Gay had just reached a determined, 112-ball half-century by pulling O’Rourke for four when he flinched at a back-of-a-length ball, taking his top hand off the bat handle as he did. O’Rourke mouthed a few words in his direction but did not appeal, while Tom Blundell, the wicketkeeper, and Daryl Mitchell at first slip both reacted with anguish after an apparent play-and-miss.

Latham, at second slip, initially appeared unmoved but sheepishly opted to review after Nicholls, at third slip, and Conway, in the gully, insisted that they had heard a noise which could only have been bat on ball. New Zealand could hardly believe their luck when UltraEdge confirmed a healthy outside edge, and Gay’s dismissal was quickly followed by the wickets of Joe Root and Harry Brook.

“The lads that were a bit more in-line saw that it was close to his batting gloves, and obviously he was batting very well. So it was worth the option and the risk to take that review. It paid off very nicely, so kudos to Dev and Toey [Nicholls].”

Gay revealed his own frustration at the nature of his dismissal so soon after reaching his second successive half-century. “The dismissal I was disappointed with, especially getting a nice pull shot off him two balls before, change of angle, and I just didn’t pick it up as well as I would have liked, which was naturally disappointing,” he said.

“Of course, getting a fifty last week at Lord’s was nice to get that score to settle you a little bit. To go out there today and feel fairly good, but get a fifty and not convert it, I was disappointed with that. For Durham, I’ve converted well in the last year or two, and to not do that today and not be there now for the team is disappointing. All I can do is look forward to the second innings.”