SAM CURRAN justified his selection for the First Test with two key wickets – including master batsman Kane Williamson.
Curran was chosen ahead of Chris Woakes because of his ability to swing the ball and his left-arm angle offers Joe Root a different option.
Nobody would have predicted he would bounce out Kiwi captain Williamson, one of the most accomplished players on the planet.
That is exactly what happened, however, when Curran somehow managed to get a delivery sent down at just 78mph to lift and spit from the pitch.
It took Williamson by surprise and, immediately after reaching his half-century, he could do no more than glove the ball into the slips, where Ben Stokes lunged forward and held the catch.
Earlier, Curran had trapped opener Tom Latham lbw with his third delivery. That was another crucial wicket because Latham has been in prolific form over the last couple of years.
Hotspot suggested Latham nicked the ball onto his pad but the batsman did not review the decision.
Currans brace of wickets made up for his first ball duck earlier on day two – which came in the middle of a collapse in which England lost four wickets in 20 balls.
Williamson had looked in little trouble as he picked off any stray balls with minimum fuss and maximum efficiency before being dismissed.
Two overs before the close, left-hander Henry Nicholls took a crunching blow to the helmet when he ducked into a ball from Jofra Archer. He was allowed to continue batting by team medics after a five-minute delay and finished 26 not out.
England will be pleased to take four wickets as the Blackcaps reached 144-4 in reply to Englands 353 all out.
The other two Kiwi wickets were opener Jeet Patel, who attempted several risky slog-sweeps against Jack Leachs left-arm spin before hitting one to mid-wicket.
Veteran Ross Taylor was determined to take on the plentiful number of short balls flying in his direction. He middled a few but then top-edged one from Stokes straight into Ollie Popes hands at deep mid-wicket.
Earlier, Stokes was out nine runs short of another century as he looked to extend his sensational summer into a wondrous winter.
The all-rounders brilliant performances in the World Cup – including a Player of the Match epic in the final – and his heroic hundred at Headingley make him odds-on favourite to be Sports Personality of the Year.
He went close to adding another three-figure score in his first international innings of the winter.
In fact, so commandingly did he play, Stokes looked nailed on to reach a century. After coming in with England wobbling a touch at 120-3, he took his time at the start but gradually got on top of the New Zealand bowlers with some powerful and assured strokeplay.
It came as a surprise when he advanced down the pitch to Tim Southee, edged an attempted drive and was superbly caught at first slip by a leaping Taylor.
Alarmingly for England, his dismissal prompted a dramatic collapse in which four wickets fell in just 20 balls. In the blink of an eye, England descended from 277-4 to 295-8.
Pope departed when he chased a wide ball from Southee and Curran was nailed lbw next ball. Archer survived the hat-trick but, in the next over, fended a catch into the slip cordon.
This was not the mantra of discipline and concentration that captain Root and coach Chris Silverwood have been preaching and so rigorously followed on day one by Rory Burns and Joe Denly.
Jos Butlter and Leach, who have been mates since their teenage days in the Somerset junior teams, put on 52 for the nine wicket. Once more, Leach was showing stickability with the bat and helping to contribute valuable runs.
Butler was caught at deep point slashing at a short ball from Neil Wagner. The fielder, Mitch Santner, had been off the field signing autographs and scaled the perimeter advertising board just in time to hold the catch.
Stuart Broad was last man out when he dragged on to Wagner. England were disappointed not to reach 400 but it was their highest first innings total in an overseas Test since Melbourne in 2017.
