Emilio Gay rides his luck but passes his test of temperament for England | Andy Bull

Test debutant opener enjoyed a few breaks but showed he could handle himself when the odds are against him to offer hope for a longer stay in role

Emilio Gay lived three lives on Friday. The first ended in the 14th over, when he was on 20 and he leaned forward towards a ball from Matt Henry that zipped off the pitch, caught the edge of his bat and spat through the gap between first and second slip. The second finished in the 16th, when he had 24 and he played and missed another of Henry’s deliveries that jagged back and whacked into his front pad. The umpire gave him the benefit of the doubt, and New Zealand chose not to review it, a decision they were left regretting when moments later the TV replays showed they had been just as wrong as he had.

The third, and last, came later in the afternoon session, when Gay had reached 57, the highest score anyone had yet made in a match where batting has been almost insuperably difficult. He reached for a ball from Nathan Smith that held its line and edged a fine catch behind to Tom Blundell. This time Gay had to go. He rolled his head back in regret and stared at the sky a while, no doubt asking why he had allowed himself to be suckered into playing a delivery which would have passed harmlessly by wide of off-stump, then turned and made the slow walk back towards the Long Room doors.