Mitchell and Blundell put New Zealand in control of second Test

Nottingham, June 10: Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell's unbroken partnership of 149 put New Zealand in a commanding position on day one of the second Test with England.

With the tourists missing captain Kane Williamson due to a positive test for COVID-19, England elected to field at Trent Bridge, but were eventually made to regret that decision.

Each of the Black Caps' top four batsmen failed to build on positive starts and the hosts may have had hope of quickly getting into the New Zealand tail when they were reduced to 169 for four.

But Mitchell (81 not out) - a centurion in the first Test at Lord's - and the similarly in-form Blundell (67 not out) turned the game firmly in favour of New Zealand, who closed on 318-4.

Stand-in skipper Tom Latham (26) and Will Young (47) laid a solid foundation for the tourists with an 84-run opening partnership.

England had toiled in search of a breakthrough and when it came, it was quickly followed by a second as Young was caught at second slip and Latham pulled James Anderson to midwicket.

Henry Nicholls (30) and Devon Conway (46) somewhat replicated the performances of the openers. Ben Stokes broke up their 77-run stand when he had Nicholls caught behind and Conway fell in the same way to Anderson.

Yet there was no further joy for England in their increasingly desperate search for wickets. The hosts wasted reviews and both Mitchell and Blundell enjoyed largely serene progress, significantly boosting New Zealand's hopes of setting up a third-Test decider at Headingley.

Another Mitchell-Blundell masterclass

Mitchell and Blundell produced the second-highest partnership by a New Zealand pair in England in the Black Caps' defeat at Lord's, putting on 195.

They are on track to go beyond that after impressing in Nottingham, both again surpassing 50 with the former 19 runs shy of a second successive century.

Broad blunted

It is a little under seven years since Stuart Broad's remarkable 8-15 against Australia at Trent Bridge. He might not remember this Test at his home ground with fondness if he cannot improve on his day-one efforts, the frontline seamer providing little threat in recording figures of 0-74.