Sidebottom moves England closer

Resuming the fifth morning needing a further 196 runs for an improbable victory on 242 for six, New Zealand needed a solid start to give themselves any chance of reaching their victory target of 438.

But left-arm seamer Sidebottom struck with the 12th ball of the morning to remove the dangerous Daniel Vettori as England closed in on only their second overseas Test victory in their last 17 matches.

Hard-hitting wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, who had resumed overnight on 43, had signalled his intentions from the outset by playing an missing twice in the first over from Stuart Broad before connected with a leg-side delivery which flew behind square for four.

Vettori could not give him any support, however, and fell to the last ball of the next over from Sidebottom when he edged to Alastair Cook at third slip to leave New Zealand on 246 for seven.

New batsman Kyle Mills did not seem overawed by the task ahead of him and got off the mark with a sweetly-timed cover drive for four off Sidebottom.

McCullum completed his half-century in the next over when he chopped Broad into the floor and watched the ball bounce over the slips to the third man boundary, one of five fours and two sixes included in his innings.

Their partnership was just starting to get frustrating for England when Sidebottom finally got his line and lengths right for Mills and swung the ball into his pads to win the lbw decision from um