Sam Curran snares Williamson to give England the edge against New Zealand

The second evening of Mount Maunganui’s maiden Test match was another bathed in spring sunshine and for the supporters who lay idly on the grass banks and drank in a gem of an innings from Kane Williamson, it was bliss.

England’s first innings total of 353 looked competitive – certainly more so than the 295 for eight it had been after a morning collapse – and now here was the local boy neatly chipping away at the deficit with a clinic in frictionless batting.

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But with 45 minutes left to go, just as thoughts were turning to evening plans and the expectation that Williamson would resume in the morning, the darnedest thing happened: a ball from Sam Curran leapt off a length, caught the glove and flew into the safe hands of Ben Stokes at second slip.

England were suddenly celebrating the wicket they prize above all others at a cost of just 51 runs. And with New Zealand closing on 144 for four from 51 overs – the head of the not out Henry Nicholls still ringing at stumps after being struck by a nasty short ball from Jofra Archer late on – the day had become theirs.

Curran’s two for 28 from 10 overs, which included the wicket of opener Tom Latham with his third ball, was also a satisfying return for Joe Root and the head coach, Chris Silverwood, who plumped for the left-armer over Chris Woakes at No 8.

They had seen their chosen man fall for a golden duck during a collapse of four for 18 in 20 balls in the first hour but then shrug this off with the type of interventions that Stokes, the player Curran says he hopes to emulate, now delivers consistently.

England’s premier all-rounder was not exactly quiet on this front either as Root rotated his bowlers in short sharp bursts and this slightly unknown and slow surface offered some variable bounce.

Stokes followed a fine 91 with the bat by removing Ross Taylor for 25 after tea, top-edging down the throat of deep square leg just as a partnership with Williamson was starting to develop.

Williamson in particular had looked in ominous form. Arriving at the training days on his bicycle – he lives just down the road by the beach – the 29-year-old had worked hard with batting coach Peter Fulton in preparation for an expected barrage from Archer and withstood everything England’s new weapon had thrown at him.

Indeed his innings, though cut short in the end, was another entry into catalogue of Williamson classics. From the moment he walked out in the eighth over he met the ball with those soft hands in defence and used the pace of Archer and Stuart Broad when punching through cover.

Williamson’s famous ability to keep his emotions in check was perhaps needed most when his second-wicket stand of 54 with Jeet Raval was broken after tea by the opener’s slightly bizarre approach to playing Jack Leach in conditions offering the left-armer only a smidgeon of drift with the breeze.

Raval had survived the initial wave of attack from the seamers – one that had seen Latham fall lbw to Curran and opt against a review, despite the suggestion of an edge on HotSpot – and looked to be holding firm. Yet against Leach, Raval was suddenly in strife, attempting four agricultural mows with varying degrees of success but little conviction.

The first found fresh air and England were denied a reviewed lbw shout by umpire’s call on impact. The next two found the boundary but with cries of “catch it” too. The fourth simply found Joe Denly at mid-wicket for a neat catch above his head.

It had been a smart move by Root to introduce Leach as early as the 15th over, chiefly for the change of pace. And it may have given the spinner a little confidence boost too after the captain’s recent talk of coaxing Moeen Ali back from his self-imposed break.

Leach knows that, when on song, Moeen’s all-round credentials put pressure on his place. But in the morning he once again showed his gumption with the bat through a 95-minute red-inker of 18 runs that, allied with Jos Buttler’s combative 43, helped arrest a worrying slump.

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Tim Southee had torn through the lower middle-order with three quick strikes, removing Stokes via a flying take by Taylor at slip, profiting from a loose drive by Ollie Pope on 29 and trapping Curran lbw when playing across his pads.

But Buttler and Leach ensured England’s diligent work on day one was not completely torched with a stand of 52, the former protecting his partner and sending one meaty six onto the roof of the press tent.

There was a mild stir about Buttler’s eventual demise, caught at deep point by Mitchell Santner. The fielder had been beyond advertising hoardings signing a few autographs when Neil Wagner started his run-up – before dashing back on – but there was no protest from England here.

Those young supporters won’t forget the moment nor the day overall, with Test cricket serving up yet another absorbing dose of punch and counterpunch.