NEW ZEALAND Test bowler Ian Butler gave Kent a double breakthrough on the opening morning of their top-of-the-table championship clash with Warwickshire in Birmingham.

Batting first on a bright, yet showery morning in the second city, Warwickshire stumbled to 54 for two, losing both openers soon after a 40-minute break for rain.

Bowling from the Pavilion End, Butler conceded three boundaries in his third over, but bounced back with wickets in his next two.

Having won his ninth toss out of 12 Warwickshire skipper Nick Knight reached a fluent 18 but, in trying to force through the off side, dragged on to make it 22 for one.

In his next over Butler extracted addition lift to find the outside edge of Mark Wagh’s bat for a regulation catch to keeper Niall O’Brien.

Earlier, pace bowler Amjad Khan was forced to pull out after failing a fitness test on his strained right ankle.

Khan picked up the injury trying to take a catch in the win over Sussex last week.

Ben Trott was given another chance to shine in his stead and Kiwi Butler returned after shaking off the thigh injury that forced him to miss Canterbury Cricket Week.

Kent: Fulton, Smith, Loudon, Bevan, Walker, Dennington, O'Brien, Patel, Trott, Butler, Joseph.