NZ 94-2 at tea on day 1, 2nd test

HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) — Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor shared an unbroken 50-run partnership for New Zealand's third wicket Thursday before rain interrupted play between lunch and tea on the first day of the second test against South Africa.

McCullum was 39 not out with Taylor on 29 and New Zealand at 94-2 when light rain began to fall only 45 minutes into the day's second session.

No further play was possible before tea, but umpires Billy Doctrove and Richard Illingworth said the match would resume immediately after the scheduled tea break.

McCullum and Taylor lifted New Zealand from 44-2 to 62-2 at lunch and added a futher 32 runs before rain intervened.

Earlier, Vernon Philander added to his extraordinary test-wicket tally when he captured the first New Zealander to fall on Thursday. Philander had opener Rob Nicol (2) caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher when New Zealand was 11, lifting his wicket haul to 36 in only his sixth test.

Dale Steyn added the wicket of Martin Guptill for 22 to leave New Zealand on 44-2 midway through the morning session and to lend early support for the decision of South Africa captain Graeme Smith to bowl on winning the toss.

South Africa had no further success before the rain and Steyn had 1-30, Philander 1-43 at tea.

Philander bowled a typically searching first spell and Nicol resisted for 21 minutes before being lured into a false shot outside off stump.

The South African attack had to work hard for its next breakthrough despite the pitch at Seddon Park offering a greenish hue and heavy overcast and warm conditions promising swing.

Guptill and McCullum were relatively untroubled in adding 33 runs to steer New Zealand to 44-1. They were 43-1 at the first drinks break by which time South Africa had bowled 15 overs and already used four bowlers.

The pitch looked much less lively than expected and Smith may have begun to doubt his decision to bowl when Steyn gave him a second wicket. Guptill played at a ball wide of his body and dragged it from an inside edge onto his stumps.

He was dismissed in similar fashion in the second innings of the first test at Dunedin which was drawn when the last day was lost to rain.

McCullum suffered a heavy blow to his right hand shortly before lunch which resulted in bruising and swelling, which made it difficult to grip the bat.

He scored more slowly in the short period of play in the second session, adding only 12 runs to his lunch total of 26, while Taylor went from 11 to 29 in the same period.