LONDON (AP) — Rain frustrated England's charge to victory against New Zealand in their test series opener at a damp Lord's on Saturday.
Fast bowler Ollie Robinson took the only two wickets in the 9.4 overs of play allowed all day and New Zealand was reduced to 55-5 in its second innings in an unlikely pursuit of a 254-run target on a stop-start day three.
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England's Ollie Robinson, center, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra during the third day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
New Zealand's Devon Conway plays a shot during the third day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
An umpire stands on the field under an umbrella as it rains during the third day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
England's Ollie Robinson, right, celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra, left, during the third day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
England was five wickets away from taking a 1-0 lead in the three-test series.
Play on a grim, grey Saturday didn't start for two hours, and then was broken up by three more bouts of rain, the last of them just after 2 p.m. that eventually prevented any more action.
The unpredictable seamers' paradise of a pitch continued to offer movement every which way and, on Saturday, considerable lift. The batters, 35 of whom have fallen in less than two days of normal play, had little hope. Two of the greatest, Joe Root and Kane Williamson, the all-time highest run-scorers for England and New Zealand, combined for 27 runs.
New Zealand's chase was undermined out of the gate on Friday when it was 36-3 by stumps. At that point, one stats provider put England's chances of winning at 80%, and that percentage was closer to 100 on Saturday afternoon.
Opener Devon Conway, on 12 overnight, was joined by Rachin Ravindra. He avoided a king pair — golden ducks in both innings — and a regulation pair and took 10 more balls to get off the mark.
But Ravindra was undone on 8 by a peach that Robinson got to nip away, completing a test to forget for the Kiwi, who also dropped two catches.
He was replaced by Daryl Mitchell, who was out lbw for a three-ball duck when Robinson rapped him on the front pad.
Conway, who scored 200 on his test debut at Lord's in 2021, scratched out 19 from 55 balls, and Tom Blundell was beside him on 2.
Robinson had 2-18 and his sixth and seventh wickets in his comeback match.
The forecast on Sunday was for no rain.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
England's Ollie Robinson, center, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra during the third day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
New Zealand's Devon Conway plays a shot during the third day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
An umpire stands on the field under an umbrella as it rains during the third day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
England's Ollie Robinson, right, celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra, left, during the third day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, is facing growing resistance from protesters in Albania.
The government says the development on the Adriatic coast would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership.
But the venture, spanning an abandoned island and a nearby stretch of seafront on Albania’s southern coast, has drawn opposition from environmental campaigners and critics of long-time Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
The luxury project has two components: a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, which is a wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, a communist-era military base.
The planned development of hotels, apartments, villas and a marina is linked to Kushner and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump.
In an interview this week with U.S. podcaster David Senra, Ivanka Trump said they discovered the site by accident.
“We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it,” she said. “We swam to the island. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated.”
An investment firm linked to Kushner has been granted special investor status by Albanian authorities.
Albania has 450 kilometers (280 miles) of coast that remained largely underdeveloped during decades of harsh communist rule.
Protest groups fear the sections of that pristine coastline could be snapped up by powerful investors. And public anger grew after video showed an activist being dragged by a private security guard while demonstrating at the site.
The development is planned within a nature reserve and one of Albania’s most valuable biodiversity areas, a key stopover for migratory birds along the Adriatic coast.
Protesters have carried cardboard cut-outs of pink flamingos, one of the protected migratory bird species, at rallies in the capital Tirana.
Since late May, excavators and other heavy machinery have entered the area, opening access routes, digging into the sand, clearing land among pine trees and installing fencing.
Environmental groups from Albania and elsewhere in Europe condemned the work, with one prominent local group charging that long-protected habitats are being "irreversibly destroyed.”
Albania’s state anti-corruption agency has confirmed it opened an investigation related to the project but has not disclosed details.
The government says the land earmarked for the project is privately owned. But competing claims have emerged questioning the privatization — a common type of legal dispute.
Rama has committed to the venture, saying it would align with Albania’s ambition to become a major global tourism destination.
“Albania should not be a country that fears an extraordinary project like this one, where exceptional partners have come together to invest 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion),” Rama said.
He added: “There is no chance for this investment to stop as long as I am here.”
However, the demise of a similar project in Serbia offers a cautionary tale. In November, Serbia's Parliament passed a special law to enable the building of a luxury complex in the capital, Belgrade, to be financed by an investment company linked to Kushner.
The following month, Serbia's prosecutor for organized crime charged four people, including a government minister, with abuse of office and falsifying of documents to help pave the way for the development.
Kushner later withdrew from the planned multi-million investment that would have replaced a sprawling bombed-out military complex, a designated heritage zone whose legal protection was lifted by the former officials now on trial.
Protesters take part in a rally in Tirana, Saturday, June 6, 2026, against the construction of a massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at Narta lagoon area, western Albania. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Flamingos are pictured over Narta lagoon area, western Albania, Saturday, June 6, 2026, where a massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner is facing resistance over concerns about environmental impact and transparency. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Flamingos are pictured over Narta lagoon area, western Albania, Saturday, June 6, 2026, where a massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner is facing resistance over concerns about environmental impact and transparency. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
A view of Narta lagoon area, western Albania, Saturday, June 6, 2026, where a massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner is facing resistance over concerns about environmental impact and transparency. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Police officers block a street during a demonstration in Tirana, Albania, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, opposing a luxury coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump over concerns about environmental impacts and transparency. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Protesters hold pink flamingo cutouts during a demonstration in Tirana, Albania, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, opposing a luxury coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump over concerns about environmental impacts and transparency. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Police use a water cannon to disperse protesters during a demonstration in Tirana, Albania, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, opposing a luxury coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump over concerns about environmental impacts and transparency. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Police officers block a street during a demonstration in Tirana, Albania, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, opposing a luxury coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump over concerns about environmental impacts and transparency.(AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Protesters scuffle with police officers blocking a street during a demonstration in Tirana, Albania, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, opposing a luxury coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump over concerns about environmental impacts and transparency.(AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
