Zimbabwe have been left to rue their decision to send New Zealand into bat after the home side reached 98 without loss at lunch on the opening day of their one-off Test in Napier.

Openers Brendon McCullum was 44 not out with Martin Guptill unbeaten on 42 at the break, with neither having offered a chance.

The pitch’s greenish tinge had led both sides to indicate before the match that they wanted to bowl first and Zimbabwe skipper Brendan Taylor duly elected to do so when he won the toss.

However, while there was bounce and occasional movement, there were few real alarms for McCullum and Guptill on a warm, sunny day.

Both were willing to play their shots, with Guptill playing a couple of free-flowing drives among his six fours.

McCullum survived two shouts for leg-before but was also largely untroubled and he struck four boundaries.

After conceding more than five runs an over in the opening hour, Zimbabwe’s bowlers did manage to slow down the run rate in the lead-up to lunch.

The New Zealand XI featured the inclusion of four seamers and the return of former skipper Daniel Vettori.

The left-arm spinner, who missed New Zealand’s seven-run victory over Australia in Hobart in December because of a hamstring issue, will bat at No.6.

Zimbabwe have had to do without their own experienced left-armer, Ray Price, who has been sidelined with a groin injury and been replaced by leg spinner Graeme Cremer.

The tourists, playing in their first overseas Test since returning last year from a six-year self-imposed Test exile, are fielding two new caps in batsman Forster Mutizwa and seamer Shingirai Masakadza, brother of opener Hamilton Masakadza.