Prior and seamers put England in control
WELLINGTON, Matt Prior produced an exceptional counter-attacking innings then Stuart Broad captured two wickets in successive balls as England took control of the second test against New Zealand at the close of play of the second day on Friday.
England, bowled out for 465 just minutes before the tea interval, reduced New Zealand to 66 for three at stumps and put themselves firmly in charge of the match with three days still to play.Kane Williamson was 32 not out, while Dean Brownlie was on eight after England's pace bowlers had given the New Zealand lineup a torrid working over in the final session. Broad seized on the earlier work by James Anderson and
Steven Finn to lure Hamish Rutherford (23) into chasing a full wide delivery that only succeeded in catching an outside edge and the ball flew to Alastair Cook at first slip.
Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor was then clean bowled with a beautiful delivery that seamed slightly away and clipped the top of Taylor's off stump to leave the hosts in dire straits on 48 for three.
Brownlie survived the hattrick delivery with a push to midwicket for two runs.
Earlier, England wicketkeeper Prior launched a blistering counterattack to score 82 runs from 99 balls and halt any momentum New Zealand had been gathering. After being flogged all around a sundrenched Basin Reserve
on Thursday, the hosts took three wickets in the first session, including that of Jonathan Trott, who failed to add to his score of 121 and was dismissed on the first ball he faced. Kevin Pietersen (73) and Broad (six) then fell in quick succession after the lunch break to leave the visitors on 3747 and in danger of throwing away their ad- vantage.
The aggressive Prior, however, took up the challenge to bat with the tail as long as possible as well as move the game along. He punished anything outside off-stump, punching the ball in the arc between backward point and extra cover for 40 of his runs, while he also produced two superb lofted straight drives for six off Neil Wagner.