Anderson Strikes Early Blows After Ambrose Ton Lifts England

James Anderson marked his return to the Test side with two wickets in his opening three overs as New Zealand began the task of chasing England's first-innings score of 342 on the second morning of the second Test at the Basin Reserve.

The seamer, who only last week had been playing for Auckland because he needed match practice, found movement in the air to bowl the hapless opener Matthew Bell without scoring and have Jamie How caught at first slip to give England the best possible start. New Zealand went to lunch at 11 for two from seven overs. Earlier Tim Ambrose completed his maiden Test century before falling to Kyle Mills for 102, and Paul Collingwood made 65.

The tension in the air was discernible when play began. Ambrose had had the night to stew over the prospect of a maiden Test hundred, memories of a wonderful last over from Jacob Oram still fresh in his mind. And he and Collingwood made a cautious start, in overcast conditions with the gentle southerly breeze ruffling the flags and bringing just a hint of chill.

With the second new ball 10 overs old, and the first hour a key passage of play, New Zealand opened with Mills from the Members End, who immediately sent down a searching maiden over to Collingwood. Now Oram was able to resume his joust with Ambrose and in yet another maiden he rushed past his outside edge twice and then, for good measure, jagged one back to rap him on the thigh.

There was still plenty of action in the pitch, enough for the England bowlers to know what would be expected of them. Mills gave Collingwood just enough width to force the ball away square for his seventh boundary to move to 52 before Ambrose faced Oram again. This time he pushed at another lifter, which caught the edge and flew over the slips to the boundary. It was not the grandest of manners to reach a Test-match hundred and his response was sheepish, but the applause rang out just the same, augmented generously by the Black Caps, who recognized a gutsy performance. It had taken just under three hours, from 144 balls, pretty brisk, with 16 fours and two sixes.

The Kiwis had got excited on the first day but now they had resolved to bowl a tighter line. It brought its dividend in the wicket of Ambrose, who with nine further runs added to bring up 300 pushed forward to Mills and Ross Taylor at second slip took a straightforward catch. His had been an ebullient innings, and should the pitch continue to assist the seamers throughout may prove to be a match-winner.

Stuart Broad soon followed, bowled behind his legs by Oram, the ball deflecting from his thigh pad, before a merry partnership between Ryan Sidebottom and Collingwood lifted the total towards a highly competitive one. To try to finish things off, Daniel Vettori called up his fastest (if wildest) bowler, Mark Gillespie, who in quick succession got rid of Collingwood lbw, Sidebottom, to a steepler at mid-wicket, and Monty Panesar, who found pace and bounce too much. Thus did Gillespie finish with four for 79 compared with the brilliant Oram's three for 46, thereby exposing the iniquities of the game.

The pitch was playing as a pacier version of some of the old Headingley surfaces, and key to this, as Oram showed, is patience. Bowlers do not have to strive for movement, which will be there come what may, but instead seek to harness it.

From the outset of the New Zealand innings there was swing, and Sidebottom had one strong lbw shout against How turned down. However, it was Anderson, with his fifth ball, who made the breakthrough when Bell, who had failed to score in the second innings in Hamilton, played all round a late away-swinger which took his off stump. How then edged a perfect away swinger to Andrew Strauss to leave the Kiwis at nine for two.