Australia bowlers reduce New Zealand to 84-5 at lunch

By Greg Stutchbury WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle put Australia firmly in control of the first test against New Zealand on Friday as they reduced the hosts to 84 for five at lunch on the opening day. Hazlewood had figures of 3-25, while Siddle took 2-6 from five overs, after Steve Smith had won the toss and asked New Zealand to bat on a green wicket at the Basin Reserve. Corey Anderson was on 14 at the break with wicketkeeper BJ Watling on 13 as they sought to rebuild New Zealand's innings after they had slumped to 51-5 in the 12th over. Both sides had spoken before the game of handling the likely seaming conditions on the pitch and Australia simply bowled straight and waited for the ball to do just enough to catch the outside edge of the bat. Martin Guptill (18), Tom Latham (6), Kane Williamson (16) and debutant Henry Nicholls (8) were all caught behind the wicket, with Latham and Nicholls dismissed by deliveries they probably should have left. Captain Brendon McCullum, whose 100th test was commemorated before the game with the presentation of a special cap, was also caught at third slip by David Warner, but that was from an inside edge that ballooned off his pad. After New Zealand had taken 15 runs from the first two overs, Hazlewood had lefthander Latham caught by wicketkeeper Peter Nevill. Latham was initially given not out but television reviews showed a thin outside edge and the on-field decision was overturned. Williamson and Guptill proceeded to cash in on over pitched deliveries, with the former punching three boundaries down the ground before the latter was caught at second slip by Smith in the seventh over. Williamson drove Siddle's first delivery down the ground then played away from himself on the next and was well caught one-handed by a diving Nevill. McCullum was out for a duck. All three fell within the space of 2.2 overs for nine runs and when Nicholls was out just under three overs later, New Zealand were in a large hole. The second game of the two-test series is in Christchurch starting on Feb. 20. (Editing by Nick Mulvenney)