England's Ryan Sidebottom took two wickets in seven balls to spoil what threatened to be an ideal start to the second Test by New Zealand at Old Trafford here yesterday.
The Black Caps, who had been 80 without loss, reached lunch on 92 for two after left-arm swing bowler Sidebottom’s double strike.
New Zealand opener Jamie How was 58 not out and Ross Taylor unbeaten on four after Daniel Vettori, the tourists’ captain, had won the toss.
PHOTO: AFP
Sidebottom, who took 24 wickets in England’s 2-1 series win in New Zealand in March, led the attack with two wickets for 17 runs in 10 overs.
Aaron Redmond, who made his Test debut in the drawn series opener at Lord’s, where Sidebottom took six wickets, played some fine strokes on his way to 28 while sharing in a Test-best stand with How.
But he fell when leaving a Sidebottom ball that curved back and just clipped the top of his off-stump.
And 80 for one became 86 for two when new batsman James Marshall, for the second innings in a row, was LBW to Sidebottom for nought after the bowler went wide on the crease to alter the angle.
This match also saw umpire Darrell Hair standing in his first Test for 20 months since the Australian penalized Pakistan five penalty runs at The Oval in August 2006.
Hair, with How on four, turned down a leg before appeal from Sidebottom and, with replays suggesting the ball might have clipped the top of the bails at best, it was hard to fault the decision.
After James Anderson, on his Lancashire home ground, had whistled the first ball past the outside edge of How’s bat, the same batsman then clipped a stray delivery off his legs for four.
In a surprise move, even on a pitch that is renowned for its turn and bounce, England captain Michael Vaughan brought left-arm spinner Monty Panesar into the attack unusually early in the 10th over. But although the odd delivery did spin, Redmond drove Panesar back over his head for four and How swept him to the boundary.
How completed his fifty, his second in as many innings, off 75 balls with five fours.
New Zealand made one change to the team that played at Lord’s, Iain O’Brien replacing fellow pace bowler Tim Southee after the teenager had gone down with a stomach virus.
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