Williamson 92*, Taylor 47*
Latham (59) & Guptill (70) put on 148
England 389: Root 98, Stokes 92; Boult 4-79
First Test, Lord's, day two
Jay: I'd like to know who, in the team management, thinks England can get away with playing just 3 specialist bowlers in the Ashes.
Totum: Bad train reception. The NZ wickets is stuck on 2 & won't refresh. Odd as the runs total keep going up. Technology heh!
Harry Willis: On medical elective in Mauritius, down at the beach watching the wickets tumble. Motivation for getting on the plane home is waning by the second...
England lack ideas and invention. Stokes will run in for his country all day but he is not trying anything new and Taylor is able to pick him off with a straight drive that brings up the only four runs he and his team need for the over.
Image source, Getty ImagesUnfortunately Tim, Broady was very much playable in this first over on his return at the Pavilion End. The closest England's opener gets to a breakthrough is a nick off the inside edge of Williamson's bat that slams the ball into the worst spot a man can imagine. Williamson barely bats an eyelid, though, and responds by swatting the last ball for four past mid-off.
Tim from Guildford: I feel like this is set up for one of Broad's unplayable spells...
New Zealand are happy to just bide their time and wait for the bad ball. On cue, Stokes serves one up with a full one that Williamson leans into and punches emphatically through extra cover. It brings up the 100 partnership - the fourth between this pair in Test cricket.
Henry Bell: The writing up of my PhD reflects the fortunes of the England team. Yesterday it flowed magnificently, today I'm struggling.
Peter Collins: New Zealand are having four batsman get decent scores. We did as well. What will their other 6 do though?
It is the perfect summer evening for cricket. The sun is shining, the beer is flowing. Unfortunately for England, New Zealand are firmly on top. It has been very much their day. But England still have a lead and with that comes hope. Anderson digs a few in short to try and bombard Taylor but the pitch lacks the pace for such deliveries to pose problems.
New Zealand 245-2 (60 overs) - trail by 144
Batsmen: Williamson 54*, Taylor 31*
Fall of wickets: 148-1 (Latham 59), 148-2 (Guptill 70)
Bowling figures: Anderson 15-3-46-0, Broad 11-1-32-1, Wood 13-0-60-0, Stokes 8-2-36-0, Moeen 12-1-40-1, Root 1-0-1-0
England 389: Root 98, Stokes 92, Buttler 67, Moeen 58; Boult 4-79, Henry 4-93
Joanna: I'm writing from California. My father is in the picture you posted, he's the cool one on drums. I just wanted to say that those codgers look cooler than the Stones! You made my day.
In case you're wondering what Joanna's talking about, here's the photo that we had a lot of fun with this morning. Go to our 14:23 entry to see Joanna's dad on drums, courtesy of some ingenious photo-editing by one of our readers.
Image source, Getty ImagesWith his fifty up, Williamson gets creative with a lovely little steered chop to bring him a four off Stokes. Ian Bell and Alastair Cook stand in the slips, arms folded, faces glum. We have 17 overs left to play today. It is likely to be a long, old slog for the fielding side.
Image source, Getty Images
Phil Tufnell
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special
"Williamson has looked composed and gone about his business very nicely. New Zealand are putting together a very nice score."
Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician
"In his last 15 Test matches, Williamson has 1,699 runs at an average of 77.2."
Having scored 361 runs in his two Tests in 2015 so far and only being out once, Williamson averages 361 for the year. He reaches his half-century with a steer for the only run off Anderson's latest over.
Bryan Waddle
BBC Test Match Special
"There's pressure on the New Zealand seam bowlers to deliver, because there are the likes of Bracewell, Wagner and Milne who can't get in the side, who most sides would be happy to have."
Image source, AFPClose of play at Lord's need not be the end of your cricket fix this evening.
If you love a bit of bish, bash, bosh, we will be bringing you live radio and text coverage of tonight's T20 Blast programme.
Amongst the stellar overseas names playing should be Australian's Glenn Maxwell, who is set to make his Yorkshire debut.
Cook twists by bringing Stokes back into the attack but his first ball is too short and sits up on this slow track for Williamson to clobber on the pull for four. It may as well have been topped with brown sauce (or red sauce if that's how you choose to live your life). Stokes jags one back in to Taylor's pads later in the over to prompt a stifled appeal but it was born more from hope than belief and is rightly turned down. The partnership is 91, the England lead is down to 149 and New Zealand are set with plenty of firepower to come.
Maybe it is not even a case of digging deep to make something happen. Maybe the wicket is too flat? Maybe the New Zealand players are playing too well? Maybe England simply lack the players to fashion something from unfavourable conditions? Maybe all of the above? Regardless, England are struggling and New Zealand are easing this game away from them. Anderson and the field erupt for another lbw call against Taylor but it is clear the ball is going down. Taylor's response? A four.
Image source, ReutersMr Brightside: They seriously need to re-evaluate the umpire review system; If it's hitting the wickets, it's hitting the wickets!
Jay replies: Then Root would have been out yesterday for less than 40.
You can see the belief starting to seep out of England. Moeen drops one short and Taylor rocks back and punches a four through point, prompting some raised eyes and chin rubbing from the fielders. These are the times when other sides dig deep to make something happen - a facet that has been sorely lacking in English international cricket for a while.
Image source, Getty Images