Be inclined to agree, Hayley.

Tim Southee and Harry Brook have a little chat at the end of the former's over. Both men are smiling so it seems to be of the good-natured variety.

I'm slowly sipping the last entrails of a warm fruit cordial drink as Nathan Smith starts a new spell. His second ball, angled in, does Harry Brook for pace somewhat and he rather awkwardly deflects it into his inner thigh.

Brook and Ollie Pope both pick up a single apiece before the former opens the face and uses the pace of Smith's final delivery to guide it for four through the vacant third region.

The Hagley Oval is now bathed in sunshine, but there's no sense the rays have thrown a blanket of tranquillity over England's batting just yet.

Harry Brooks transfers his weight to the back foot and cuts Tim Southee for four, but watching nervously as a red blur flashes just past the diving Glenn Phillips in the gully region.

Harry Brook undoes the velcro on his gloves, then does it up again, between deliveries from Matt Henry. Batting talent comes with certain idiosyncrasies, although he's not a patch on the likes of David Warner and Jonathan Trott.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Christchurch

The media tent is right next to the area for the players' families. I've just had a chat with Rod Latham, father of Tom and himself a former Black Cap, about the weather.

Image source, Getty Images

Tim Southee continues after drinks and Ollie Pope drives stylishly through the covers.

The outfield at the Hagley Oval is not that quick, though, so he has to settle for a couple.

Both Pope and Harry Brook have scored at a fair lick here.

Time to quench one's thirst.

Something hot and comforting as we enter the wee small hours of Friday morning.

Eng 104-4published at 27.2 overs

27.2 overs

Image source, Getty Images

Matt Henry into the attack, and his second ball is back of a length but Harry Brook picks it up early and times it to perfection as he effortlessly flicks behind square for six.

Nonchalant from the Yorkshireman.

Ollie Pope is busy shadow batting at the non-striker's end, rehearsing his defensive prods.

Tim Southee, gnarled and long in the tooth, bowls a slightly fuller length compared to the balls which have lifted off the pitch from Will O'Rouke.

He's preying on batter error. Harry Brook defends and leaves, well, though.

Ben Jones
CricViz analyst

Image source, Getty Images

Ollie Pope really is a nervous starter. Of his 87 Test dismissals, 48 of them have come in his first 30 balls at the crease. His false shot percentage in that phase is nearly 20%, well above the average for all batters.

Ollie Pope rides a bouncer from Will O'Rourke and uses the pace to guide it over the slip cordon for four.

A snorter of a delivery from O'Rouke later in the over and Pope plays straight and sees the ball fly off the edge, over the cordon. That might have looked unconvincing way to pick up a boundary but Pope actually played that pretty well.

Tim Southee, the old stager, into the attack the for the Kiwis and get gives Ollie Pope a gift to start. Short, wide and Pope waspishly cuts it to the boundary for four.

That will do Pope's confidence the world of good.

We need your fingers nice and warm for that report a little later, Stephan.

Harry Brook with another lucky escape at the end of Will Rourke's over, as he mistimes a leg glance and the ball flies over the fielder at leg slip.

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Christchurch

I've gone with the jacket.

Ollie Pope, sun cream smeared over his nose and below his bottom lip, is his usual skittish self as he looks to get off the mark.

He fends a short ball from Will O'Rourke into the leg side and scampers a quick single.