The opening day of the first Rothesay Test at Lord’s delivered a swing of fortunes that will linger long in the memory. England, having been put in under leaden skies, were bundled out for a paltry 140 in under 40 overs. Kyle Jamieson’s five-wicket haul epitomised New Zealand’s ruthlessness. Yet within an hour, the home crowd was roaring as Ollie Robinson, playing his first Test in more than two years, conjured a triple-wicket maiden that left the visitors staggering at two for three and ultimately 61 for six at stumps.

Robinson’s return had been anything but certain. Dropped in February 2024 amid concerns over his fitness and commitment, he admitted the two-year exile made him fear his international career was over. But when Ben Stokes handed him the new ball, the 6ft 6in seamer found movement and bounce that confounded New Zealand’s top order. Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra all fell in four deliveries, each caught behind or in the slips. “My legs were numb,” Robinson later said of the Lord’s ovation. He finished with four for 10 from six overs, his finest spell in England colours.

The drama was all the more remarkable for the shambles that preceded it. England’s batting, reconfigured without the omitted Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, crumbled as the ball hooped around. Jamieson (five for 38) was almost unplayable, while Nathan Smith and Will O’Rourke shared five wickets. It was a familiar collapse for a side that has often oscillated between cavalier brilliance and brittle disarray.

From Reykjavik, the unofficial satirical voice of Iceland Cricket could not resist. “You can take Zak Crawley out of the England side physically, but his spirit is still there,” the account posted on X, a barb that ricocheted across social media. The jibe captured a persistent worry: that England’s top order, even with new faces, remains vulnerable under testing conditions. Yet by day’s end, Robinson had rewritten the script. New Zealand, still 79 behind with four wickets standing, face a tough path back on a pitch offering plenty for the seamers. The series, already finely balanced, promises more twists. For England, the bowling resurrection offers hope; the batting brittleness, a warning.