2nd Test: New Zealand take command against England on Day 1

Daryl Mitchell led the New Zealand charge as the tourists powered to 318-4 against England by close of play on the first day of the second Test on Friday. Mitchell's aggressive 81 not out and an unbeaten 67 from Tom Blundell made England captain Ben Stokes pay for his decision to bowl first on a flat pitch at Trent Bridge. England's wounds were mostly self-inflicted, with three dropped catches as the bowling and fielding flaws that plagued them in recent months returned with a vengeance.

World Test champions New Zealand, who lost a gripping first Test at Lord's, were without Covid-hit Kane Williamson after the skipper was ruled out on Thursday evening. Despite Williamson's absence, the Kiwis punished some wayward England bowling, with Mitchell and Blundell amassing an undefeated 149-run partnership after Tom Latham and Will Young put on 84 for the first wicket. Stokes dismissed Young for 47 and, the very next ball, stand-in skipper Latham fell to James Anderson for 26.

But New Zealand stayed positive, continuing to find the boundaries regularly as Devon Conway (46) and Tom Nicholls (30) kept the visitors on top. Nicholls eventually edged Stokes to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, who also took the catch when Conway nicked one behind soon afterwards off Anderson. Latham admitted he would also have bowled first given the chance, but said he might be reconsidering that verdict after his team seized control in emphatic fashion.

"We certainly would have taken that. We were quite keen to bowl first as well this morning but, after losing the toss, we thought putting on 300 in a day on a wicket like that is actually a very good effort," Conway said. "The pitch played a lot better than it looked.