England's Rory Burns may have ground his way to a valuable 81 on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston on Thursday but what really impressed the opener was team-mate Dan Lawrence's brisk fifty. Burns batted for more than two full sessions, facing 187 balls before England reached stumps on 258-7.

They were a long way from that total, however, at 175-6 after the Surrey left-hander and James Bracey fell to successive deliveries from Trent Boult. Lawrence though ensured Burns's hard work was not wasted courtesy of a stylish 67 not featuring 11 fours that delighted a crowd of some 18,000, two-thirds of full capacity, following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions by the British Government.