Cricket
Black Caps take Day 2 honours
2013-03-07 08:09
Hamish Rutherford (Getty)
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Dundedin - England's powerful batting line-up
was skittled for just 167 by New Zealand on Thursday as the unfancied Black
Caps took a firm grip on the opening Test in Dunedin.
England's
batsmen self-destructed in two nightmare sessions on a tame pitch,
offering a succession of rash shots in the face of disciplined bowling
from debutant Bruce Martin and Neil Wagner, who each bagged four
wickets.
In reply, New Zealand made the most of batting-friendly
conditions at University Oval to plunder 131 runs without loss at
stumps, with Hamish Rutherford, also making his debut, unbeaten on 77
and Peter Fulton 46 not out.
After the first day's play was
abandoned due to bad weather, England lasted just 55 overs against the
eighth-ranked team in Test cricket, Jonathan Trott top-scoring with 45
on a day when the tourists' big names failed to fire.
Tim Southee
grabbed an early breakthrough to dismiss Nick Compton for a duck in the
third over, putting pressure on the opener, who faces calls for Joe Root
to take his spot at the top of the order.
Left-arm paceman
Wagner, a late inclusion in the New Zealand side after an injury to Doug
Bracewell, then claimed the wickets of Alastair Cook (10) and Pietersen
(0) in successive balls to leave England reeling at 18 for three.
Pietersen,
short of cricket after playing only one warm-up match for meagre
returns of 14 and eight, was trapped lbw by Wagner off his first ball at
the crease.
Ian Bell and Trott dug in for a partnership of 46
before Bell fell for 24 trying to drive Wagner through mid-wicket,
instead scooping the ball to Rutherford.
Root (4) departed just
before lunch after tentatively swiping at a Trent Boult delivery and
edging to Dean Brownlie in the slips, leaving England, second in the
Test rankings, 71-5.
Left-arm spinner Martin kept up the pressure
on the middle order, dismissing the dangerous Matt Prior for 23 and
then enticing Trott into a sweep shot that caught the top edge and
carried to Boult.
Stuart Broad (10) tried to hit the spinner out of the park but instead sent the ball straight to Brownlie on the boundary.
With
England teetering on 119-8, Steven Finn (20) and James Anderson (23)
added useful tail-end runs before Anderson gifted Martin his fourth
wicket with a wild swing that flew to Wagner at point to close the
innings.
Rutherford, the son of former New Zealand captain Ken
Rutherford, brought up his half century off 65 balls in the final
session, including eight fours and a six straight down the wicket which
struck an unfortunate spectator on the head.
Nothing went right on
a frustrating day for England, with Broad missing a caught and bowled
opportunity off Rutherford on 52 and Pietersen dropping a catch from the
debutant when he was on 64.
Fulton, recalled after a three-year
absence, will aim to bring up his half century early Friday as New
Zealand look to overhaul the narrow 36-run deficit and turn the screws
with a big first innings lead.