LANCASHIRE’S Jos Buttler made an impressive 67 as England made a remarkable recovery on day one of the opening summer Test with New Zealand at Lord’s.

The tourists had England in all sorts of trouble early on as they reduced the home side to 30-4, but Ben Stokes and Joe Root led the recovery before Buttler and Mooen Ali, unbeaten on 49, ensured England left the field having enjoyed marginally the better of the play.

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Ali batted beautifully alongside Buttler after Root and Stokes had each fallen just short of centuries.

The pair made a mockery of England’s initial struggles against the new ball and rarely took a backward step after joining forces at a perilous 30 for four with New Zealand seam-and-swing trio Tim Southee, Trent Boult and debutant Matt Henry in full cry.

Root (98) was quickest to his half-century, straight after lunch, his seventh in his last nine Test innings from 53 balls.

But New Zealand-born Stokes (92) took over with a string of commanding boundaries, often on-drives and fierce pulls - one for six off Henry into the Mound Stand, to go with 15 fours - before falling short of a second Test century when he mis-read and left a straight one from off-spinner Mark Craig to be bowled off-stump.

Root in particular, a rare reliable presence amid England’s difficulties in all formats in recent times, was badly needed again as Alastair Cook’s team faltered on a sunny morning.

The captain and debutant Adam Lyth made an encouraging fist of the earliest exchanges as the ball swung after Brendon McCullum won the toss.

But Southee did Lyth with a variation, moving down the slope for a faint edge behind.

Gary Ballance was determined to play from deep in his crease but pushed out in front of his pads for a low edge to third slip after Boult switched to the pavilion end.

Then it was over to the pace of first-change Henry.

Cook took on a bouncer but edged his attempted pull behind, and then Ian Bell was bowled by a very good ball which beat the defensive push on the outside and clipped the off bail - a third wicket for the addition of just five runs.

Root fell with the score on 251 when he got a top-edge to a Henry delivery and edged the ball through to TomLatham.

But Buttler and Ali, dropped on 32, continued the fightback until the Red Rose man fell in the final over the evening session.