They say it never rains but it pours, and when the heavens opened on day one in Hamilton, forcing the players off three balls into the evening session and never to return, it seemed to sum up much of England’s Test tour of New Zealand.

Tom Latham had just brought up a fine century before the tea break – No 11 in his surging career and one of sumptuous whips through mid-wicket – and taken the hosts to 173 for three, despite being asked to bat first.

But like BJ Watling’s epic double century last week, Latham’s unbeaten 101 should have ended earlier only for Ben Stokes – the man who shelled Watling on 31 at Bay Oval – to put down another diving chance at slip on 66 and leave Jofra Archer knowing how Joe Root felt back then.

With Stokes experiencing sharp knee pain while bowling, Ollie Pope keeping wicket due to Jos Buttler’s gym injury, a dubious DRS call going against the tourists and a head coach flying home due to a family bereavement, Root could have been forgiven for feeling like events were conspiring against him slightly.

New Zealand are still the superior side and not all of England’s woes come down to bad fortune either. After all, Root has now twice called correctly at the toss and he also sat in on the selection meeting in September where the panel opted against a specialist wicketkeeper in reserve, despite this being a part of the world where flying one in at the last minute is nigh-on impossible.

Pope, wearing the gloves for just the sixth time in his first-class career, was none too shabby, all things considered. But this was still a slightly odd-looking England team, with Jack Leach left out to make it an all-seam attack for the first time since the Headingley Test against South Africa in 2012.

As well as a debut for the 6ft 5in Zak Crawley at No 6, Chris Woakes was recalled and, despite just 10 overs on tour, he was the pick of the bowlers. Woakes is potentially playing for a spot on England’s tour of South Africa given Jimmy Anderson’s looming return to fitness and two for 41 helped his case no end.

Both captains had wanted to bowl first, not so much in expectation of rolling their opponents in double-quick time but based on the belief that the green-tinged but flat pitch would get easier as the match progressed. The conditions were soupy, leading to the eventually terminal rain, but the Kookaburra did not swing lavishly.

That said, Stuart Broad did get a smidgeon first thing when opener Jeet Raval drove loosely to Root at slip – batsman error was chiefly to blame – and Woakes too when, from first change, a beauty squared up Kane Williamson on four and the England captain held a more acrobatic second down low to his right.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chris Woakes bowls at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Photograph: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images

Woakes thought he had England’s third on the stroke of lunch too when Latham, on 49, was given out lbw. It always looked to have pitched outside leg, however, and after successfully reviewing it, ascampered two gave the left-hander his half-century before lunch.

Latham is a hugely pleasing batsman on the eye, so dominant off his pads and with sound judgement outside his off-stump. And from a starting point of 39 for two he and Ross Taylor put on 116 run in two-and-a-half hours. Within this came a glorious on-driven four by Taylor off Archer that was probably the short of the day.

There was, however, one moment which will grind the gears of Broad for a good while. A greater threat than in Mount Maunganui, the 33-year-old looked to have trapped Taylor for a plumb lbw on 25 when he played around one that nipped in, clenching his fists in celebrations even before umpire Paul Wilson’s finger had gone up.

Tellingly, Taylor did not review immediately yet was talked into sending it upstairs by Latham. Third umpire Bruce Oxenford then surprised almost everyone. First he saw no mark from HotSpot. Then he saw a tremor on snicko, yet the frame after the ball passed the bat. Then he decided to back to HotSpot and decided he saw a smudge. It looked to be there beforehand yet still he overturned it.

New Zealand v England: second Test, day one – as it happened Read more

Conclusive evidence? The locals will argue after the World Cup final they were due the rub of the green. England, though denied the benefit a replay on a big screen at Seddon Park, clearly disagreed and a spell of grumpy, ragged cricket followed.

Taylor played like a man who had got away with one too, learning from the shot with a straighter defence and cutting violently en route to a 99-ball half-century. One ball after the milestone Woakes eventually removed him as a slashed backfoot punch gave Root a third catch of the innings at slip.

But with Stokes injured and Latham cracking one of Root’s off-breaks down the ground to bring up a fifth century in eight Tests before the rain, some personally fine fielding from the captain was never going to off-set another day of frustration.