We worked well together as a bowling unit James Franklin Full close of play reaction

James Franklin made excellent use of helpful conditions to take 5-44 as West Indies stuttered to 182-8 on the first day of the second Test in Wellington.

New Zealand were well on top when bad light ended play despite Shane Bond missing the game because of illness.

It would have been even worse for West Indies but for a defiant innings of 63 from Runako Morton.

He batted for almost three hours and hit a six and 11 fours after his side had slumped from 43-0 to 49-3.

Having chosen to bat first, it was not the start the tourists wanted as Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga and Brian Lara departed in the space of four overs.

Gayle (30) and Ganga (15) were caught behind off Franklin and Bond's replacement Kyle Mills and Brian Lara's disappointing series continued when he edged Franklin to first slip after managing only a single.

The last ball of the morning session saw Chris Martin have West Indies skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul caught at slip for eight, but TV replays suggested the ball may have come off his thigh.

The decline continued after lunch as Dwayne Bravo was adjudged lbw to Franklin for nine and the left-armer then bowled Denesh Ramdin for two.

Rawl Lewis, playing his first Test since December 1998, helped Morton add 34 for the seventh wicket but then holed out to Stephen Fleming as Martin achieved his second success of the day.

Morton's half century arrived off 98 balls before rain forced the players off the field half an hour before the scheduled tea interval.

Only seven more overs were possible before the umpires decided the light was too murky to allow play to continue, but the brief period of play proved costly for the tourists as Morton fell lbw to Franklin.

It was the third time Franklin had taken five wickets in an innings in 15 appearances for the Black Caps.

Daren Powell was 16 not out at the close, with Ian Bradshaw on 10.

New Zealand: H J H Marshall, J M How, S P Fleming (Capt), P G Fulton, N J Astle, S B Styris, B B McCullum (Wkt), D L Vettori, J E C Franklin, C S Martin, K D Mills.

West Indies: C H Gayle, D Ganga, R S Morton, S Chanderpaul (Capt), B C Lara, R N Lewis, D J J Bravo, D Ramdin (Wkt), I D R Bradshaw, F H Edwards, D B Powell.