Lunch Report: New Zealand 260-8 (82 overs) v England

It is usually supposed that if you win the toss and insert the opposition in a Test match you should bowl them out for 250. Any more than 280 and you have either bowled badly or the captain made the wrong decision.

By this pretty unscientific but nonetheless truthful yardstick, it could be concluded that Michael Vaughan was neither right nor wrong in asking New Zealand to bat. On a morning which was dull in every sense, the tourists added 52 runs for the loss of two wickets in 29 overs.

They had clearly concluded that the attacking policy which they favoured on the opening day was no longer to be trusted and became vigilant to the point of strokelessness. England abetted this plan by tending to bowl too short.

Both wickets fell to the new hero, Ryan Sidebottom, wicketless on the opening day, accounting first for the stubborn Jacob Oram, and then immediately with the second new ball bowling Kyle Mills with one that swung late. That over was remarkable: Sidebottom took one wicket and had close appeals turned down to four of its other balls.