Fulton, Williamson lay platform

Tea New Zealand 173 for 1 (Fulton 95*, Williamson 39*) v England

Hamish Rutherford threw away his wicket after a promising beginning © Getty Images

Peter Fulton, with his highest Test score, helped New Zealand tighten their grip on the first day of the final Test in Auckland. New Zealand have only once beaten England in a Test series at home - in 1983-84 - but, going into this game with the series level at 0-0, will hope that Fulton has laid the foundations for a similar success.

Fulton, who went into tea five short of a maiden Test century, has so far been the main beneficiary of Alastair Cook's decision to invite New Zealand to bat after winning the toss. On an easy-paced track and under bright skies, none of England's bowlers were able to find any help and batting looked a relatively straightforward proposition.

Fulton, the 34-year-old opener whose previous highest Test score - 75 - was made in 2006, added 79 for the first wicket with Hamish Rutherford and 94 more for the second with Kane Williamson as New Zealand established a strong position.

Fulton was never totally convincing outside off stump. Several times he was drawn into playing deliveries he could have left and, on 12, was fortunate to see his indeterminate prod at a ball from James Anderson fly to the boundary just past third slip. Perhaps, on a larger playing surface, he might have been caught on 30 when he top-edged a pull off Stuart Broad and saw the ball clear the fine-leg boundary, just 53 metres from the bat.

His real strength lies on the legside. His first boundary, a clip through backward square, came when Broad strayed on to his legs and it was fitting that he brought up the 50 partnership and his own 50 with flowing on drives. He plundered 14 - two fours and a six, all through midwicket - in three deliveries off the ineffectual Monty Panesar.

But if Fulton has made the greater contribution to date, Williamson has, arguably, played the more eye-catching strokes. At one stage, he took three boundaries in an over from Anderson, deliberately guiding two balls to third man and driving another, quite beautifully, back past the bowler for another.

The only wicket New Zealand lost to date owed more to a lapse in concentration than any incisive bowling. In the penultimate over of the morning session, Hamish Rutherford attempted a footless slash at a wide delivery and was well taken, high at first slip. He left the field cursing his carelessness and will know he squandered an opportunity to join Fulton in exploiting the friendly conditions.

Cook's pain will have been tempered somewhat by the knowledge that his counterpart, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum admitted that he, too, would have chosen to bowl first. But England may also reflect that they failed to utilise the new ball as they might have done. Neither Anderson nor Broad made the batsmen play as often as they would have liked in the opening overs and, with the conditions offering little assistance to the bowlers, batting looked increasingly and, from an England perspective, worryingly comfortable.

With the seamers finding little help in the surface, both teams will be relieved they decided to stick with their spinners. Indeed, New Zealand retained the same XI that had represented them in the first two Tests, resisting the opportunity to bring in Doug Bracewell for either the spinner Bruce Martin or to freshen up the seam attack, while England brought in Jonny Bairstow in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen.

George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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