[Live commentary has ended]
England 241/4 (Stokes 67*, Denly 74, Burns 52, de Grandhomme 2/28)
Check out the wicket highlights above
STUMPS - England will be delighted after falling to 121/3 with just over a session to play. Stokes and Denly grinded down the bowlers early in the final session and then the runs came. Southhe got Denly and Boult should have had Stokes but Taylor couldn't pull in the catch. Back tomorrow with live updates from 11am.
90th over - Short from Southee and Pope rocks back and pulls in front of square on the onside for four.
89th over - Just a Ollie Pope single from the over .... one to come.
88th over - Maiden from Southee to Stokes.
87th over - Over pitched from Boult and Pope has four through point.
86th over - Full from Southee and Pope works his square on the onside for a boundary.
85th over - Lovely drive from Stokes down the ground for four. Classical shot that and sweet timing. Another four for Stokes as Boult strays down legside and Stokes works him fine. Three in a row for Stokes as he smashes Boult though the covers for four. Dropped!! Stokes has a fourth boundary but Taylor should have taken him at slip .... wide one from Boult and Stokes went for the big cut but can only top edge it ... Taylor picks it up late and it flies through his hands and down to the boundary.
84th over - Fifty for Stokes .... flicks through mid-wicket for a couple. Fifty from 91 balls ... his 20th in test cricket.
83rd over - Full from Boult abd swinging down lef side ... Pope flicks it down to fine lef for four.
Joe Denly c Watling b Southee 74 (181) 8x4's 1x6 FOW 203
82nd over - WICKET: Southee 0/30 from 17 is back. Denly drives through the covers for four. Southee gets Denly ... he comes forward but it's moving away from him and bounces a touch more than he expected and he gets the edge through to Watling who takes a lovely diving one hander.
81st over - Boult is back - 0/35 and has the new cherry in hand. Just a Joe Denly single from the over.
80th over - New ball due after this Mitch Santner over. Three from the over.
79th over - Wagner goes up for an lbw on Denly but it looks like bat first and Williamson agrees.
78th over - Denly defends ... the ball takes the inside edge but falls just short of Latham at short leg.
77th over - Short from Wagner and Stokes goes up and over point for four. Wagner goes shorter but also straigter and Stokes pulls through mid-wicket for four.
76th over - Just three off the Santner over.
75th over - Wagner over pitches and Stokes on the drive past the bowler for four.
74th over - Blackcaps searching for a wicket her .... Santner to bowl. Down the wicket goes Denly and he goes over wide mid-off for four. Six! Denly over Santner's head for a maximum and that's the fifty partnership.
DRINKS
73rd over - Wagner continues .... 1/59 from 19. Three runs from the over.
72nd over - Mitch Santner into the attack for the first time today. Two runs from the over.
71st over - Magnificent drive from Stokes through to the cover boundary.
70th over - Just a Ben Stokes single from the over.
69th over - Neil Wagner, 1/50 replaces Boult. Over pitched from Wagner and Denly on the front foot drives through the covers for four and brings up his fifty from 136 balls. That's Denly's 5th test fifty. Denly with a play and miss .... almost threw it all away there.
68th over - Stokes drives to the cover sweeper for a single.
67th over - Maiden from Boult to Joe Denly.
66th over - De Grandhomme is back - 2/23 from 16. Stokes gets a streaky two down to third man.
65th over - Just a Ben Stokes single from the over.
64th over - Just three runs from the Southee over.
63rd over - Boult is back - 0/32 from 14. Denly play and miss outside off.
62nd over - Five runs from the over .... two singles to Denly and a two and a single for Stokes.
61st over - Stokes breaks the shackles with a pulled four through square leg off Wagner.
60th over - Another over down and another Ben Stokes single off it.
59th over - Just a Ben Stokes single from Wagner's over.
58th over - Southee to bowl ... he has 0/21 from 12. Maiden from Tim.
57th over - Wagner will continue - he is 1/41 from 14 overs. Just a Joe Denly single from the over.
Evening session: Blackcaps wrestled control away from England in the last hour ... England 113/1 to 121/3 represents a good score for the bowling unit on a good wicket. Key half hour here as another wicket would pile the pressure on the England middle-lower order.
TEA - England 121/3: That'll be the session. A win for the Blackcaps you would have to say taking 2/70 and getting the valued wicket of the England skipper. Colin de Grandhomme the star with 2/23 from 16 overs.
56th over - Denly grabs a sneaky single on the legside.
55th over - Wagner all over Stokes in that over with a bit of reverse swing, Maiden.
54th over - De Grabdhomme continues and bowls a maiden to Denly.
Joe Root c Southee b Wagner 2 (22) FOW 120
53rd over - WICKET - Neil Wagner is back replacing Boult - Wagner 0-38 from 12. Joe Root finally off the mark with two to midwicket on a Jeet Raval misfield. Wagner strikes!! Root's strange knock is over as he gives Southee catching practice at 2nd slip with a horrible shot.
52nd over - Just a Denly single from the over - Root 0* from 19 balls in 24 minutes.
51th over - Just a Joe Denly single from the Boult over.
50th over - Denly breaks the run of dot balls with a short single wide of gully.
49th over - Maiden from Boult to a scoreless Root.
48th over - Maiden from de Grandhomme.
47th over - Just a Denly single from the over ... Joe Root is 0 from 9 balls.
Rory Burns c Watling b de Grandhomme 52 (138) 6x4's FOW 113
46th over - WICKET - De Grandhomme strikes again. Burns drives outside off but can only tickle it through to Watling behind the stumps. Wicket maiden for de Grandhomme.
45th over - Burns has fifty with a lovely shot through midwicket along the deck .... that's his 5th 50 and he has 1 100 in 25 innings.
44th over - Colin de Grandhomme replaces Southee - he has 1-19 from 9. Burns drives and misses to a full swinging ball from CDG. Burn beaten again on the final ball of the over.
43rd over - Burns plays back in is struck on the back pad ... Boult goes up but not out is the call. Williamson reviews. Decision is umpire's call - that was very close to more than half the ball.
DRINKS
42nd over - Singles for Denly and Burns from the over and the fifty partnership is up.
41st over - Trent Boult replaces Wagner - Boult 0-20 from 8. Full from Boult and Burns almost drags it back onto his stumps. Maiden for 'Lovely Trenty'.
40th over - England 100 up with a Denly leg glance.
39th over - Denly edges to Taylor at 1st slip but it just drops short. Next ball Wagner beats Denly outside off.
38th over - Burns forward, gets the edge and the ball goes through Taylor and Latham at 1st and 2nd slip and down to the boundary for four. Southee is livid - that should have been taken by one of them.
37th over - Burns cops one on the helmet from Wagner ... the ball heads over the keeper for four leg byes.
36th over - Joe Burns plays out a Southee maiden with ease. Wicket is sloooooooowwwww.
35th over - Denly pulls through midwicket for another four. Wagner with a peach of a ball has Denly searching outside off and it's through to Watling. Denly smashes Wagner to square on the offside for four .... he's winning the battle.
34th over - Just a couple singles off the Southee over.
33rd over - Wagner goes short but it sits up and Denly pulls through midwicket for a boundary. Denly almost pops a catch to de Grandhomme at gully ... short outside off and Denly plays a nowhere shot - half cut/half pull but gets a bottom edge ... just falls short. Denly replies with a pull short square for four runs.
32nd over - Southee will continue. Just a Joe Denly single from an uneventful over.
31st over - Neil Wagner will continue. 0-13 from 7. Denly grabs two to mid-wicket then a lovely drive through the covers earns him three.
30th over - Tim Southee will open up. 0-9 from 5 overs. Southee in the money in this over .... Burns looking for runs in the cover area but he can't pierce the field. Southee beats him outside off late in the over. Maiden.
Afternoon session: Almost set for a resumption of play - a couple wickets in the first hour will have the Blackcaps on top but if England can stick at it, they will prosper later in the day on a very good wicket.
LUNCH - England 61/1: After a promising start to the day, England slowed up to reach the lunch break at 61/1 after 29 overs. Rory Burns is on 35 with Joe Denly on 4. Colin de Grandhomme (1/19) claimed New Zealand's only wicket in the session, dismissing Dom Sibley for 22 in the 22nd over.
29th over - Final over before lunch and Burns scores one more run for the visitors, who are 61/1.
28th over - The dot ball marathon is over as Joe Denly - facing his 21st delivering - smashes de Grandhomme for four. Those are the only runs scored in the over and there will be one more over before lunch it seems. England now 60/1.
27th over - Rory Burns cops one on the shoulder from Neil Wagner's final ball of the over. That will leave a mark.
26th over - Another maiden. That is de Grandhomme's second in eight overs.
25th over - Maiden over for Neil Wagner as he continues his short-ball barrage. Time for two or three more overs before lunch I reckon.
24th over - England add three more runs during the over. Rory Burns spanks it towards point. It comes off the toe of the bat and the fielder catches up with it before it reaches the ropes. England now 56/1.
23rd over - Rory Burns gets one run for the over. England now 53/1 as lunch approaches.
Dom Sibley c Taylor b de Grandhomme 22 (63) 4x4s FOW 52
22nd over - WICKET - Colin de Grandhomme strikes for the Blackcaps as he claims the scalp of Dom Sibley. The English batsman edges the ball to Ross Taylor in the slips and he departs for 22. Joe Denly now joins Rory Burns at the crease. De Grandhomme appealed for a wicket on the previous ball so he did a great job to hit back and get Sibley with the next ball. England ends the over 52/1.
21st over - Neil Wagner claims his first maiden over the test. All his deliveries were straight and short.
20th over - Two singles scored from the de Grandhomme over. England are not 52/0 after 120 balls.
19th over - Wagner is back in the attack for his second over. More great feeling from New Zealand spots a four - this time Tom Latham comes up with the heroic dive. England ends the over 50/0 and there is a round of applause from the Mt Maunganui crowd.
18th over - Rory Burns edges closer to 30, as he steers the ball down to fine leg for four. He's currently in 29, with England 47/0.
17th over - Neil Wagner replaces Trent Boult. He looks ready to unleash on the England attack. His first ball isn't the best way to start his spell, as Sibley hits Wagner down to the fine-leg boundary for four. Wagner responds with four great deliveries, but the over ends with another Sibley four.
16th over - Colin de Grandhomme resumes in the attack, as England score two more singles, bringing their total up to 35/0.
15th over - Trent Boult resumes with the ball for his eighth over. Burns hits the ball towards cover point boundary and one Blackcaps fielder stops the ball going for four, so another three runs for England. They're the only runs scored by the visitors. England now 33/0.
14th over - Just one run scored from this over. The first hour is done and now times for the drinks break. Good first hour from England, New Zealand will be furious witht missed Burns oportunity.
13th over - A few runs scored in that over. Rory Burns now on 20 from 45 balls, with Dom Sibley nine from 33. Trent Boult's spell must be coming to an end now. England 29/0.
12th over - Colin de Grandhomme comes into the attack for Tim Southee. Rory Burns gets a little edge from the third ball in the over, but it doens't carry to backward point. Final ball of the over goes for three runs, a great piece of fielding by Trent Boult prevents a four from being scored. England now 26/0.
11th over - Trent Boult hits back with another maiden over. England still on the same score.
10th over- Rory Burns hits a short Southee delivery for four runs. Southee goes short and wide, and it's smashed through point on the cut. The only runs scored from the over as England move to 23/0.
9th over - Rory Buns gets one run from the Boult over, which lifts England to 19/0 after nine.
8th over - Another maiden over appears to be on the cards, but off the last ball, Dom Sibley hits Southee for four runs with a beautifu shot down mid-wicket. England now 18/0.
7th over - Another over, and another maiden.
6th over - Southee bowls his second maiden over.
5th over - Another maiden over, this time it was Trent Boult with the ball. There was some drama with the last ball of the over as Boult appeals for a wicket, but the umpire doesn't raise the finger. Kane Williamson doesn't appeal, and replays later show the tiniest of edges on Burns' bat. Hot spot shows a very smal knick on the the bat. Missed opportunity for New Zealand.
4th over - A maiden over for Southee. Bowling consistently around 130 km/h.
3rd over - After four dot balls, Rory Burns hits back-to-back boundary's to end the over. His first goes straight down the ground, while the second runs through mid-wicket to the rope. England now 14/0.
2nd over - Tim Southee to bowl from the other end at Bay Oval. Just one run from the over - Burns hits it to square leg and Sibley is nearly run-out, running towards the strikers end. England are 6/0.
1st over - Trent Boult to bowl the first over for New Zealand. Rory Burns is on strike. Four dot balls to start the first test, before Burns gets away for a single. Sibley faces his first ball in a test, and it goes to the ropes for four. England 5/0 after the first over.
10:56 am - Both teams are out on the field, time for the national athems.
10:35 am - Engand have won the toss, and will bat first.
Kia ora, good morning and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the first cricket test of the New Zealand summer between the Blackcaps and England at Mt Maunganui.
Making this occasion all the more special, this will also be the first five-day international ever played at Bay Oval, which becomes New Zealand's ninth test ground. The others are Lancaster Park and Hagley Oval (Christchurch), Basin Reserve (Wellington), Eden Park (Auckland), Carisbrook and University Oval (Dunedin), McLean Park (Napier) and Seddon Park (Hamilton).
Of course, this particularly match-up has taken on greater significance this year - no so much in the test format - after the pulsating climax at the Cricket World Cup, where England pipped New Zealand on a countback of boundaries in the final.
Then, two weeks ago, the T20 series decided at Eden Park also went into extra time, with the tourists again prevailing in a 'super over'.
In the longer format, New Zealand sit poised for their 100th test victory some time this summer, currently sitting on 98, after their victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo three months ago.
The Blackcaps last beat England (by an innings and 49 runs) at Eden Park in March 2018, after dismissing their rivals for 58 runs in the first innings. Skipper Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls both scoring centuries, and Trent Boult (6/32 & 3/67) turned in a man-of-the-match performance with the ball.
Boult will again speahead that same attack, after Williamson announced white-ball speedster Lockie Ferguson would have to wait a little longer for his test debut.
Squads
England: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Joe Denly, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad.
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult.
Join us at 11am for the start of play.
Blackcaps stick with experienced attack against England
New Zealand will stick with a tried-and-true bowling attack for their series-opening test against England at Mt Maunganui on Thursday.
After speedster Lockie Ferguson was released back to Auckland for the domestic competition, Blackcaps skipper Kane Williamson revealed he would entrust the ball to his three most experienced pacemen - Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner.
Allrounders Colin de Grandhomme (medium pace) and Mitch Santner (spin) would provide the variation.
Cantabrian Matt Henry will remain with the squad during the test, while Ferguson and spinner Todd Astle log time with their respective provinces.
Williamson admitted the selectors had seriously considered handing one of the world's fastest bowlers his first test cap.
"You're always considering those options and as we know, he's an extremely exciting talent, but he'll be released to play a little more cricket and then join back up with us in Hamilton.
"It's great to have so many guys in the environment that are rearing to go and all offering different things. The three we've gone with are guys that have been in the group for a long period of time and performed really well for us."
Boult and Southee have provided a potent new-ball combination for much of their careers, while Wagner's beligerent approach has proved a worthy foil later in an innings.
Williamson denied Ferguson had missed his best chance of a red-ball call-up this summer, with series against Australia and India also looming.
"His chances are the same as every game we turn up to and have a look at the surface and pick the team best suited to it," he told media. "I don't think it really matters whether it's the first game of a reasonable period of test cricket or not.
"We know how good he is - he hasn't quite been exposed to red-ball cricket just yet - but there's no doubt he's ready to go, if and when that opportunity comes.
"We know he's brings something a little bit different, which is really exciting, but we've picked 15 for five test matches in a row and no doubt he will always be discussed."
On Tuesday, coach Gary Stead hinted at the temptation to "fight fire with fire", matching the searing pace of England's Jofra Archer with Ferguson's comparable speed. Both are more than capable of bowling at 150kph.
"I don't know if that's how you pick a team, as such," warned Williamson. "Don't get me wrong, the excitement of having a guy in our camp that can bowl at such high speed is very attractive.
"Jofra's obviously been outstanding for England, but you don't just mirror the opposition."
