Stuart Broad put the skids under New Zealand but England lost Dom Sibley and Joe Denly late on day two of the second Test at Hamilton.
A 124-run stand between BJ Watling (55) and Test debutant Daryl Mitchell (73) – after Tom Latham had fallen for 105 – lifted the Black Caps to 315 for five.
However, Broad's bouncers led to the downfall of both Watling and Mitchell as New Zealand lost their last five wickets for the addition of only 60 runs before England closed on 39 for two at Seddon Park.
Sibley endured a fraught stay at the crease, pinned lbw for four after playing around a straight delivery from Tim Southee, who had earlier clattered the England opener on the helmet.
Denly then edged behind off former Kent team-mate Matt Henry while Rory Burns was dropped on 10 and 19 as England's top-order threatened to undo the bowlers' fine efforts on a surface that had offered them little.
Dharmasena on the run?
BJ Watling was on one when his indecisive prod caught the outside edge and just dropped short of Ollie Pope. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena seemingly raised his hand to indicate a bye but a single was added to Watling's total. The confusion was cleared up when it was revealed Dharmasena was instead telling fellow on-field umpire Paul Wilson how many balls were left in the over.
Watling digs in
BJ Watling's almost painstaking 55 used up 192 balls, meaning he has now faced 1,064 deliveries in his last four Test innings. Showing just how hard it is to prise him out of the crease at the moment, on each occasion he has faced at least 170 balls. In the six innings before his recent run, he faced a total of only 174 deliveries.
Archer catches a break
Someone in the crowd was attempting to attract Jofra Archer's attention by repeatedly – and loudly – calling his name. It was therefore uncanny that in the midst of this gambit, Daryl Mitchell would hole out off Broad to Archer in the deep – the England paceman's first catch in his sixth Test.
Mitch must be watched
Archer has connected with a number of batsmen's helmets since bursting on to the international scene but he was an unfortunate bystander after his bumper was pulled for six by Mitch Santner, which made contact with a steward's head. The person in question seemed fine afterwards, laughing, joking and shaking the hand of Sam Curran, the nearest fielder, before walking off for an assessment.
What's next
December 1: New Zealand v England, day three for the second Test at Hamilton, where Rory Burns and Joe Root must dig in with the tourists 336 runs in arrears
