CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Nov 28, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - England captured the 
vital wicket of Kane Williamson for 93 in a dramatic five-wicket final 
session to leave New Zealand 319-8 after day one of the first Test in 
Christchurch on Thursday.

The hosts went to tea at a healthy 193-3 and slumped to 252-7 before Glenn 
Phillips (41 not out) and Matt Henry (18) halted the collapse with a spirited 
46-run stand for the eighth wicket.

Shoaib Bashir, the only specialist spinner in the Test, was England's chief 
destroyer with 4-69.

It left the contest finely balanced.

"It's a good, fair surface," Williamson said. "On a surface like that you 
ride a bit of luck and I played and missed a bit, that's just the nature of 
the beast."

The 21-year-old Bashir did not expect to be bowling on day one and was 
surprised to find himself facing Williamson, New Zealand's greatest Test run 
scorer.

"Obviously he's a world class player and for me, bowling to someone like him, 
I was just in awe watching Kane Williamson bat," he said.

"I bowled plenty of bad balls out there but I was still kept on and that 
shows how much faith they (management) have in me."

Former skipper Williamson looked on track to put New Zealand into a dominant 
position after joining Tom Latham in the middle when they lost opener Devon 
Conway in the second over.

He faced 14 deliveries before getting off the mark and went on to anchor 50-
run partnerships with Latham, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell.

Williamson was instrumental in getting them to 227-4 before he was undone 
attempting a cut shot that went to Zac Crawley at point to give Gus Atkinson 
his second wicket.

England had started the Test with a roar, winning the toss and, bowling on a 
green top, having Atkinson remove Conway almost immediately.

But for the rest of the first two sessions, the composed Williamson swung the 
momentum back to New Zealand.

He was unfazed when twice struck on the helmet by Brydon Carse and survived a 
vociferous appeal on 51 for caught behind when replays showed the ball hit 
the thigh-pad and not the bat.

Williamson, who hit 10 fours, faced 197 deliveries in 274 minutes with 
temperatures hovering around 30 Celsius before being dismissed in the 90s for 
the first time in six years.

In Williamson's previous 13 innings where he scored at least 90, the prolific 
batsman had gone on to register eight hundreds and five double centuries.

- Ravindra aggression -

With moisture in the ground causing the England bowlers some early problems 
with their delivery stride, Latham punished every loose ball that came along.

But he had a lapse of concentration in the first over after the morning 
drinks break and he was caught behind off Carse for 47.

Ravindra took on the aggressor role as he and Williamson added 68 for the 
third wicket before Ravindra clumsily mis-hit a loose full toss from Bashir 
and was gone for 34.

Mitchell accompanied Williamson through to tea but went for 19 in the second 
over after play resumed.

The wickets of Williamson, Tom Blundell (17) and debutant Nathan Smith 
(three) quickly followed as New Zealand slumped to 252-7.

Henry added a brisk 18, leaving Phillips and Tim Southee (10) to see out the 
day.

England debutant, 21-year-old Jacob Bethell, bowled one over of left-arm spin 
with his first Test delivery dispatched to the boundary by Williamson.

Uncapped Durham wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson was on Thursday added to 
England's squad in place of the injured Jordan Cox and is expected to arrive 
on Saturday.

Bethell will bat at number three with Ollie Pope taking the gloves in this 
Test and sliding down the order to six.