Phil Tufnell and Andy Caddick rewarded Nasser Hussain's faith by ensuring England's new captain enjoyed an excellent first day in the job at Edgbaston.
Labelled as troublemakers under Alec Stewart's regime and completely discarded from England's plans for the last 15 months, the pair returned with exactly the "fire in the belly" which Hussain had outlined as a crucial requirement for his team. They claimed three wickets apiece and, crucially, struck at vital moments as New Zealand were dismissed for 226 on the opening day of the first Test. Inevitably, England allowed New Zealand's lower order to push them towards a more challenging total than had seemed possible with their last four wickets adding 122 runs. But importantly, particularly for a player who has been known for his volcanic-like temper in the past, Hussain remained composed and controlled and his team responded with a spirited and determined last session. Knowing all too well that his last eight predecessors had suffered defeat in their opening Test, it was vital Hussain made a promising start and was given that after just three deliveries by Alan Mullally.
Replacing the injured Darren Gough as England's main spearhead, Mullally tempted Roger Twose into a lazy shot outside offstump which gave Graham Thorpe the first of his three catches. Hussain relied heavily on both Mullally and Caddick and gave them the lion's share of the workload until Tufnell was brought into the attack mid-afternoon Opener Matthew Horne followed Twose back to the Edgbaston dressing-room after being trapped leg before by Caddick with a tentative push forward and youngster Alex Tudor, preferred to Dean Headley and Chris Silverwood, ended a threatening Stephen Fleming innings when he also edged to Thorpe.
Part-time bowler Mark Butcher snared Nathan Astle's wicket soon after, the edge giving debutant wicketkeeper Chris Read his first Test dismissal. Enthused by their morning's work and New Zealand in disarray at 75 for 4, Hussain recalled Caddick to the attack and he responded with his best spell of the day, claiming 2 for 19 in a 10over burst. Chris Cairns, reprieved when Thorpe could only palm a half-chance over his head on two and when Caddick failed to hold a smart return catch a run later, ran out of luck having added a careful 17. Craig McMillan followed in Caddick's next over, caught by Thorpe at slip, and the tourists were struggling at 104 for six. Having been an ever present in England's Test side for the last three years, though, Hussain knows better than to take anything for granted at international level and a determined partnership between Adam Parore and Dion Nash threatened to reduce the impact of England's early work.
Parore went on to top-score with 73, but the afternoon belonged to Tufnell. He grabbed 3 for 11 in 25 deliveries to further decimate the New Zealanders and give England a clear edge at the end of day one.
Whether it was by design or accident, England's new captain Hussain never looked particularly flustered by New Zealand's determination which was ended two overs after the new ball when Mullally tempted Parore into edging behind to Read.
