Rory Burns leads England fightback against New Zealand after Devon Conway double century

Rory Burns has not enjoyed the best of times ever since he fell victim to a nasty injury playing football on the eve of the Cape Town Test where the Chris Silverwood era began in earnest.

Since the incident which led to a rapid ban for England’s football practice sessions there has been indifferent form, an absence in Sri Lanka through paternity leave and the loss of his place in India. There was even an unseemly Twitter spat with England women’s player Alex Hartley.

So Burns, and England, will be delighted at least one of the top three they want to take to Australia this winter was back to his best on a productive day two of the first Test. 

Rory Burns led England’s fightback with an unbeaten 59 on the second day of the opening Test

Joe Root was also unbeaten on 42 as England recovered from 18-2 to 111-2 following tea 

First Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson, involved in a far more serious Twitter controversy on his first day of Test cricket, skittled New Zealand for 378, at least a hundred fewer than looked likely after Thursday’s first hour.

Then Burns and Joe Root rescued England from a sticky start of their own with an unbroken partnership of 93 that sees a first Test that is proving every bit as challenging as expected against an impressive New Zealand perfectly poised.

It looked like New Zealand would bat their way out of England’s reach at Lord’s on the second day when Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls took their partnership to 174 and their side to 288 for three. 

Kyle Jamieson celebrates after taking the wicket of Dom Sibley early in England’s innings

Zak Crawley didn’t hang around long, edging Tim Southee to BJ Watling after scoring just two

Jamieson celebrates after Dom Sibley’s departure was confirmed following a review 

Crawley soon followed as England made a less than encouraging start to their reply 

But England, and Robinson’s, plight took a turn for the better when Nicholls was hurried by a short ball from Wood and top edged to the Sussex seamer at fine leg.

It was a catch that perhaps settled Robinson, who saw his world turned upside down on his first day in Test cricket by the emergence of those historic racist and sexist tweets.

Certainly, he looked every inch a Test bowler as he built on the positive impression he made on day one, at least on the field, by adding two more wickets, De Grandhomme with the help of a review after Richard Kettleborough had turned down his lbw shout. 

Devon Conway marks his double century on Test debut against England at Lord’s 

Conway brought up his 200 with a top edged six to cap a stunning performance 

The New Zealand balcony applaud Conway off the pitch as his dismissal ended their innings

Robinson would have had a five-for on debut and earned a place on the Lord’s honours board, too, had Stuart Broad not spilled a tumbling catch at mid-off to reprieve Tim Southee.

Yet this was a display of substance from Robinson, who apologised to his team-mates for the embarrassment caused at the worst possible time on a day when they made a stand against discrimination.

If the ECB are to make an example of him, and there is every chance he will be banned for the second game, at least Robinson has shown he is good enough to have a Test future.

Really, the matter should be closed now he has displayed genuine remorse for something that happened when he was a teenager and which does seem out of character. We will see if England are inclined towards any sort of leniency at the end of this match.  

Mark Wood (centre) is congratulated after taking the wicket of Henry Nicholls for 61

It was a terrific morning for Wood, who took three wickets to drag England back into the game

Nicholls was going well until he holed out to Ollie Robinson at long leg off the bowling of Wood

Wood then claimed his second wicket after BJ Watling edged to Dom Sibley in the slips

If Robinson ended with four wickets then the man who kept England in the hunt was Wood, demonstrating why coach Silverwood wants a bowler of real pace in every line-up.

Wood was rapid on day one and now, even though he did not quite repeat those extreme speeds, he burst through New Zealand with a spell of three for seven in six overs.

The tables were close to being completely turned when New Zealand crashed to 317 for eight but Conway was given unlikely support, not least from Neil Wagner with some of the most stylish left-hand batting of the Test.

Wagner brought up the Kiwis 350 by smashing Broad over long-off for six and then crashed a back-foot drive off Wood through the covers for four that Brian Lara would have been proud of. 

Sibley gets down to pocket the catch to remove Watling for just one on the second morning 

Wood looked delighted as his pace removed two dangerous batsmen in quick succession

Wood’s third victim of the morning was Mitchell Santner, who went without scoring 

James Anderson took the catch after Santner could only chip Wood’s deliver to short cover

The late resistance allowed Conway to make the highest score by a Test debutant in England, reaching his double hundred in the grand manner with a pull for six off Wood.

But he had only himself to blame for not carrying his bat as he was run out going for an unlikely second after Wagner had flayed 25 off 21 balls in a last-wicket stand of 40.

England had taken seven wickets on day two for 90 runs but only one fell to either of their big two in Jimmy Anderson, leaving Broad, for all his success last summer, wicketless for the fifth successive innings.

Dom Sibley is having an equally lean time with the bat but at least his sixth successive single figure score was the result of a beauty from the imposing Kyle Jamieson. 

Ollie Robinson is congratulated by his team-mates after dismissing Colin de Grandhomme

An excellent review by England secured the wicket of De Grandhomme for a duck

All eyes were on Robinson after racist and sexist tweets posted when he was 18 resurface

Sibley might have been a bit unlucky, too, as his review just about backed up umpire Kettleborough’s affirmative judgment both on where the ball pitched and impact.

Zak Crawley soon followed to a wild drive at Tim Southee but Burns and Root steadied the England ship, the Surrey captain leading the way with an unbeaten 59 in England’s 111 for two and pulling the short-pitched bowling of Wagner with alacrity.

Root initially found life a little tougher and was struck on the right hand he bruised in practice by De Grandhomme in a spell where he fended off 23 dot balls from a bowler who is something of a medium-paced nemesis.

But Root was much more at home against the rest of the Kiwi attack and, on 42, has the launchpad to go just as big on Friday as he did against Sri Lanka and India in the winter.

How England would relish that after their problems on and off the Lord’s pitch on Wednesday.

Nicholls (right)is congratulated by Devon Conway after reaching his half-century at Lord’s 

Conway continued to look composed on debut as he piled on the runs for New Zealand 

BJ Watling throws himself to the ground to make his ground during the second day

England’s James Anderson looks frustrated as he searches for wickets at the Home of Cricket