Vettori double seizes initiative

New Zealand descend on Daniel Vettori after he snaffles Michael Vaughan

Daniel Vettori removed opposite number Michael Vaughan late on to leave England in a precarious position going into the third day of the npower Test at Old Trafford.

Vaughan played inside an orthodox delivery from the New Zealand captain that appeared to be going onto hit leg stump, and Darrell Hair upheld the appeal.

Vettori then did for nightwatchman Ryan Sidebottom, who edged to Jamie How at short gully, one ball after nervously nicking through the slips for four.

When play was finally halted at 6.50pm England were 152 for four, still 229 runs behind New Zealand’s first-innings total of 381.

Kevin Pietersen faced 44 balls for his 22 not out, while Ian Bell was four not out.

The star of the day was Ross Taylor, whose wonderful 154 not out led the Black Caps to a competitive total by batting through to the mid-afternoon amid some braindead running from his team-mates.

Iain O’Brien confirmed that his side’s total was a good one, removing Alastair Cook with a devilish delivery only ten overs into the England reply.

O’Brien, who was recalled for this Test in place of Tim Southee, induced movement off the seam akin to a leg-break, jagging back and hitting Cook on the knee roll.

Umpire Simon Taufel adjudged Cook to be leg-before, and the opener trudged off for 19.

The Black Caps exerted a tight grip on England’s batsmen, limiting Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan to ones and twos, with the occasional flick off the pads for four.

Strauss was never at his most fluent, but hung around long enough to make a crucial if craggy fifty.

He was given a life on 30 when first slip Taylor could not adjust to the deflection off wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum’s pad.

Andrew Strauss trudges off after being caught spectacularly by Brendon McCullum for another 60

From the next ball of the 26th over, Strauss danced down and barely survived an ugly heave into midwicket.

The pair put on 78 in 34.2 overs before Strauss eventually nicked O’Brien behind to McCullum for 60, who produced a stunning one-handed catch to his left.

There was little evidence of Vaughan’s classic strokeplay, but he played a perfect anchor role until Vettori struck.

Earlier, Taylor’s glittering strokeplay guided New Zealand to a respectable score of 381.

The tourists made hay in the opening session, adding 120 runs in all from 27 overs.

Taylor had started the day with a mixture of flashing cover drives off Stuart Broad and James Anderson and gutsy shots through the leg side.

Oram was less assured, swaying inside the line of Broad’s bouncers, but hanging around long enough for the hundred partnership with Taylor.

He was fortunate to survive when he tried to force Monty Panesar over long-on when 34 not out, only to take one hand off the bat and sky him to Anderson, who misjudged the swirling catch and pushed the ball over the boundary.

They would be Oram’s final runs. In the next over Oram was run out by a direct hit from Cook in the gully.

Taylor called Oram through for a routine single off Broad, only for the all-rounder to jog to the striker’s end with his bat a foot short of his ground.

Two balls later captain Vettori made a similar error of judgement, declining to ground his bat when completing an easy two.

Ross Taylor became the fifth Kiwi to score a Test ton at Old Trafford © Getty Images

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Panesar threw in over the stumps and Tim Ambrose whipped off the bails with Vettori’s feet and bat in the air, and New Zealand were 250 for six.

The tourists rallied, with Taylor going into his shell but receiving unexpected support from number nine Kyle Mills.

Mills took a particular liking to Panesar, hitting him straight down the ground and then clearing the ropes over midwicket.

The number nine glided Anderson for four through fine-leg to bring up the fifty partnership between himself and Taylor, Mills contributing 38 of them.

It was the cue for Taylor to return to his effervescent strokeplay, playing a gorgeous late cut off Anderson to the cover-point boundary.

Vaughan took the new ball, but Taylor flashed Anderson’s fourth delivery with it just over fourth slip, his only loose shot of the morning.

The 24-year-old profited from sloppy English fielding, which twice allowed boundaries from overthrows after lunch, before launching into Sidebottom with two sixes, the first over long-on and then over deep square-leg.

With only Martin at the other end, Taylor then top-edged Anderson for six over fine-leg, and went down on one knee to heave Sidebottom over deep midwicket.

Mills eventually dragged on a delivery from Anderson in the fourth over after the lunch break for 57.

O’Brien lasted just six balls for his five, before mis-hooking an Anderson bouncer into the hands of Bell at short-leg.

The over beforehand, Bell had dropped Taylor’s flashing extra cover drive, when the centurion was on 142.

He was left stranded when Martin was bowled by Anderson for a third-ball duck.

Taylor finished on 154 not out from 176 balls, his highest Test match score, and the best by a Kiwi at Old Trafford, surpassing Martin Crowe’s 115 in 1994.

He is only the fifth New Zealander to score a century in Manchester, after Bert Sutcliffe, Crowe, Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan.

Daniel Flynn, who was hit in the mouth by James Anderson on Friday, has been given the all-clear by the neurosurgeon and has returned to the team hotel.

A decision will be made on Sunday on his readiness to take the field again.