Ton not on menu for Cook

The Essex left-hander looked ideally placed to become the first England player to reach three figures after dominating a 106-run second-wicket partnership with Andrew Strauss on the third day at the Basin Reserve.

But having progressed to 60 he edged seamer Kyle Mills to slip while Strauss fell in the next over lbw to Jacob Oram as England extended their lead to 289 runs by reaching 145 for three by mid-afternoon.

Resuming 148 runs ahead on four without loss, the tourists were looking to build a winning lead as they attempt to bounce back quickly from their opening Test defeat in Hamilton.

Conscious of the need to remain cautious during the early stages knowing that early wickets would give New Zealand renewed hope of battling their way back into the match, England began the day conservatively. But after losing captain Michael Vaughan in the sixth over of the day, Cook and fellow left-hander Strauss combined in a useful stand to prevent New Zealand staging a fightback in the morning session.

England did not record their first boundary until the fifth over of the day when Vaughan emerged from his defensive mode to drive seamer Chris Martin down the ground for four. But New Zealand gained renewed hope that it was still a wicket which favoured the bowling side in the next over with seamer Mills inducing Cook into edging behind.

Cook, then on five, looked behind fearing his fate but wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum dived to his left to try and take the catch one-handed but missed just as the ball seemed to be heading for the safe hands of Stephen Fleming at first slip.

It was only a temporary reprieve, however, with Mills making the early breakthrough five balls later with a ball which bounced more than Vaughan expected and he edged behind to McCullum. England responded to that loss positively with Strauss claiming an early boundary while Cook, not regarded as one of the bigger-hitters in the side, claiming the first six of his 26-Test career.

Attempting to pull Martin, Cook mis-timed the shot completely but got enough elevation on it to send it flying over the top of the wicketkeeper and the slips and over the third man boundary. He reached his first half-century of the series with a scampered single off New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori from the final ball before the interval.

But with a century potentially in his sights, Cook pushed tentatively at Mills outside off-stump in the 10th over after lunch and this time McCullum left the catch to Fleming at slip. Strauss, who had been fortunate to survive an lbw shout at the start of the over, fell in the next over attempting to play across his stumps and this time was given lbw.