England Struggle As Bell Goes to Hospital After Being Struck on Wrist at Short-leg

An injury to Ian Bell further clouded an unsuccessful morning for England when the first Test began at Seddon Park. Fielding at short-leg, Bell sustained a fierce blow just above his right wrist and left the field from whence he was taken to hospital for further investigation. New Zealand, meanwhile, made a solid start to the series, winning the toss and reaching 87 for one by lunch, with Jamie How unbeaten on 39 and Stephen Fleming on 29 . Steve Harmison took the only wicket to fall, that of Matthew Bell for 19.

There was an autumnal feel to the morning as Daniel Vettori won the toss for New Zealand and opted to bat first. The rain of the previous day had left to be replaced by blue skies and clouds scudding on a stiffish nippy breeze. The previous day the New Zealand captain had signaled his intentions of including a second spinner in Jeetan Patel and duly did so. England had no reason to change their stated side overnight, which meant a debut for Tim Ambrose, and it was Ryan Sidebottom who opened the bowling from the City end and began the series with an urgent appeal for lbw first ball against How, very close but turned down.

After New Zealand's recent pyrotechnic one-day starts the early cautious approach of How and Bell was pedestrian by contrast, an old-fashioned way of removing the shine and hardness from the new ball through time and deadening willow rather than the concrete in the stands. It was proper Test cricket in other words, reflected in the lack of chanting from the sparse crowd, the odd rippled applause greeting a bowling change or occasional stroke of aggression. But, although Sidebottom beat the bat on several occasions, the pitch appeared to lack the pace of the earlier one-day match, with the prospect of more toil than the England bowlers might have wished on the first morning.

It was the 11th over of the morning that brought what might prove a significant moment for England and a worrying one. How had just struck Matthew Hoggard beautifully straight with the stroke of the day thus far, signaling perhaps a move up in tempo from the opening pair.

In responding in similarly aggressive fashion when Sidebottom dropped short in the next over, Bell succeeded only in pulling the ball viciously on to the right forearm of his namesake Ian, perched under the helmet. Following lengthy treatment on the field, England's Bell was led slowly from the field and off to the infirmary. There were initial fears of a fracture, but early diagnoses suggested severe bruising and he was back at the ground after lunch with his arm in a sling.

England had to wait just over an hour for their first success of the morning, with the wicket of Bell following the advent of Harmison for Hoggard. The opener had hit Harmison through extra cover to the boundary and then slashed him over the slips for another four.But instead of settling for that, with the partnership worth 44 Bell drove loosely at another full- length ball and Alastair Cook, in a floating position at fourth slip, held a sharp catch in front of his nose. Bell had hit four boundaries.

It brought Fleming to the crease, playing his last matches for his country before decanting to the Indian big time, and he began in bright fashion, clipping Harmison off his legs for his first boundary, glancing him for another and, when Hoggard replaced Sidebottom, driving through extra cover.

The absence of further wickets forced Michael Vaughan to turn to Monty Panesar for more than just the habitual pre-lunch over and Paul Collingwood and the spinner immediately found some turn to go past How's edge.