Two early New Zealand wickets and a much-improved bowling display on the second day of the first Test in Dunedin have helped the West Indies restrict the run charge of the hosts before lunch.

The Blacks Caps are 445-5 at the interval after resuming the day on 367-3.

Ross Taylor was 144 not out, 10 runs shy of his Test-best and BJ Watling was unbeaten on 26.

The hosts began the day poorly, losing captain Brendon McCullum in the fifth over after adding just four runs to his overnight score of 109.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who opened the bowling with the new ball five overs old, managed to get some movement off the benign University Oval pitch to sneak between McCullum’s bat and pad to hit his off stump.

It ended a fourth-wicket stand of 195 between him and Ross Taylor – a new record against the West Indies.

McCullum scored 14 boundaries and three sixes in his 134-ball innings.

Corey Anderson spent an unconvincing 14 balls at the crease before being strangled down the legside to become Tino Best’s second victim of the match.

Best continued to pose the biggest threat from the tourists and enticed a false shot from Taylor on 118 but the ball did not carry to Sammy in the gully.

The aggressive fast bowler will be expected to share even more of the bowling burden after Sammy limped out of the attack with an injured right gluteal muscle in the 11th over of the day.

He left the field for treatment and reappeared after 10 overs on the sidelines.

Taylor enjoyed a life on 131 when he was dropped at short leg by Kieran Powell after getting an inside edge to a ball from off-spinner Shane Shillingford.

Watling also survived a lbw referral on 10 after Gabriel, bowling with more accuracy than a day earlier, got one to seam back into him.