KEY POINTS:
Barring an England tumble this morning, or someone attacking a good length with a fork overnight, the smart money will be on a first test stalemate.
England ground their way to 286 for six, 184 behind New Zealand, staking out their position in the opening hour and not
deviating against a demanding attack.
England clearly figured they had no chance of establishing a position from which they could win this test so set about ensuring the other mob didn't. It was highly effective, both from their perspective and from those in the ground who didn't want their nap in the sun interrupted.
The relevant statistics?
England crawled along all day at a fraction over two runs an over.
Of the 94 overs in the day, 34 were maidens.
England's batsmen managed a meagre 23 fours and one six in the day.
The pitch did take big turn at times for spinners Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel, but on a day when there were more "oohs" and "aahs" than roars of success, the bat, provided it was used with care and concentration, was invariably on top.
However Patel, a glass three-quarters-full sort of chap, reckons New Zealand can push on for a win, providing they make swift work of getting the last four wickets this morning.
The pitch will deteriorate and New Zealand's spinners will have final use tomorrow, if things work out their way.
"I see ourselves setting up a pretty good test match," he said. "We can set a big target and rock and roll them on the last day. There's enough turn and a little more wear will make it a little more exciting for all of us."
All of the New Zealanders anyway.
Kevin Pietersen put a different spin on it, rating his 42 in 203 minutes and off 131 ball "one of my better knocks. I didn't try anything stupid".
He praised the quality of "world-class" Vettori and Patel's work and maintained "they were really hard, difficult batting conditions".
"Our guys batted brilliantly. If a few of us had tried our normal game we could have been in a whole lot of trouble. We have been asked to scrap."
New Zealand got one wicket in the first session, two in the second and one, Pietersen, after his uncharacteristic block job, after tea.
The decisive battles of the day were always going to involve Vettori and Patel, the experienced old-hand and the apprentice.
With their contrasting spin, they were central to the most intriguing parts of the day as they duelled with a succession of batsmen, who handled them with various degrees of success. None ever gained dominance _ Ian Bell at times resembled a chap trying to step into a canoe _ and it was more a case of degrees of comfort at the crease.
Pietersen clubbed his third ball for six back down the ground, but that was a false alarm. At one point one of cricket's most exhilarating batsmen eked out 16 consecutive singles.
Patel and Vettori induced false strokes, and Jacob Oram kept the thumbscrews on. Brendon McCullum missed a difficult stumping off Paul Collingwood on 8 when the ball bit and jumped, and the ball flew either short or wide of Stephen Fleming at slip more than once.
New Zealand scored 446 runs in the same time England took to make 286, but the pitch conditions make that an unfair comparison. New Zealand needed a bit of luck here and there and didn't get it, but it is they who will have the positive mindset today.
