England vs. New Zealand, 1st Test, Day 4: Highlights, Scorecard and Report

England (429/6) finally had something to cheer about on Day 4 of their first Test against New Zealand, as Ben Stokes scored the fastest-ever Test 100 at Lorde's and Alastair Cook had a fine outing with the bat to give the hosts a 295-run lead going into the final day of this Test.

Stokes scored 101 from just 92 deliveries before he was bowled by Mark Craig, and Test Match Special shared that the New Zealand-born batsman did an awful lot of carnage in a relatively short time:

Combined with Cook's 153 not out, it gave England hope of a win after several rough days against the Black Caps. New Zealand's explosive batting means the lead is hardly safe, however, and a draw appears likely. Here's the scorecard for Day 4:

		R	B	4s	6s	SR
Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ	0s	4s	6s
Adam Lyth	c Southee b Boult	12	8	3	0	150.00
Alastair Cook	not out	153	327	15	0	46.78
Gary Ballance	b Southee	0	12	0	0	0.00
Ian Bell	c Latham b Southee	29	58	4	0	50.00
Joe Root	c Boult b Henry	84	139	12	0	60.43
Ben Stokes	c Taylor b Craig	101	92	15	3	109.78
Jos Buttler	c Latham b Henry	14	18	2	0	77.77
Moeen Ali	not out	19	54	3	0	35.18
Extras	(b 2, lb 10, w 5)	17	8	3	0	150.00
Total	(6 wickets; 118 overs)	429
Trent Boult	28	5	71	1	2.53	134	11	0
Tim Southee	29	4	129	2	4.44	121	17	3
Matt Henry	29	3	106	2	3.65	121	11	0
Mark Craig	28	3	96	1	3.42	125	14	0
Corey Anderson	3	0	13	0	4.33	10	1	0
Kane Williamson	1	0	2	0	2.00	4	0	0

England were in dire need of a spark after a slow start to the second innings on Day 3, and just when the team needed him the most, Cook stepped up. Paired with Ian Bell to start the day, his partner was bowled by Tim Southee on just the third ball, but Joe Root gave the 30-year-old a solid partner.

Cook worked his way to a patient 50, his first at Lorde's since 2012, and continued his fine knock after lunch. Former England international Kevin Pietersen was impressed:

Root did his part and was lucky to survive two dropped catches and a leg-before-wicket review, eventually departing from 84 from 139.

Stokes was the next man up, and the 23-year-old came out firing. He worked his way to his second 50 of the match in just 58 balls before really shifting gears, needing just 85 to reach a ton.

It was the fastest Test century ever scored at Lorde's, and even the Black Caps' Twitter account had to give the batsman his due:

Sky Sports Cricket shared the new list of fastest centuries in a Test match at the iconic venue:

His fantastic outing came to an end when Craig bowled him for 101, and replacement Jos Buttler was unable to replicate Stokes' incredible pace, as he was caught after just 18 balls.

Cook was still going strong, meanwhile, batting the whole day and finishing with 153 from 327 not out. 

New Zealand's effort with the ball wasn't helped by Southee's struggles during the late session. As ESPN Cricinfo shared, the experienced bowler had a number of poor overs that boosted England's total tremendously:

All in all, it was a great day for England, who entered Day 4 with little hope and finished their knock with a healthy lead. Cook didn't declare, which left some fans confused, and should England resume batting on Monday, New Zealand are unlikely to suffer with the ball again the way they did on Sunday.

As reported by BBC Sport, Stokes doesn't know when England will declare, telling reporters: "We haven't spoken about it. wouldn't want to say what the plans are because I don't have a clue. Hopefully we can bat on tomorrow and stick them in."

The Black Caps have the explosive batting to score quick runs and come back in this match, and a draw seems a likely scenario at this point. The first hour of play on Monday will determine the direction the rest of this match takes.

Regardless, England will be more than happy with their performance on Sunday. Cook and Stokes gave the home fans plenty to cheer about, something that has become rare for the English cricket team in recent years.   

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