Shane Shillingford grabbed four cheap New Zealand wickets to set nerves jangling as the home side seeks 112 to beat the West Indies in the first Test in Dunedin.

The hosts slumped to 4-44 at one stage before Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson arrested the slide to go to tea, taken five minutes early as rain fell, on 4-79 still needing 33 runs to win their first Test in more than a year.

Off-spinner Shillingford, whose bowling action was the subject of independent testing prior to the Test, tore through New Zealand’s top order after opening the bowling at the University Oval.

He removed Peter Fulton in the final over before lunch after the tourists were finally dismissed for 507 – their fourth-highest second innings total.

After the resumption he had Aaron Redmond snaffled at leg slip by the quick reflexes of Narsingh Deonarine before Hamish Rutherford (20) gave his wicket away.

After hitting Shillingford to the long-on boundary he tried to repeat the shot the very next ball but only succeeded in holing out. It was almost an exact replica of his first innings dismissal.

Captain Brendon McCullum, who got off the mark with an authoritative boundary off the first ball he faced then fell trying to slog sweep Shillingford to put the skids on the run chase.

But Taylor and a confident Anderson added 34 without further loss to put them back on track before rain, which had been threatening for much of the day, started to fall forcing players from the field early.

Shillingford had the impressive figures of 4-26 after claiming just one wicket in the hosts’ first innings of 9-609 declared.