New Zealand head to Southampton this morning for their final warm-up game before the first npower Test in good spirits after their inexperienced fast bowlers skittled Essex in two sessions yesterday.

Iain O’Brien and Michael Mason, with only seven Tests between them, shouldered the burden in the absence of Daniel Vettori, the injured captain. They took three wickets apiece as Essex crumbled either side of lunch, with only Alastair Cook, who made 57, looking capable of playing a long innings.

Cook rode his luck, having been dropped on nought the previous evening. He and Ravi Bopara survived run-out appeals in successive overs after direct hits — Cook appeared fortunate after running wide — and the England opener weathered a loud appeal for caught behind from all the close fielders on 47.

He reached his half-century — his first in five innings this season for Essex — with a drive through mid-off in the over before lunch, but fell shortly after the interval as he mistimed a similar shot, hitting straight into the hands of Kyle Mills off Mason.

“It could have been a lot worse, but I am grateful to have spent 2½ hours out there,” Cook said. “We fancied our chances [of chasing 293 to win] but the pitch had died a little. New Zealand bowled very well and the ball nipped about a little.”

Cook appears likely to open in the first Test at Lord’s with Andrew Strauss rather than Michael Vaughan, his partner over the winter. The Cook/Strauss pairing has not fired in 27 Test innings together, with an average stand of 35, but Cook refused to blame it on their similar styles. “The fact we didn’t do well is because we both kept getting out,” he said, rather stating the obvious. “If we both keep scoring runs then partnerships will just happen.”

At 31 and 33 respectively, neither O’Brien nor Mason are spring chickens, but they are canny bowlers who are hard to get away. In the first hour yesterday, Essex scored only 22 as they resumed needing 248 more. The pair had match figures of seven for 101 and six for 100 and one of them may yet play in the first Test, which starts on May 15. Chris Martin and Tim Southee, who has recovered from a sore back, will return on Thursday against England Lions, but given the batting skills of Southee, who made 77 not out on his Test debut in March, Vettori, Mills and Jacob Oram, New Zealand may drop a batsman to offer more bowling options at Lord’s.

Bopara was caught down the leg side for nine off Oram and Mason removed Mark Pettini and James Foster for ducks. Ryan ten Doeschate and James Middlebrook added 59, but O’Brien splayed Middlebrook’s stumps before the part-time leg spin of Aaron Redmond did for Ten Doeschate, caught at square leg by the wicketkeeper after skying a sweep.

Scoreboard

New Zealanders: First Innings 355 (J A H Marshall 128; R N ten Doeschate 6 for 57)

Second Innings 195 (K D Mills 53 not out)

Essex: First Innings 258 (R S Bopara 66; M J Mason 4 for 65)

Second Innings (overnight 45-1)

A N Cook c Mills b Mason 57

T Westley c sub b Mills 7

R S Bopara c McCullum b Oram 9

*M L Pettini b Mason 0

R N ten Doeschate c McCullum b Redmond 38

J S Foster c sub b Mason 0

J D Middlebrook b O'Brien 28

A J Tudor b O'Brien 18

A P Palladino c Taylor b Redmond 3

M A Chambers not out 2

Extras (lb 15, w 1) 16

Total (70.1 overs) 200

Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-67, 3-86, 4-87, 5-100, 6-100, 7-159, 8-169, 9-192.

Bowling: Mason 16-6-36-3; O'Brien 21.1-7-54-3; Mills 14-2-37-1; Oram 10-4-23-1; Redmond 9-1-35-2.

Umpires: P Willey and T J Urben.