Bulawayo - Seamer Neil Wagner grabbed two quick wickets as New Zealand reduced hosts Zimbabwe to 49 for four at lunch on the opening morning of the first Test at the Queen's Sports Club on Thursday.
Zimbabwe had elected to bat on what looked a flat wicket, but their recent troubles with the willow continued as they found ways to get themselves out and hand the tourists the ascendancy.
Sikander Raza (nine) and Craig Ervine (four) will resume after the break with a huge rebuilding job ahead of them.
The first ball of the Zimbabwe innings from Tim Southee was steered for a boundary by opener Brian Chari, but his luck ran out the very next delivery as this time he picked out Martin Guptill at second slip.
The hosts crawled to 35 from 16 overs before they lost three wickets for just a single run to undo their patient start.
Debutant opener Chamu Chibhabha (15) tried to pull Wagner after a succession of short balls but managed only to pick out Tom Latham at midwicket.
Hamilton Masakadza (15) had looked the most comfortable of the batsmen but chipped a simple return catch to left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.
A period of consolidation was needed but Zimbabwe continued to try and play shots, and Sean Williams paid the price when he lobbed a Wagner bouncer to Ish Sodhi at midwicket, though the batsman indicated the ball had hit his helmet.
With no review system in place for the Test series, he had to accept the decision of Australian umpire Paul Reiffel.
Wagner conceded just eight runs from his seven overs of a hostile spell.
Aside from Chibhabha, Zimbabwe, playing their first Test in almost two years, handed debuts to all-rounder Prince Masvaure and seamer Michael Chinouya.
Reuters