoaib Bashir, who would go on to play a pivotal role in the day’s proceedings.

Bashir, bowling 20 of England's 83 overs, picked up 4/69, exploiting moments of injudicious batting. His persistence paid dividends in the final session as he removed Tom Blundell and Nathan Smith in quick succession before luring Matt Henry into a misstep, caught at long-on. Glenn Phillips, dropped on 0 by Stokes, added an unbeaten 35, steering New Zealand past 300 with support from Tim Southee.

England’s bowlers endured mixed fortunes. While Atkinson and Carse delivered timely strikes, the bowlers struggled with the pitch's damp landing areas. England’s use of short-pitched tactics against Mitchell and Williamson provided breakthroughs, with Williamson cutting Atkinson to backward point just seven runs shy of a century.

As stumps were called, the match remained finely balanced. New Zealand’s Phillips and Southee will aim to extend their innings on Day 2, while England will look to capitalise on the new ball.