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Strauss' debut century bolsters England
Andrew Strauss' hundred on his Test debut was the centrepiece of England's reply to New Zealand's first innings 386 at Lord's on Friday.
Andrew Strauss' hundred on his Test debut was the centrepiece of England's reply to New Zealand's first innings 386 at Lord's on Friday.
At stumps on the second day, England were 246 for two, a deficit of 240, after Strauss had made 112.
Mark Butcher was 22 not out and nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard unbeaten on nought.
Middlesex captain Strauss, batting on his home ground, was only playing after England skipper Michael Vaughan withdrew because of a knee injury.
The 27-year-old left-handed opener faced 215 balls, including 13 fours, in an innings lasting just over five hours, before he was caught at short leg by Mark Richardson off left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori.
By then Strauss had become the fourth member of an exclusive club of batsmen to have made a century on Test debut at Lord's - the others were Australia's Henry 'Harry' Graham in 1893, England's John Hampshire in 1969 and India's Sourav Ganguly in 1996.
Strauss was only the 15th England batsman in history and first since Graham Thorpe against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993, to make a hundred on Test debut. But fellow left-hander Thorpe's century came in the second innings.
Strauss gave one chance, a difficult low catch in the gully to Jacob Oram off Chris Martin, on 95 before he was dismissed to leave England 239 for two.
He put on 190 for the first wicket with stand-in captain Marcus Trescothick (86) and 49 with Butcher, England's third left-hander in the top three.
New Zealand's total owed much to Chris Cairns's rapid 82 which saw the all-rounder break West Indies great Viv Richards's world record when he struck his 85th Test six.
England, 136 without loss at tea, lost Trescothick afterwards when he was caught behind off all-rounder Jacob Oram.
The Somerset batsman faced 165 balls including 13 fours.
New Zealand, missing the express pace of Shane Bond, still regaining full fitness following a stress fracture of the back, badly needed Vettori's variety in attack. He finished the day with figures of one for 36 in 12 overs.
Strauss began by nudging runs in Thorpe-like fashion.
But as his innings progressed he played some bold strokes, including a grand cover-driven four off seamer Martin that took him to his hundred after 29 balls spent in the 90s.
Cairns's 47-ball innings featured four sixes and 10 fours, as well as a five courtesy of an overthrow, in what was his best Test score against England, surpassing his match-winning 80 at The Oval during New Zealand's last tour here five years ago.
New Zealand quickly lost Oram (67) when play resumed Friday, Cairns coming to the crease with New Zealand 287 for six for what turned out to be 62 minutes of superb clean hitting.
At the other end three wickets fell for 12 runs in 15 balls to leave New Zealand 338 for nine.
But such was Cairns's skill in shielding Martin (one not out) from the strike, the paceman only faced six balls in a last wicket partnership of 48 in 28 balls.
Cairns carved a six over cover off Harmison and a superb pick up off Andrew Flintoff flew over midwicket for another six.
That gave Cairns the world record and next ball he flayed Flintoff high over the cover field and into the grandstand before the following delivery saw Stephen Harmison take a well-judged catch off a miscued pull.
