A scoreline of 92 for 2 looks about as humdrum as you can get, but when you're put in by a captain who desperately needs a win to get back into the series, and on a wicket that has barely had time to draw breath over the past week, it's a mini-triumph. It looked like a bad toss to lose, but Nasser Hussain felt otherwise, and he turned out to be right. Apart from anything else, it gave England a chance to steal the show by showing their new steel. A couple of years ago, they might have finished the 30-over session at 60 for 4; here, against a green seam attack of Ian Butler (five Test wickets), Chris Drum (nine) and Chris Martin (31), they sensibly tried to take the initiative. Even in the game's infancy, New Zealand already know they need to skittle England tomorrow, then bat for five sessions themselves.

But there were a couple of disappointments. Michael Vaughan missed out again as opener, although since two of his three innings so far have been ended by excellent deliveries, and one was a priceless counterattacking 27 after England had slumped to 0 for 2 on a seamers' paradise, it's too early to say whether the experiment has failed.

Marcus Trescothick made 37, which is his fourth score between 33 and 41 on tour, and he did what he hasn't done for a while – perished to the slog-sweep. One of the near-certainties when England arrived in New Zealand was that Trescothick would at some stage blast a rollicking century, but he keeps falling victim to his own impetuosity. In six of his eight international innings here, Trescothick has been his own worst enemy: he has cut to point three times, shouldered arms, chipped to mid-on and now slog-swept once each. He insisted at the close that he would continue to attack, but for the moment his shot-selection radar has gone a little awry.

There is some help in the wicket for the seamers, but New Zealand are going to have to bowl with a lot more nous to give themselves a decent chance of victory. With the onus on them, you sense that all England need to do is remain calm.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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