Thomas Knights: Optimism is gone, England in dire trouble. Woeful session.

Jam Barrell: How to bowl straight. By New Zealand.

Kevin Ticehurst: The collapse is on then.

Steven Finn
Former England fast bowler on TNT Sports

Image source, Getty Images

If we look back to day one, England won the toss and opted to bowl first because the average first innings total here is 289. The pitch was very green and they gave themselves the opportunity to find that lateral movement that you can see from the back of a length.

It was the length that was the same problem here. New Zealand were able to leave balls outside of the off stump, Brydon Carse came into the attack, started a touch wide and it just meant both teams sussed each other out like boxers. New Zealand were able to get through that first storm relatively easily.

England were bowling a touch short, they were slipping slightly with their front feet and when you’re a bowler, you want your centre of gravity to be still.

Some excellent bowling from New Zealand in that session. A beauty from Nathan Smith to get rid of Jacob Bethell, in particular.

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Thank you, Sam.

Go get yourself some freshly roasted Indonesian Java .

Hmmm, that was a little bit of a frustrating end to the morning from an England perspective wasn't it?

Well, after all that drama late in the session, I need a break (and some coffee).

To go over an enthralling morning session and take you through the afternoon, it's over to Timothy Abraham.

David Gower
Ex-England captain on TNT Sports

That could be a crucial five minutes for the context of this game. England would have been so much happier to go in just the one wicket down.

What an end to the session for New Zealand. They have put themselves firmly in the ascendancy.

Debutant Nathan Smith is the man to put them there after ending Jacob Bethell's resistance before claiming the prize scalp of Joe Root a couple of balls later.

England need a big response in the afternoon session.

Andy Zaltzman
Test Match Special statistician

Root's first duck since Karachi in Dec 2022, this is his 23rd Test and 40th innings since then.

David Gower
Ex-England captain on TNT Sports

I don't think Bethell did a whole lot wrong, you just have to give credit to the bowler.

Matt Henry gets through the seventh over of a superb opening spell and nearly ends it with a wicket.

Having switched to round the wicket, he zeroes in on Jacob Bethell's stumps but an inside edge saves the left-hander and earns him a single.

Kieran Parmley
Cricviz analyst

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Just to add... two of the those round-the-wicket dismissals are Ben Duckett...

Kieran Parmley
Cricviz analyst

Nathan Smith in the County Championship this year vs left-handers:

Over the wicket - 106 runs, 175 balls, 5 wickets - 21.20 average Round the wicket - 64 runs, 142 balls, 5 wickets - 12.80 average

Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket reporter in Christchurch

Both of those shots had a dollop of Barbados in them.

Right about now, Jambarrell.

Reward for Jacob Bethell's patience at last as Nathan Smith gets too straight with a back of a length delivery.

It's superbly picked up over the leg side by the left-hander for his first boundary in Test cricket.

And the second isn't far behind. Too wide from Smith this time and Bethell cuts away through gully for four more.

Jambarrell: When will Bethell get a bad ball he can hit? Nothing wide and nothing overpitched yet. Good battle this and promising patience from the debutant!

A misfield allows Ben Duckett a single from Nathan Smith's first ball but his second is a beauty.

Round the wicket to Jacob Bethell, angled at the stumps then just moving away off the seam to beat the edge.

Smith will be glad he didn't find it because he had over-stepped. No-ball.