Bashir leads England’s fightback against New Zealand after Williamson’s 93

CHRISTCHURCH: Right-arm spinner Shoaib Bashir took four wickets as England recovered from a poor start to reduce New Zealand to 319/8 on the opening day of the first Test here at Hagley Oval on Thursday.

Put into bat first, the home side had a shaky start to their first innings as their opener Devon Conway (two) fell victim to Gus Atkinson in the second over with just four runs on the board.

But Williamson, walking out to bat at number three, anchored New Zealand’s innings with a sensible knock.

The right-handed batter was involved in crucial partnerships for the home side, including a 78-run partnership with Rachin Ravindra (34) and a 69-run stand with Daryl Mitchell (19) before falling victim to Atkinson in the early phase of the third session.

He remained the top-scorer for New Zealand with 93 off 197 deliveries, falling in the 90s for the first time in six years in the longest format.

His dismissal sparked a middle-order collapse as the home side lost three more wickets at regular intervals and were consequently reduced to 298/8.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Glenn Phillips displayed remarkable grit as he stood firm at the close of play, unbeaten with a brisk 41 off 58 deliveries.

Phillips will resume New Zealand’s first innings with former captain Tim Southee, who had scored an unbeaten before the closure of play.

Bashir was the standout bowler for England, picking up four wickets, while Atkinson and Brydon Carse bagged two each.