Lord’s Test Shortest Completed Match In 138 Years

The Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s became the third men’s Test in England in which spinners did not bowl a single delivery.

Key records and stats:

996 – The total number of balls bowled in the Lord’s Test between England and New Zealand. It is the third-fewest in a men’s Test where both teams were bowled out twice. Only 792 balls were delivered in the 1888 Lord’s Test between England and Australia, while the 1907 Leeds Test between England and South Africa lasted 976 balls.

7 – The number of completed men’s Tests in England that have lasted fewer balls than this Lord’s Test, which ended on Sunday after 996 deliveries. It is also the second-shortest completed Test at Lord’s. The shortest remains the 1888 England-Australia Test, which lasted 792 balls.

24 – The number of dismissals through bowled and lbw at Lord’s, the highest in any men’s Test in England. The previous mark was 23, recorded during the England-India Test at the same venue in 2007.

3 – The number of Tests in England where no spinner bowled a ball. The latest Lord’s Test joined that list, with Shoaib Bashir, the only specialist spinner in the match, restricted to batting at No. 11.

The previous two such Tests in England were the 1981 Ashes Test in Nottingham and the 1988 Leeds Test between England and West Indies.

24.9 – The balls-per-wicket rate for bowlers from both teams at Lord’s. It is the sixth-best bowling strike rate in a men’s Test where at least 20 wickets fell. It is also the second-best in a men’s Test in England, behind the 20.8 recorded during the 1888 Lord’s Test.

1954 – The previous time a Test in England featured three totals below 150, when England faced Pakistan at The Oval. The Lord’s Test became the eighth such instance in England and the 18th overall in men’s Test cricket.

57 – Emilio Gay’s score in England’s second innings, the highest individual score across the match. The highest partnership was also 57, between Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson for the seventh wicket in England’s second innings.

There have been only 12 previous completed Tests where both the highest individual score and the highest partnership of the match were not above 57. Three of those 12 Tests were played in England, all before 1900.

44* – Glenn Phillips’ score in New Zealand’s second innings, the visitors’ highest individual score of the match. The previous time New Zealand batted twice in a Test without any player making a fifty was against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2007.

Across the two innings, New Zealand made only 251 runs, including 18 extras. It is their second-lowest match aggregate in a Test since 1970 when bowled out twice.

18 – The number of Tests in which four different bowlers have taken five-wicket hauls. Overall, it was the 41st Test to feature four or more five-fors, and only the second such match at Lord’s after the 1912 Test between England and South Africa.

4 – The number of five-wicket hauls Gus Atkinson has taken at Lord’s across his three Tests at the venue. Only Ian Botham, with eight, James Anderson, with seven, and Fred Trueman, with five, have taken more five-fors in Tests at Lord’s. Derek Underwood also took four.