England eye further breakthrough

Dismissed for 293 early on the fourth morning at a windswept Basin Reserve after Jimmy Anderson passed a fitness test on his injured left ankle to bat, England were keen to claim early wickets as New Zealand set out in pursuit of an unlikely victory target of 438.

But after Nottinghamshire left-arm seamer Sidebottom struck in the seventh over of New Zealand's reply, they recovered to reach 42 for one at lunch still needing a further 396 to claim a record-breaking triumph.

Lancashire seamer Anderson had given the whole England camp a scare by injuring his ankle playing football after the close of play on Saturday, which forced him to leave the ground on crutches.

He had intensive ice treatment overnight and after a thorough fitness test, where he was tentative at first before building up pace bowling at one stump in the middle, he was passed fit to lead England's charge to victory.

If a bad ankle was not bad enough, Anderson was immediately given the job of bowling into a fierce gale from the Cambridge Terrace End and found difficulty in locating the right line and length and drifted down leg-side in his first over to allow Jamie How to claim the first boundary of the day down to fine leg.

Sidebottom was unfortunate not to win an early lbw appeal against Matthew Bell in his second over, which umpire Rudi Koertzen judged was bouncing over the top of the stumps, and later in the same over Bell got off the mark with a drive through point for four.

But the breakthrough England were hoping for came in the seventh over of New Zealand's innings when Sidebottom gained some extra bounce from the wicket and opener How looped a comfortable catch to Ian Bell at short leg.

His demise prompted loud applause around the ground for the arrival of Stephen Fleming for his final Test innings at his home ground before his retirement from international cricket.

Fleming and the crowd were hoping he could mark the occasion with a farewell century and survived to reach an unbeaten 15 at lunch, but only after he edged the first ball of the day from Paul Collingwood behind and Tim Ambrose, who was standing up to the stumps, dropped his first chance of the series.