Ruthless Vaughan upstaged by Oram

His rise to the very top continues to have an inevitability about it. Cook last night reached 2,000 runs in only his 26th Test at an average in excess of 44 as England made a positive start to a second Test they cannot afford to lose after being put into bat by Daniel Vettori on a Basin Reserve pitch that offered seam movement from the start.

But England's good work of the first session was undone immediately after lunch when both Cook and England captain Michael Vaughan fell to Jacob Oram as New Zealand finally began to reap the benefits of winning the toss.

Andrew Strauss followed soon after and Ian Bell almost joined him in the pavilion next delivery when a miscued pull fell just out of catching range.

England had been bold in dropping both Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard on the eve of the match.

And they continued being assertive on the first morning against a New Zealand team who could secure their first home series win against England for 24 years with victory here.

Vaughan rarely seems ruffled under pressure and he was his normal calm self as the England captain and Cook took the attack to New Zealand in the opening session.

Cook took a particular liking to the bowling of Mark Gillespie, preferred by New Zealand to Jeetan Patel because of the promise of movement in the pitch, driving and pulling him with relish.

But what looked like a golden opportunity to add an eighth Test hundred was dashed after lunch when Cook, on 44, nibbled at one that gained just enough movement to take his edge. Oram had also struck in his previous over with just the second ball after lunch as he produced a beauty to take the top of Vaughan's off-stump for 32.

And it was Kyle Mills who dismissed Strauss, finding an angled bat when the ball checked and flew to Mathew Sinclair.

Harmison and Hoggard, meanwhile, were on the sidelines and forced to reflect on the possible end to their England careers after Vaughan had shown his ruthless side in leaving them out here in favour of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson to 'shake up' the bowling.

Vaughan and coach Peter Moores had strode purposefully towards Harmison the day before the match as England's pre-second Test net session came to an end. They talked for a minute or so on the outfield at the Basin Reserve before Harmison walked off disconsolately.

It might be the last time we see him as an England player.

But also, to universal surprise, Hoggard before the start of this crucial match. And in so doing they officially brought the curtain down on the bowling attack that won the 2005 Ashes. Decisive action was needed after the horror of Hamilton and Vaughan was ruthless here.

'It was a very tough call,' said Vaughan before the match. 'Our gut feeling was that we had to make a change. The attack was in need of a shake-up and this is a great opportunity for Broad and Anderson to stamp their authority on Test cricket.'

No one expected Hoggard to be axed just yet but there is no question that he has looked a bowler in decline over the last year.

What he must do now is firstly regain the fitness that saw him go so long without interruption in Test cricket before his body seemed to say 'enough' and also relocate the knack of taking wickets on unresponsive surfaces that turned him from a good swing bowler into a high-class Test performer.

It will be fascinating to see whether the pair have the desire to force their way back now. Vaughan did not appear too sure when he said that he 'hoped' they would.

'It wasn't a nice thing for me to tell two players I've basically played all my Test cricket with that they're not in the team but it's part of my job,' he said.

'I really hope that they react in a positive fashion and if they don't play next week in the third Test I hope they'll go back to their counties, start the season well and try to get back in the Test team.'