Jimmy Anderson justified England's decision to stick with him by taking three wickets here today as New Zealand struggled to 109 for five by tea in bowler-friendly conditions.

Anderson might have been left out if Andrew Flintoff had not strained his side last week and could have been jettisoned when Matthew Hoggard was pressing hard for a swift return to the team.

But the man who triggered England's fightback in New Zealand two months ago with a five-wicket haul in Wellington kept his place, and then kept England in the box seat after Michael Vaughan had won an important toss on a grey, damp day.

Anderson sent back debut-maker Aaron Redmond for a duck and quickly accounted for the other opener, Jamie How, for seven.

Then, after Stuart Broad had removed Ross Taylor and James Marshall, Anderson returned to dismiss another first-timer, Daniel Flynn, to leave the Kiwis teetering.

England, playing in their new 'brilliant white' kit, had made a dazzling start to the npower First Test. But their position could have been even better with Marshall having led a charmed life and Brendon McCullum fortunate to survive a leg before appeal from Monty Panesar on 36.

After one near miss, when the morning rain returned to scupper plans to get cracking at 12.20pm, Vaughan finally led his team on to the field an hour later. But the extra delay probably only served to sharpen England's appetite and increase Kiwi anxiety.

The home captain knew he had won a good toss. Making it count, though, was what really mattered and, when Ryan Sidebottom's fifth delivery fizzed past the outside edge of How's bat, Vaughan could afford to smile at mid-on.

But it was to be Anderson, rather than England's cricketer of the year, who made the breakthrough with his fifth ball of the day.

At 28, Redmond is a lot older than your average Test newcomer. And he came into this game on the back of two good scores - 146 and 64 - against the England Lions last week. Neither age nor form is worth too much, though, in a situation like this.

Trying to get a feel for the pace of the pitch, Redmond wisely allowed the first four deliveries to pass by. But he felt he had to play at the next, which was more threatening to off stump, and the end result was a low catch to third slip which Alastair Cook clutched with both hands.

You had to feel sorry for Redmond. As for Anderson, this was already looking like one of those occasions - not frequent enough, by any means - when his publicly stated hopes of being rated among the world's top-10 bowlers look realistic.

But for overstepping the crease, by a whisker, the Lancastrian would have sent back Marshall during his third over, the New Zealander nicking a cracking delivery that left him late through to keeper Tim Ambrose.

Umpire Simon Taufel was so early with the call, though, that England did not even begin to celebrate.

Nothing could prevent high fives all round just a few ball later. The dismissal
of How was almost a carbon copy of Redmond's demise, though, this time the edge was thinner and ended in Ambrose's gloves rather than interesting England's slip cordon.

A scoreboard reading 18 for two was fine for Vaughan's men but it should have looked even better with Marshall surviving the clearest of run-out chances on 10 and then, four runs later, cutting just over a ducking Kevin Pietersen in the gully.

Anderson was heavily involved in both incidents. Swooping on the ball at short mid-off when Taylor went for a high risk single, the bowler threw hard at the target from a sprawling position when he could have lobbed gently to an inrushing Ian Bell.

The throw missed with Marshall not even a third of the way down the pitch.

As for Anderson being denied Marshall's wicket a couple of overs later, Pietersen must have completely lost sight of ball off bat and was crouching when he needed to be going upwards.

Taylor, meanwhile, had clearly decided there was no point prodding around in these conditions. The man who scored his maiden Test century against England in Hamilton two months ago got away with three or four thick-edged drives and cuts before, almost inevitably, perishing.

Trying to pull Broad's ninth delivery from outside off stump, Taylor merely skied a catch off the top edge which Paul Collingwood took nonchalantly enough while trotting backwards from slip.

Marshall's luck finally ran out when he was beaten off the pitch to Broad and snicked a straightforward catch to Andrew Strauss at first slip. Then Anderson returned to bowl left-hander Flynn behind his legs early in his second spell from the Pavilion End.