After New Zealand seamers prosper, Harry Brook and Ollie Pope save England from disaster.

On a day with two different weather patterns, Harry Brook and Ollie Pope mounted a valiant comeback at Hagley Oval, and when the sun returned to Christchurch, New Zealand's early assault under dense cloud cover was halted.

By tea, England was still struggling at 174 for 4, precisely halfway to their opponents' 348, and they were getting better thanks to a string of missed catches. But a 103-run partnership for the fifth wicket that had rattled along at more than five runs per over made it richer than their midday low of 45 for 3.

Even though there were clouds, the batting challenge had changed dramatically, with New Zealand bowling in the circumstances that England had hoped to take advantage of after winning the toss on the first day.

Almost twice as much swing was available than England had managed, and the hot, windy weather that had greeted the first day's play was replaced in the morning by cooler, cloudy conditions with a little breeze that was ideal for encouraging the ball to speak.

And the intensity of their bowling assault had shades of their incredible 46-all-out performance against India in Bengaluru last month, after New Zealand's first innings had been concluded for 348, with the addition of 29 runs in 40 minutes.

Tim Southee set the tone with a flawless maiden in the first over to Zak Crawley, who was soon bowled out by Matt Henry for a 12-ball duck. However, Nathan Smith, the debutant, delivered the decisive blows in the last over before lunch, taking out fellow newcomer Jacob Bethell for 10 and, crucially, England's kingpin Joe Root for a duck as well.

The circumstances surrounding Bethell's first innings at No. 3 could hardly have been more difficult. He had not contributed to his score in 13 more deliveries after being forced to wait 13 deliveries before he nudged his first run through the leg-side. However, Smith's arrival freed his arms with a pair of boundaries, one off the pads and the other through backward point.

But in the beginning of his second over, Smith had the last laugh—and then some. He delivered a brilliant seaming ball with minutes left in the session that slanted in at the left-hander from around the wicket, kept its line, and bit and rose onto the edge.

Smith endured a torturous wait when the third umpire ruled out a ball, but he ended the session with an even more crucial cut while the exhilaration was still high. Root took an under-edge into the stumps after facing down three deliveries, two of which were declared no-balls this time. However, his fourth delivery was on a broader line and nipped back off the surface.

Ben Duckett, who hit six fours in a 62-ball 46, at least resisted in his own unique way, but he turned his luck into a bucking bronco rather than just riding it.

England was at 71 for 4, and if Brook hadn't been poorly dropped at gully by Glenn Phillips on 18 in the very next over, their situation may have been irreversible. When Brook reached 41, Latham spilled his second of the innings, another poor mistake at second slip, and Smith, the unlucky bowler, was once again dismissed.

But by that point, the sun was starting to rise, and England's insatiable need to take the initiative was already regaining some of the territory that had been lost. Pope was once again frantic from the start, taking on O'Rourke's height and bounce with a succession of streaky slaps over the cordon, one of which he understood very little about. Pope was ranked No. 6 for this Test, presumably because he is keeping wicket, but also as a result of his somber tour of Pakistan.

However, as Brook followed suit with a stunning flip for six over fine leg off Henry, England's run-rate started to revert to the standard 4-an-over pace that has allowed them to thwart several bowling attacks in recent years. With the promise of more to come, should the skies stay away, both players had marched through to their fifties by tea against a now 41-over-old ball. Brook had hit a second six over fine leg, while Pope had been nudged to leg from a quick 59 balls.

The drama of the day had been hinted at in the first forty minutes of the day, at the conclusion of New Zealand's opening innings. The final two wickets for New Zealand came after another 29 runs were scored by Glenn Phillips, who turned his overnight 41 into an undefeated 58. But it was not a simple stay; Chris Woakes defeated Phillips with an outswinger, and Phillips summed up the challenge with an audible "oh you weasel!".

After assessing the movement, Southee at the other end decided to use force and blasted Woakes off his length for a first-over boundary. However, Brydon Carse's opening delivery of the morning undid him. He picked out Gus Atkinson at deep square after winding into a pull from outside off.

Carse's inability to attack his stumps, which resulted in him regularly leaving the ball outside off, let Will O'Rourke establish himself as a doughty No. 11. Phillips cashed in momentarily to reach his sixth Test fifty.

On 42, he was given a fright when Carse, who was producing a decent head of steam, struck him hard in the face with a top-edge off the splice. Root then dropped him at slip in the same over, a difficult diving opportunity to his right. Carse finished the innings with career-best figures of 4 for 64 in his third Test, however, after ultimately getting his line to O'Rourke to pull off his off stump with an outswinging yorker.