Conway's impressive debut ton gives New Zealand edge on opening day

SCORECARD

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, skipper Kane Williamson would have been pretty content with the way his openers got his side off to a steady start. Tom Latham and Conway stitched together a stand of 58 runs on a deck which seemed favourable for the batters.

Debutant Ollie Robinson though made quite an early impression, breaking the opening partnership. Bowling consistently on a nagging line and length, he constantly tested the patience of the openers. This would soon pay dividends, as Latham inside-edged the ball onto his stumps, as Robinson celebrated a moment which he would remember for a lifetime. Williamson then joined Conway on the crease as the Blackcaps ended the first session on 85/1.

It didn't take James Anderson long to make an immediate impact after lunch, as Williamson played the ball quite late and ended up inside-edging it onto his off stump. Conway though stood firm in his approach, punishing the bad balls away, bringing up his maiden 50 on debut.

Ross Taylor too couldn't prolong his stay at the crease, as Robinson trapped him in front of the stumps to snatch up his second scalp of the day. The visitors ended the session scoring 59 runs, hoping for a big stand between the well-settled Conway and Henry Nicholls to put them in a strong position after tea.

The pair then kept chipping away at the scoreboard in the final session, not giving the four-pronged English pace attack an inch. Conway brought up his maiden Test century in style, whipping the ball through the leg-side, as his teammates applauded him from the famous balcony at Lord's. He became the sixth batsman to score a ton on Test debut at the venue.

Despite the overcast conditions, the quicks couldn't extract much out of the pitch, as the Kiwis ended the day in a strong position at stumps — which they will aim to further solidify tomorrow.