Cricket: Tom Blundell says Blackcaps still have 'big job' to do against England on day three of first test

Tom Blundell was pleased with his formidable partnership with Daryl Mitchell that put New Zealand in control of the first test against England but the wicket-keeper batsman said they still have a "big job" to do on day three at Lord's.

Blundell (90 not out) and Mitchell (97 not out) added 180 runs for the fifth wicket to revive New Zealand and take a solid 227-run lead on the second day.

Wickets tumbled on a frantic first day and in the morning session of day two but world test champions New Zealand showed resilience with the bat in the afternoon and evening sessions as they fought back and put pressure on the hosts.

"I was just doing my things and playing the way I like to play," Blundell told reporters.

"I was being positive... I thought Daryl batted especially well and to build a partnership with him was pretty pleasing."

England's fast bowlers bundled out New Zealand for 132 in the first innings but they struggled to find a way past Blundell and Mitchell on Saturday (NZ time).

Asked about how the Black Caps duo managed to break the bowlers' rhythm, Blundell said: "I think it was about trying to play the ball late and look to hit really straight.

"The pitch is a little bit slow, quite hard to get a rhythm at times, but if you get through that and keep on bringing the bowlers back -- I thought we did that really well."

Blundell remains 10 runs away from his third century in the longest format and also getting his name featured on the iconic Lord's honours board.

"Obviously it would mean a lot but there is a long way to go in this game," he added. "Daryl and I have a big job tomorrow to build that lead.

"Those milestones will take care of themselves but first and foremost we got our job to do." 

Reuters.