Ben Stokes and James Anderson halt New Zealand progress at Trent Bridge

Ben Stokes and James Anderson shared four wickets as England held their own against an attacking New Zealand side on day one of the second LV= Insurance Test at Trent Bridge.

The tourists had been dealt a major blow on the eve of the match, with captain and key man Kane Williamson ruled out after a positive Covid-19 result, but responded bullishly to the news as they reached 195 for four at tea.

Stokes had asked the Black Caps to bat first but would have been questioning his decision when stand-in skipper Tom Latham and Will Young got the best of the morning session with an opening stand worth 84.

The pair eventually departed off consecutive deliveries, Stokes dismissing Young before Anderson took care of Latham, only for New Zealand to reassert themselves in the afternoon through Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls.

They made light of Williamson’s unexpected absence to put on 77 after lunch but, just as the game appeared to be drifting for England, another double strike from the seam duo accounted for both set batters.

Had Joe Root held on to a straightforward slip catch to see off Daryl Mitchell for just one, England may have found themselves in a position to dictate terms despite their sluggish start, but the ball squirmed out of his grasp to leave things finely poised.

That was the second drop of the day, with Zak Crawley putting down an earlier chance off Nicholls as the rock solid cordon on show during last week’s win at Lord’s began to creak.

The sight of a green-tinged pitch and a smattering of grey clouds would have excited the English seamers when they arrived at the ground, but the opening salvo from Anderson and an off-colour Stuart Broad saw precious little swing.

Anderson managed to keep things tight as he