Life's a pitch for bowlers

Monty Panesar, who bowled 26 economical overs, removes Jamie How © Getty Images

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If England’s bowlers thought conditions in New Zealand would offer some respite after a tortuous trip to Sri Lanka, they were very much mistaken.

The seamers, in particular, could have been forgiven for counting down the days to the first Test in Hamilton, having suffered more than most during three gruelling contests on the sub-continent before Christmas.

They would, with good reason, have expected to have seen the last of dry, lifeless pitches, with images of emerald-tinged surfaces sure to have filled their minds before this game got under way.

Hours of toil under a baking sun were no doubt a thing of the past; how much more pleasant it will be, the pacemen will have pondered, to get to work under overcast skies.

Instead, the clouds were notable for their absence, the sun beamed down and the England attack was condemned to a demanding day in the field, charged with trying to extract life out of a pitch as unhelpful as an exam invigilator.

Phrases such as “jagging off the seam” and “hooping round corners” were employed by seasoned cricket writers in the build-up to the Test, but those predictions were made to look rather foolish within minutes of New Zealand’s innings getting under way.

The ball barely deviated off the seam and the little swing that Ryan Sidebottom and Matthew Hoggard extracted with the new ball was but a distant memory by the end of the opening hour’s play.

Alastair Cook is mobbed after taking the second of his three fine catches © Getty Images

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Immense credit is due, therefore, to England for the manner in which they went about their unenviable task.

Indeed, in restricting New Zealand to 282 for six after losing the toss, England’s case for the close-of-play honours was unquestionably the stronger of the two teams.

Few could begrudge them such an honour, for the disciplined lines maintained by Sidebottom and Monty Panesar, in particular, were crucial to keeping New Zealand under three runs an over until a late Brendon McCullum-inspired flurry.

Sidebottom conceded just 39 runs from 21 overs, eight of which were maidens, while Panesar played a crucial role in maintaining the pressure on the New Zealand batsmen with figures of 26-7-66-1.

The left-armers were also responsible for arguably the three most important wickets, Sidebottom cutting short Stephen Fleming’s innings before removing the dangerous McCullum in his last over of the day.

Panesar was behind Jamie How’s demise, the opener falling for 92 to an outstanding piece of spin bowling. Coming from round the wicket, Panesar's well-flighted delivery drifted into How, before turnly sharply to take the outside edge.

Paul Collingwood makes a tricky chance at slip look easy

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The dismissals of Fleming and How were just two examples of England’s catching, which was nothing short of sensational.

Alastair Cook, diving to his right and behind him at gully, clung on one-handed to a fierce cut to account for Fleming, and How edged to slip, where Paul Collingwood made a devilishy difficult chance low to his left look relatively straightforward.

On a day when chances appeared likely from an early stage to be few and far between, England knew they could not afford to let them pass.

Cook capped his best display in the field for England with two more smart efforts - one at gully off a firm Matthew Bell drive, and another diving to his left at backward point to remove Jacob Oram - while Collingwood also pouched an awkward return catch in his follow-through that did for Matthew Sinclair.

The pitch may not have offered much assistance to the England bowlers, but the fielders certainly did.