International Cricket

NZ vs Eng Lord's Day 4 — Rachin Ravindra's Match-Saving 81 in the Slope

Anika Nair 15 May 2026 Updated 15 May 2026 ~6 min read ~1,108 words

Rachin Ravindra defending at Lord's slope

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Rachin Ravindra walked out at Lord's on Day 4 with the chase already broken. Kane Williamson had fallen for 68 to Shoaib Bashir an hour into the morning session. Tom Latham was already back in the pavilion for 41. New Zealand were 162 for 4 needing 153 more to win, with 56 overs to bat or chase. Ravindra came in at four, took 184 balls to make 81, never reached for a shot he could leave, and dragged the Test to a draw with one wicket in hand at stumps. The match-saving knock confirms what the 24-year-old has been turning into — the spine of New Zealand's Test batting.

Phase one: the slope and the leave

Lord's slope is one of cricket's most quoted but least understood phenomena. From the pavilion end the right-arm seamer gets the help of the slope coming down. The lefty Ravindra was facing Shoaib Bashir from the pavilion end and Ben Stokes from the Nursery end. Both were getting purchase from the surface, but the slope was working against Stokes for the inswinger to the lefty.

Ravindra's leave map was the most disciplined part of his innings. Of the 184 balls he faced, 51 were leaves outside off — a leave rate of 27.7 percent, the highest in any New Zealand Test innings of the last three years. The leaves were not casual. Ravindra played the line of the ball, dropped his hands, and let the ball go on his terms.

What the numbers say

Ravindra's 81 broke into four sessions. Morning session: 23 off 56 balls, two boundaries. Afternoon session: 19 off 41 balls, one boundary. Evening session (after tea): 28 off 49 balls, four boundaries. Final hour (last 12 overs): 11 off 38 balls, no boundaries.

The strike rate of 44.0 was unusual for him — his career T20 strike rate is 142 and his Test career strike rate is 65. The Lord's knock was Ravindra in the most patient gear of his career. He played 132 dot balls. He scored eight runs off 47 deliveries by Bashir between overs 60 and 78.

The Stokes-Bashir matchup

Ben Stokes bowled 28 overs across the day with three short spells. He was trying to create reverse-swing from the Nursery end, but the Lord's ball didn't scuff up the way Headingley balls do. Stokes finished with 1 for 71 from his 28 overs — Williamson the wicket.

Shoaib Bashir was the bowler England leaned on. He bowled 32 overs and finished with 4 for 119. Ravindra absorbed him through the middle session and the early evening. The matchup data showed Ravindra at 39 runs off 96 balls against Bashir, a strike rate of 40. He didn't sweep until the 56th over of his innings, and he never reverse-swept.

The over he scored 17 from

The 79th over of the New Zealand chase was bowled by Shoaib Bashir. New Zealand needed 67 to win with three wickets remaining. Mitchell Santner had just fallen and Will O'Rourke was at the crease. Ravindra was on 64 not out and the asking rate had dropped to 4 an over.

He took strike, drove the first ball through cover for four. Saw the field push deep. Lofted the second over mid-off for six. Played the third ball straight back for one. The fourth ball was the front-foot drive square of the wicket for four. The fifth ball was a two through midwicket. The sixth was a single. The over went for 17.

That broke the match into a chase. New Zealand needed 50 with three wickets in hand and 14 overs to play. The momentum tilted away from England for the first time since Tim Southee's spell on Day 2.

The finish

Will O'Rourke fell in the next over for 8, caught at slip off Olly Stone. Matt Henry came in and the asking rate climbed to 4.5. Ravindra got to 81 with a single through midwicket in the 86th over. Then he played for the draw — five overs of leaves and singles to keep the strike. Henry fell to Bashir in the 90th over for 4. Tim Southee walked out to play the last two overs. He survived. The match was drawn with New Zealand 254 for 9, needing 61 more.

Ravindra finished 81 not out. The Lord's honours board for a hundred eluded him by 19 runs, but the knock was bigger than the milestone.

What it means for the series

The series is 0-0 with two Tests to play. New Zealand have shown they can absorb pressure and grind a result on the road. The match-saving knock from a 24-year-old in the second innings of a Test in England is a significant moment in his career. Ravindra now averages 48 in away Tests, the highest of any current New Zealand player.

For England the Lord's draw is a missed opportunity. They had New Zealand 56 for 4 and 99 for 4 in the chase and could not finish. Ben Stokes' bowling workload on Day 4 was the concern — 28 overs after a knee surgery only eight weeks ago.

The forward view

The second Test is at Headingley on May 31. The surface tends to favour the seamers more than Lord's, and the lateral movement should give Stokes the in-swinger he wanted. New Zealand will lean on Williamson, Ravindra, and Daryl Mitchell at the top of the middle order.

What to watch next: Stokes' fitness review before Headingley on May 31 — the 28-over Day 4 workload is the worry.