"The occasional ball seamed (and) I thought Southee bowled okay and he put the ball in the right area.

"Fair play to him on his debut. He bowled really well, which is encouraging for New Zealand."

Southee, who dismissed England captain Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss in his first three overs before he returned with the second new ball to capture Pietersen, said the New Zealand team had been pleased with their start. "We thought we'd have to work hard for them so to pick up early wickets in any game is good," the 19-year-old said.

"To have then three for hardly anything was a good effort.

"It was good to get Vaughan early and it was good to get Pietersen at the end, he played well to get a hundred.

"I enjoyed them both."

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