Brendon McCullum led a New Zealand fight back against England with a run-a-ball 97 to help his side to 208 for six when bad light ended the first day's play of the first Test at Lord's here Thursday.
McCullum, who had seen New Zealand's top order fail again as they slumped to 109 for five at tea, on a day where rain meant there was no play before lunch, put on 99 for the sixth wicket with Jacob Oram.
But three runs short of what would have been the wicket-keeper's third Test hundred, and a place on the Lord's honours board, McCullum was bowled between bat and pad by a quicker delivery from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.
In all he hit two sixes and 13 fours, having come in when New Zealand were in dire straits at 41 for three.
At stumps, Oram was 23 not out and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori unbeaten on five. Earlier pace bowler James Anderson, after England captain Michael Vaughan had won the toss and decided to field first in overcast, seamer-friendly conditions, took three wickets for 27 runs in his first 10 overs.
McCullum, 26, is renowned as a dynamic one-day batsman. But New Zealand's plight meant they needed him to stay in as much as score briskly.
The vice-captain, 36 not out at tea, went to 49 with a pulled boundary off Stuart Broad before a single off the fast bowler saw him to a 65-ball fifty, his ninth in 33 Tests, with eight fours.
He then brought up a fifty stand in 70 balls with Oram by confidently driving left-arm quick Ryan Sidebottom, who took 24 wickets during England's 2-1 series win in New Zealand in March, down the ground.
McCullum, whose two Test hundreds were scored against minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, later lofted Panesar straight back over the bowler's head for the first six of the innings.
He surpassed that stroke with a superb six over long-off against Broad. New Zealand fans, not for the first time, could have been forgiven for thinking their batting order was the wrong way round. Anderson, who saw off a threat to his place from Matthew Hoggard in a team unchanged from the side that won the third Test in New Zealand, removed debutant Aaron Redmond for a duck and fellow opener Jamie How for seven to leave the Black Caps struggling at 18 for two.
He then bowled Daniel Flynn, the other debutant in the New Zealand side, round the left-hander's legs for nine shortly before tea. Finding a reliable first-wicket partnership has proved a major problem for New Zealand. Hopes were high that the 28-year-old Redmond, whose father Rodney made a century in his only Test against Pakistan in 1973, might fill the void after scores of 146 and 64 against England 'A' last week.
But he edged his fifth ball, which cut away slightly, to Alastair Cook at third slip and New Zealand were two for one. One consolation for the 28-year-old Otago player was that New Zealand batting great Glenn Turner had started his illustrious Test career with a duck, against the West Indies at Auckland in 1968/69.
SCOREBOARD:
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New Zealand 1st Innings
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J. How c Ambrose b Anderson 7
A. Redmond c Cook b Anderson 0
J. Marshall c Strauss b Broad 24
R. Taylor c Collingwood b Broad 19
B. McCullum b Panesar 97
D. Flynn b Anderson 9
J. Oram not out 23
D. Vettori not out 5
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Extras: (b12, lb8, w1, nb3) 24
Total: (6 wkts, 52.1 overs, 253 mins) 208
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Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Redmond), 2-18 (How), 3-41 (Taylor), 4-76 (Marshall), 5-104 (Flynn), 6-203 (McCullum)
To bat: T Southee, K Mills, C Martin
Bowling: Sidebottom 18.1-5-50-0; Anderson 12-3-42-3 (1nb, 1w); Broad 15-3-70-2 (2nb); Collingwood 3-1-11-0; Panesar 4-1-15-1
Toss: England
Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS) and Steve Bucknor (WIS)
TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI).
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