Close England 228 and 63-2 lead New Zealand 147 (Hoggard 7-63) by 144 runs
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A masterful spell of swing bowling from Matthew Hoggard gave England a great chance of taking an early lead in the three-match series and claiming their third victory in a row at Christchurch. Hoggard, bowling like a veteran in only his sixth Test, steamed in from the Port Hills End to pick up 7 for 63, his best figures in first-class cricket, and skittle New Zealand for 147 – the perfect score in snooker, but a real balls-up in the context of this match. By the close England had extended their lead to 144 and will have to play miserably from here to throw this one away.

Hoggard's reign of terror took a while to execute. After overnight rain delayed the start for 75 minutes, New Zealand moved comfortably from their overnight score of 9 for 1, and the 50 came up in the 20th over. The bowling, especially from Andy Caddick, was leg-stump and limp, and the ease with which nightwatchman Daniel Vettori cover-drove on the up looked ominous for England. A glance at the batting order didn't improve their mood either: Adam Parore (Test average: 26.75) was due in at No. 9.

But Hoggard had been making the ball sing all morning, and he finally struck the right note when Matthew Horne edged an awayswinger to a diving Graham Thorpe at fourth slip and departed for 14 (50 for 2). On a day in which rain was never far away, it sparked a deluge of a different sort. Vettori's highwayman innings of 42 – all stand and deliver – ended when he edged a cut off Hoggard through to James Foster to make it 65 for 3, and it was 79 for 4 when Lou Vincent, on 12, was cleaned up by the ball of the day. Vincent had already been dropped twice in the slips off Hoggard on 0 and 2, but he could do nothing about a delivery that pitched on middle and broke back past the outside edge to rattle off stump – the fast bowler's version of Shane Warne's Wonderball.

Nathan Astle was next to go, playing round a straight one to fall leg before for 10 (93 for 5), and you began to wonder whether Hoggard was heading for a perfect 10.

But Caddick was determined not to let Hoggard hog the headlines, and made up for an insipid first spell with a single over of stunning incisiveness. He persuaded an otherwise becalmed Stephen Fleming, who had made 12 in 58 balls, to cut straight to Ashley Giles in the gully (117 for 6), then had Chris Cairns caught on the drive by Andrew Flintoff at third slip for a third-ball duck (117 for 7). And when he won a shout for lbw against Parore next ball with one that might have been heading down leg, Caddick was on a hat-trick, and thoughts turned to Headingley 2000 when he picked up four West Indian wickets in a single over. It was typical Caddick, so often at his most dangerous when spurred on by the successes of another, but at 117 for 8, New Zealand were in disarray.

It should have been four wickets for no runs, but Craig White, on as substitute, spilled a straightforward chance at third man as Craig McMillan, on 15, cut wildly at Flintoff. McMillan decided to throw caution to the wind, and pulled Caddick for six, but his cameo came to a close when Hussain recalled Hoggard and McMillan slogged his fourth ball to long-on. Michael Vaughan was a foot away from treading on the rope, but McMillan was out for 40 and New Zealand were 146 for 9. It was all over when Ian Butler edged Hoggard low to first slip where Hussain made no mistake. England were cock-a-hoop.

More wickets had now fallen in a day and a half than in the entirety of the previous Test here, when Pakistan and New Zealand ground out 1243 runs for the loss of just 19 wickets last year. And there were more to come. England led by 81, which was less than the deficit they overhauled to win on their previous visit to Christchurch, and they quickly lost Vaughan, bowled by Butler for 0 (11 for 1). It was the eighth duck of a crazy match. Vaughan had twice been dismissed by Butler in the one-day warm-up games at Hamilton by deliveries that reared at his throat, and, perhaps with that in mind, he now stayed back to a ball of good length that beat him as he aimed to leg.

Marcus Trescothick, dropped on 2 by Parore as he ran back to deal with a swirling, mistimed pull, finally found some kind of form, pulling and cutting Butler to the boundary to bring up the 50 in the 12th over. But two balls later adrenalin got the better of him and a sliced cut went straight to Vettori at point – a carbon copy of Trescothick's dismissal in the Napier one-dayer. Trescothick was out for 33 and England were 50 for 2.

The players immediately went off for bad light, returned 45 minutes later, but trooped off after just 13 runs had been added. Hussain was still there, and his first-innings century was beginning to take on the proportions of a matchwinning knock. If Hoggard swung the game England's way, it was Hussain who provided the platform. Another big innings from him tomorrow, and England should be home and – weather permitting – dry.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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