Young quick Jordan Buckingham has claimed six wickets to give Australia A a marginal first-innings lead in their unofficial Test against a New Zealand side.

On the finest day of his first-class career, Buckingham took 6-58 to help dismiss New Zealand A for 246 in reply to Australia A's 253.

The visitors then went to stumps on day two of four in Canterbury at 1-59, with Matt Renshaw on 20 and Campbell Kellaway 29.

But the day belonged to 23-year-old Buckingham.

He claimed the first six wickets of New Zealand's innings, moving the ball subtly and claiming outside edges at will.

His pick of the deliveries was a hooping in-swinger to Tom Bruce, taking the right-hander's outside edge to have him caught at slip by Renshaw.

The return marked the South Australian's first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, after he made his debut for the Redbacks at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Mitchell Swepson also bagged two wickets in the innings to finish with 2-61, while Renshaw claimed 2-32 with his offspinners.