New Zealand put their Test woes to one side as they held England to 227 for nine in the first one-day international at Lord’s on Friday.
Tim Southee, one of New Zealand’s stars while they suffered a 2-0 Test series whitewash by England, led the attack with three for 37 in 10 overs after captain Brendon McCullum won the toss.
Four England batsmen made it into the 30s but none could press on, with Jonathan Trott’s 37 the modest top score of the innings.
However, just a few weeks ago New Zealand’s last match at Lord’s saw then collapse to 68 all out as they lost the first Test by 170 runs.
But Stuart Broad, who took a Test-best seven for 44 that match and fellow paceman Steven Finn were both missing from the England side Friday with knee and shin injuries respectively that ruled the duo out of the first two ODIs in this three-match series.
England saw captain Alastair Cook and Ian Bell put on 45 for the first wicket.
But Southee then removed both openers in the course of two successive wicket maidens.
First the seamer had Bell (18) edging a drive to give wicket-keeper Luke Ronchi, making his New Zealand debut, a first international dismissal for his native country after previously representing Australia.
Left-hander Cook (30) fell in mirror-image fashion as Southee took two wickets for no runs in nine balls.
Trott and Joe Root steadied the innings with a stand of 67.
But off-spinner Nathan McCullum, one of several players drafted in for the one-day leg of New Zealand’s tour, then took two wickets for five runs in six balls.
First Root, who scored his maiden Test century at his Headingley home ground last week, was bowled for 30 trying to reverse-sweep.
McCullum, brother of Brendon, then lured Trott (37) into picking out Ross Taylor at deep mid-wicket.
Soon afterwards Eoin Morgan gave Ronchi his third catch when he mistimed a pull off a short ball from left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan
And when Jos Buttler reverse-swept part-time spinner Kane Williamson straight to McClenaghan at point, England were 159 for six.