AUCKLAND, March 30: All-rounder Chris Harris, recalled to the national side after an absence of 2-1/2 years, led a New Zealand fightback on the opening day of the third Test against England at Eden Park Saturday.

When play ended early due to bad light New Zealand had recovered from a horrendous start to reach 151 for five with Harris on 55 and wicket-keeper Adam Parore, playing in his final Test, on 24. The pair had added 65 in an unbeaten sixth wicket stand.

At one stage New Zealand were 19 for four after Andy Caddick had ripped the top off the home innings but a 67-run partnership before lunch between Harris and Craig McMillan (41) repaired some of the damage.

Caddick was not finished with his morning’s work. With the fourth ball of the final over of the session he trapped McMillan in front to become the ninth England bowler to capture 200 Test wickets.

That, though, was the extent of England’s success as Harris and Parore resuscitated the innings before bad light stopped play four overs after tea. An hour was lost betweeen lunch and tea for rain.

Harris took 40 minutes to get off the mark and often looked in trouble on a pitch offering plenty of assistance to the quick bowlers.

But he battled on to bring up his 50 from 117 balls with nine fours. Parore, who has been out of touch with the bat during the series which England lead 1-0, drove his first ball for four and generally looked solid.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming won the toss for the third consecutive time but, after inserting England in the first two Tests, opted to bat this time on a greenish tinged drop-in pitch at Eden Park.

Caddick took the wickets of Mark Richardson (5), Lou Vincent (10) and Nathan Astle (2) in a incisive opening spell then returned to dismiss McMillan to finish the morning with four for 28 from 10.4 overs.

Richardson was the first to go, bowled by a full-pitched ball which seamed inside the batsman’s bat and pad and rattled the top of the stumps.

Matthew Hoggard then rocked Fleming with a swinging ball that rapped him on the pad but umpire Doug Cowie rejected the vociferous appeal.

Off the next ball Fleming tried to turn a shortish delivery fine down the leg side but succeeded only in nicking the ball on to his thigh pad and giving Mark Ramprakash a simple catch at short forward-square.

Caddick struck twice in his fifth over, bowling Lou Vincent for 10 when the batsman offered a loose shot to a well pitched-up ball. Vincent had not been convincing in his short stay, hitting a four through the slip cordon and another off an inadvertent glance to leg.

From the fifth ball Caddick induced an edge from Nathan Astle and Graham Thorpe took a stunning catch at third slip, one-handed and centimetres from the turf.

McMillan played a belligerent innings, taking three boundaries off an Andy Flintoff over as he posted a 50 partnership with the patient Harris from 86 balls.