England chase big NZ total in Hamilton test

New Zealand then captured two English wickets in the last five overs before stumps to leave the tourists at 87 for two at the close of play. After captain Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook had put on 86 for the first wicket, lanky seamer Chris Martin returned for a second spell which earned the wickets of Cook for 38 and night watchman Matthew Hoggard for two.

Vaughan was 44 not out at stumps and Martin had two for 27 from 12 overs.

Earlier, Taylor marked his coming of age in test cricket with an innings which smacked of determination and maturity. A rare test player of Polynesian heritage, Taylor suppressed impetuosity and a natural attacking instinct to build an innings which lasted 322 minutes.

Taylor was a contentious selection for the match, the first of a three-test series. He made a top score of 17 and averaged 11 in his first two tests in South Africa last year and was discarded for New Zealand’s home series against Bangladesh in December.

The poor form of Peter Fulton and a lack of bowling options forced Taylor’s recall and he rewarded the selectors with an innings of painstaking care and precision. Taylor has been an exciting addition to New Zealand one-day team but has developed on a diet of limited-overs cricket into a player who scores predominantly through or over the leg side.

He curbed that tendency here and, though his century included 16 fours, played textbook shots and complimented his attacking repertoire with solid defense off both feet and a determination to wield a much straighter bat.

Taylor resumed at 54 not out Thursday, with New Zealand tenuously placed overnight at 282-6. As the last of New Zealand’s recognized batsmen and in a nascent partnership with his captain Daniel Vettori, he bore a heavy responsibility to see New Zealand to a defensible first innings score.

Taylor faced a new ball that was only six overs old but showed discipline in first seeing off that threat, then working on the construction of a much larger innings and partnership. He reached his century in 257 minutes from 185 balls and joined Vettori in a vital partnership of 148 for New Zealand’s seventh wicket.

After holding out England’s frontline bowlers for almost six hours, Taylor suffered a lapse of concentration against part-timer Kevin Pietersen and offered the bowler a simple return catch midway between lunch and tea.

Vettori carried on to make 88 before falling to Paul Collingwood, then Ryan Sidebottom returned to wrap up the New Zealand tail, dismissing tailenders Jeetan Patel and Chris Martin with successive balls. Sidebottom 4-90 from 34.3 overs and Kyle Mills was left 25 not out.

Vaughan and Cook got England off to a solid start in its second innings and looked untroubled as Vettori introduced spin after 13 overs and used five bowlers in the first 25.

But Cook offered an easy catch to substitute fieldsman Nick Horsley in the 37th over and Martin also captured the wicket of Hoggard to place England under renewed pressure.