Tea England 465 (Trott 121, Compton 100, Prior 82, Pietersen 73, Martin 4-130) v New Zealand
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Put any score on the board, on any pitch, in any country and Matt Prior will find a reason to counter-attack. New Zealand fought back with bags on endeavour on the second day at Basin Reserve, but it all came to naught as Prior advanced his reputation as one of the most dangerous wicketkeeper batsmen the game has known.
Gilchrist, Dhoni, Prior. Those who have not watched Prior's career develop may scoff at the notion, but increasingly those names run together with ease. His list of selfless, attacking innings is swelling, his influence upon England has been recognised with elevation to the Test vice captaincy and he reeks of positivity
He fell shortly before tea, for 82 from 99 balls, denied a seventh Test century, which would have taken him only one behind England's most productive century-maker among England wicketkeepers, Les Ames, by Neil Wagner's springing catch to intercept a reverse sweep, denied it, too, by the recognition that England had no plans to bat beyond the interval.
Predictably, he peppered the boundary square on the off side for his fifty, but his range expanded after that. Barely a ball had disappeared down the ground throughout the series so when Prior despatched Wagner for straight sixes in successive overs it could not have summed up more resoundingly how he had changed the mood. On 46, he successfully reviewed umpire Asad Rauf's lbw verdict as he swept at Bruce Martin, replays revealing a thin under-edge.
New Zealand's pace bowlers had withstood a heavy workload - they are on their fifth new ball in less than a week with the prospect of a sixth to come - and however much Tim Southee, the senior member of the attack, insisted that their "bodies were recharged," they ultimately drained faster than an old Galaxy Ace.
Alongside Prior, the Watford Wall offered shelter. Steven Finn's nightwatchman heroics to save the Test in Dunedin had brought his batting new respect and he contributed 24 to a stand of 83 in 20 overs, unveiling a sturdy slog-sweep against the left-arm spin of Martin, before he drove Wagner into the off side.
New Zealand's four-strong attack shrugged off their onerous workload of the past week and struck back strongly on the second morning . Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Joe Root all succumbed as England, superior overnight at 267 for 2, leant heavily on Kevin Pietersen to reach lunch in reasonable order.
Pietersen has been variously ailing. Judging by the way he stretched gingerly after the loss of Root, the knee trouble which hampered him in Dunedin has now been joined by lower-back problems. He seems in the sort of state where he should not grip an autograph hunter's pen too tightly.
But there was danger in his vulnerable body and he reached 73 before he was goaded into hitting Martin down the ground and, even with a strong wind behind him, picked out Peter Fulton at mid-off, halfway back. Martin finished with 4 for 130 and a good deal of respect.
New Zealand had bowled 170 overs in the second innings in Dunedin in a valiant but failed attempt to force victory and had only two wickets to show for another 90 overs on the first day in Wellington. To respond to such adversity with such a disciplined session was an achievement for the New Zealand attack, especially as a buffeting, swirling wind was more in keeping with Wellington's reputation as the windiest city on earth.
If the first day had belonged to Nick Compton and Trott, century makers both, the Test soon left that stage behind. Compton had departed late on the opening day and Trott followed to his first ball of the morning, and the seventh of the day, when he feathered a catch to the wicketkeeper, BJ Watling, off the left-armer Trent Boult.
Southee began even more impressively, starting with three successive maidens as he found a hint of outswing, and extending that into an impressive nine-over spell. He had little luck as Bell's edge fell short of the slips and Pietersen top-edged a hook through the despairing fingers of the wicketkeeper, Watling. He spent a short time of the field because he was feeling sick and when he finished wicketless he must have been feeling sicker still.
England mustered only 17 in the first 10 overs. Pietersen responded to the arrival Martin by driving his first ball for six, but any ambitions that Martin would provide England with an outlet were also stymied. Only with lunch approaching did Pietersen seem to get Martin's measure.
Bell had an attack of the Ahmedabads. He had fallen first ball to the left-arm spinner, Pragyan Ojha in Ahmedabad, dancing down the pitch to try to loft him over the top in what smacked off a crazily preconceived plan. It was far from the first ball this time - he had batted for more than an hour - but the outcome was just the same as he failed to deposit Martin down the ground and Fulton ran back from mid-off to hold a neat, swirling catch.
Martin, tossing the ball high, found noticeably more turn than on the first day and he also unpicked Root, who tried to carve him through cover off the front foot and edged a turning delivery to slip. It was an ugly, misconceived shot and he stomped off with a farmer's gait. His start to international cricket has been something of a fairy story and disappointments such as this are inevitable.
