Mike Aviles and Asdrubal Cabrera hit back-to-back singles in the seventh, then Lester allowed the go-ahead run with a wild pitch to Mark Reynolds that skipped past catcher David Ross.
Shahid Afridi decided to bring back seamer Mohammad Sami and it paid off instantly when his second delivery resulted in Ross Taylor feathering catch to the keeper and at the half-way mark, New Zealand were precariously placed at 61-4.
Ross said he and other Blue Dogs are still discussing what specific changes they will propose as the committees mark up the bill, but that the group is not negotiating any changes to the proposed surtax.