Emilio Gay scripts history, becomes second England batter after Andrew Strauss to...

England's star batter Emilio Gay achieved a rare feat in his debut Test match against New Zealand. The Three Lions are currently playing against New Zealand in the first Test match of the three-game series, which started on June 4 at the iconic Lord's Stadium in London.

Big feat for Emilio Gay

In England's second innings, Gay played a calm and composed knock of 57 runs off 95 balls to help the hosts to extend their lead over the visitors. With his patient half-century, Gay became the second batter after Andrew Strauss to score a fifty on Test debut on home soil while opening the innings.

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Gay's knock came to an end when Nathan Smith induced an edge to Tom Blundell, Gay had already reached the milestone that made him join an elite list. It was in 2004, when Andrew Strauss smashed 112 against New Zealand at Lord's in 2004.

Elite club in Test cricket

Meanwhile, he also joined Keaton Jennings, as he became the first England opener to score a half-century on Test debut. Keaton Jennings achieved the feat after scoring a hundred against India in Mumbai in 2016.

Gay's opening stand of 52 runs with Ben Duckett provided England with a strong start in the second innings, before he further boosted the team's position by stitching together another key partnership with Jacob Bethell.

Gay showed remarkable resilience in his batting, as wickets falling on a regular interval and played a key knock in helping England stay in strong position in the clash.

His knock was particularly impressive considering the challenging conditions at Lord's, where New Zealand's pace bowlers extracted significant movement and bounce throughout the day, making batting far from easy.

Despite facing continuous pressure from New Zealand's pace quartet of Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O'Rourke and Nathan Smith, Gay showcased solid technique and impressive composure throughout his stay at the crease.

Though he narrowly missed out on a big score after getting a significant score, the innings offered a promising future for England's batting prospect at the top order.