England's bright start on day one

Date released: 15 May 2008

There are a limited number of tickets available for Friday's play, 16 May. These will be sold on a first-come first-served basis at the North Gate from 9am Friday morning.

Prices are £60-65 for adults; £20 for under 16s - tickets are limited and subject to availability. Arrive early to avoid disappointment!

Batsmen: Jacob Oram & Daniel Vettori
Bowlers: Stuart Broad (Pavilion End)
& Ryan Sidebottom (Nursery End)

Brendan McCullum's big-hitting helps New Zealand recover after a bad start but Monty Panesar wheedles him out with a great delivery.

James Anderson has three wickets to his name following a rain-delayed start.

England won the toss and put New Zealand in. Catch-up with the match action in chronological order, below:

Latest action:

5:43pm: Ryan Sidebottom comes on for Monty Panesar and after one ball, the umpires are conferring over the light again.

Unsurprisingly, when offered the light the New Zealand batsmen cannot get off the field quickly enough.

5:37pm: England's tails are up again and Monty has the crowd lifted too. Vaughan puts men around the bat and the home team are pressing again.

5:32pm: McCullum is out! Monty Panesar gets one through the gap of bat and pad and McCullum is out on 97, agonisingly short of a ton. NZ 203-6

A crucial wicket for England removing the Kiwi dangerman - great bowling from Panesar.

5:29pm: Two-hundred up for New Zealand and they've recovered well after a rocky start.

5:27pm: The umpires are having a quick chat, with the gloom closing in there are concerns over the light.

5:21pm: McCullum's getting his eye in now. It's Broad on the receiving end this time and another massive six for McCullum.

McCullum puts the England attack to the sword 5:17pm: McCullum dances down the wicket and absolutely thumps Panesar back over his head for a big six.

5:15pm: Another edge from Oram but he dropped it short of the slips - good soft hands from Oram there.

5:13pm: Michael Vaughan cuts a less contented figure than he did this morning, as Oram edges one well wide of the slip-cordon off Broad for four more runs.

5:12pm: McCullum is all relaxed smiles and he lifts one over the fielders - but it goes too high and stops short of the rope, Monty Panesar gamely chasing it down.

4:59pm: McCullum brings up the fifty partnership with another boundary.

4:58pm: New Zealand's good fortune is Tim Ambrose's misfortune. A Sidebottom delivery hits pad and McCullum's heel en-route to the boundary, past Ambrose's dispairing dive.

4:45pm: A half-century for Brendan McCullum. He's flirted with danger but has played his strokes confidently.

4:31pm: The teams are back out after the tea interval and the Kiwi batsmen are looking more settled now.

3:57pm: Perhaps McCullum has been playing too much IPL - a wild swing and a miss has James Anderson smiling.

3:55pm: Monty is soon dancing his familiar jig down the pitch with two big LBW shouts but umpire Bucknor is unmoved.

3:54pm: A big cheer at Lord's as there always is for Monty Panesar. The popular spinner is brought into the attack - earlier than many anticipated.

Flynn is Anderson's third victim 3:49pm: OUT! Anderson's back and it's another wicket for the Lancashire seamer. Flynn can count himself unlucky but the ball flicks his thigh pad and makes a mess of his stumps. NZ 104-5

3:45pm: One-hundred up for New Zealand. Collingwood is bowling again and being hit for four to bring up the Kiwi's landmark.

3:35pm: Daniel Flynn is obviously inspired and finally off the mark with a boundary off Sidebottom's bowling.

3:32pm: McCullum is clearly unfazed, he strides down the wicket to Broad's quick pace and thumps it over the top for four.

3:30pm: Another LBW appeal turned down this time Broad is the bowler, McCullum the batsman and Simon Taufell the umpire shaking his head. McCullum was hit above the knee roll and the ball looked to be going over the stumps.

3:24pm: McCullum's going to punish any loose deliveries today and does just that, thumping Broad through mid-off for a four.

3:11pm: OUT! Careless from Marshall - he edges a fullish ball from Broad and Andrew Strauss takes an easy slip catch. NZ 76-4

3:08pm: The batting manual says "if you flash, flash hard" - and McCullum is taking it to heart. Another ball goes aerial but wide of the fielder - four more runs.

3:03pm: They're all at it now. Ian Bell plunges to his right as McCullum swats at one from Broad - this one goes for four though.

3:01pm: Pietersen is the next man muddying his new shiny white kit - his dive almost snares Marshall from Sidebottom's bowling but turns into an athletic stop as the ball bounces short of him.

2:59pm: McCullum shows a flash of his IPL big-hitting, clipping Sidebottom of his hip for an effortless boundary.

2:53pm: Collingwood's over was clearly a stop gap to swap things over - Broad is back on, this time he's at the Pavilion End.

Sidebottom's LBW appeal was turned down 2:50pm: And the mop-haired left-armer has the first big shout for LBW of the day. Marshall is the man in question but a shake of the head from umpire Steve Bucknor soon stifles the appeal.

2:48pm: Sidebottom's quickly back in action at the Nursery End, where he clearly feels more comfortable.

2:45pm: Another bowling change by Vaughan and Sidebottom is off again. He hasn't looked settled this morning and Collingwood replaces him from the Pavilion End.

2:41pm: Marshall relieves the pressure with a boundary from Broad's bowling. Not quite out of the middle of the bat but good enough.

2:35pm: Fifty up for New Zealand and polite applause at Lord's, though it's England who clearly have the upper hand.

2:33pm: Time for two-wicket Anderson to take a rest and it's Ryan Sidebottom coming back, from the Pavilion End.

Collingwood is able to take his time for this catch 2:19pm: More "Ooohs" from the Lord's crowd but this time because the ball is high, high in the air. Taylor swiped at one from Broad and it's Paul Collingwood who bags the catch - though it was in the air long enough for anyone to have called it. NZ 41-3

The Kiwi's big-hitting IPL and record-breaking star Brendan McCullum is coming out to bat now.

2:11pm: Another one in Pietersen's direction but this one from Taylor is about four feet over his head - and also four runs.

2:08pm: The first change of bowling and it's Stuart Broad who comes on at the Nursery End for Ryan Sidebottom.

2:07pm: There's "Ooohs" around 'HQ' as Marshall sends one at Kevin Pietersen at gully - but it's travelling like a bullet and Pietersen knew little about it. Another boundary.

2:01pm: EDGED! But wide of third slip. Sidebottom is all smiles but it's four more to the Black Caps' total.

1:58pm: "Yes, no, yes... wait!" A real mix-up with the Kiwi batsmen, both are standing alongside each other at one end at one point. But another let-off as Anderson shys at the stumps - and misses.

1:56pm: Ross Taylor makes a good start though, lifting Kiwi spirits with a thumping four.

Jamie How trudges off 1:55pm: GONE! And it really is this time. Almost a replica of the no-ball 'wicket' and Anderson removes Jamie How, Tim Ambrose taking the catch. NZ 19-2

Anderson, the last man to take a five-for at Lord's is looking in good form in helpful conditions.

1:46pm: And there's the first mis-field of the season from Monty Panesar. It only costs England one run but Monty won't have enjoyed getting his lovely white kit dirty in exchange for that.

1:45pm: GONE! Marshall's caught by Ambrose but... no, Anderson oversteps and it's called a no-ball. A wry smile from Michael Vaughan.

1:44pm: Crack - the first real sound of leather on willow of the summer at Lord's. James Marshall pushes a loose ball from Ryan Sidebottom for four runs.

1:31pm: Anderson opens the England attack with Ryan Sidebottom. NZ debutant Aaron Redmond fishes at one from Anderson and Alastair Cook takes a good catch low down in the slips. NZ 2-1

1:29pm: Finally the teams trot out onto the Lord's outfield. England's new adidas kit looks startlingly white. If they bowl as sharply as they dress the Kiwis could be in trouble.

The start of the English 'summer' 12:19pm: Typically, with play due to start, instead it's the rain that starts again. The covers are on again and the Umpires call an early lunch at 12:30pm.

11:45am: The rain stops and the Umpires make a second inspection - scheduling play for a 12:20pm start.

10:45am: You wait all year for the first Test of the summer; there's glorious sunshine all week and of course on the first day of the Test Match it rains.