London, June 18 (IANS) Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips scripted a middle-order recovery for New Zealand, but part-time spinner Jacob Bethell claimed two late wickets as England fought back to grab the initiative on the opening day of the second Test at The Oval in London on Wednesday.

Blundell scored an 84-ball 51 while Phillips walked off the field undefeated at the end of the first day as New Zealand reached 291/7 in 77 overs, as start of play on the first day was delayed 30 minutes because of wet ground conditions.

After stand-in captain Joe Root, deputising for Ben Stokes – who was stood down following his involvement in a nightclub incident after England’s first Test win at Lord’s – won the toss and asked the BlackCaps to bat first, the hosts struck early blows and had the Kiwis struggling at 75/2 at lunch.

Matt Fisher ended a four-year wait for a Test wicket by trapping Devon Conway lbw for nine, and Jacob Bethell picked up a stunning catch that earned Jofra Archer a wicket on his return.

Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker then struck early in the afternoon session to leave the tourists 106-4.

Blndell (51 off 84) pieced together partnerships of 81 and 75 with Daryl Mitchell (44 off 74) and Glenn Phillips (49 not out off 74) to stabilise New Zealand’s innings, with the Black Caps threatening to carry that momentum through to the close before Bethell’s intervention.

But just when it looked like the visitors would take the upper hand, Bethell turned things in favour of the hosts in the final session of the day. He claimed the wickets of Blundell and Nathan Smith (4) during his five-over spell, bowled in tandem with some fiery short stuff from Archer, which helped curtail New Zealand’s scoring and leave the Test finely poised.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 297/7 in 77 overs (Tom Blundell 51, Daryl Mitchell 44, Glenn Phillips 49 not out; Sonny Baker 2-63, Jacob Bethell 2-8) v England.

–IANS

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