“Lord’s Pavilion” by Ben Marsh. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons –

Ben Stokes and Joe Root each fell just short of Test centuries after their combined rescue act gave England the advantage over New Zealand on day one at Lord’s.

The fifth-wicket pair made a mockery of the hosts’ struggles against the new ball, with a much-needed stand of 161 in less than 32 overs in a stumps total of 354 for seven in the first Investec Test.

Tayo Popoola reports: