Cricket: NZ forced to follow-on

New Zealand safely negotiated 11 overs without loss in their second innings, following on after a woeful collapse for 157 in the first cricket test against Australia here today.

Openers Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling guided New Zealand to 24 for no wicket in their second innings at lunch on day three at the Basin Reserve, still trailing Australia by 278 runs overall.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting enforced the follow-on after New Zealand's first innings folded just an hour into the third day as they lost six for 49 in just 12.1 overs, in reply to the tourists' first innings of 459 for five declared.

Their last five wickets tumbled for just nine runs in the space of three overs as left-arm Australian paceman Doug Bollinger took his test-best figures of five for 28 off 13 overs.

Captain Daniel Vettori topscored with 46, but when he was caught at second slip off paceman Ryan Harris after adding four to his overnight score, it was all over quickly.

Brendon McCullum rode his luck via the decision review system when he appeared to be trapped lbw by Harris for nought.

He called for the replay and it showed Harris had overstepped, giving the New Zealand gloveman a reprieve.

McCullum hit 24 off 37 balls before Bollinger returned to entice a false hook shot which a diving Harris caught well at fine leg.

Martin Guptill, after a patient 156-minute innings of 30, followed two balls after McCullum when Bollinger enticed an edge to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

When Daryl Tuffey pushed to cover and was run out by a Nathan Hauritz direct hit, without sliding his bat, the end was nigh for New Zealand.

Tim Southee was last man out for five, caught behind off Mitchell Johnson, after he challenged the decision. Replays showed he appeared to miss the ball, but third umpire Aleem Dar upheld the original decision by English umpire Ian Gould.