Spinners leave match in balance

Monty Panesar triumphed in his duel with Brendon McCullum © Getty Images

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Monty Panesar produced an unstoppable performance on a wearing pitch to pull England back into a match-winning position on a day for bowlers at Old Trafford.

Panesar ended with figures of 17-5-37-6 to bowl an injury-stricken New Zealand out for just 114 in their second innings just after tea on the third day, leaving England needing 294 to win the second npower Test.

At the close, England were 76 for one, needing a further 218 more runs.

Alastair Cook was out for 28, turning a ball onto his thigh pad in Daniel Vettori’s seventh over of the second innings, and into the hands of James Marshall at short-leg.

But for the most part, Cook, Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan negotiated the second innings bowling in fading light far better than any other batsmen on a day that saw 16 wickets go down.

No side has ever chased more than 231 to win a Test on this ground, but England could scarcely have believed they would be in pursuit of less than 300 when the Black Caps resumed 179 ahead before lunch.

The tourists collapsed from 85 for two at the start of the 24th over, to 114 all out after 41.2 overs, with Panesar taking four wickets before tea to bring up a personal landmark of 100 wickets in Test match cricket for the 26-year-old Sikh from Bedfordshire.

New Zealand were without the batting services of Daniel Flynn, unable to play despite being given the all-clear by the neurosurgeon.

The 23-year-old was hit on the grille by James Anderson on day one of the Test match and had to have teeth removed.

England made the perfect response to a poor batting display by bowling with vigour and penetration in the afternoon, on a pitch demonstrating variable bounce, in blustery conditions.

Panesar followed Daniel Vettori in taking a five-wicket haul on a wearing Old Trafford pitch © Getty Images

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Aaron Redmond edged Anderson to Paul Collingwood in the gully for just six, meaning the New Zealand opener has scored just 48 in four innings since his introduction to Test cricket.

Redmond was followed by his opening partner Jamie How, who made a breezy 29 before falling leg-before to Panesar, leaving the Black Caps 50 for two.

How had played some crunching cover drives and cuts off Ryan Sidebottom in particular, but was fortunate to survive a good shout for leg-before from the fourth ball of Anderson’s fourth over.

Ross Taylor and Marshall knuckled down, but Panesar changed the course of the match in the 24th over. Marshall played back to Panesar and was trapped in front for a hard-fought 28.

Brendon McCullum almost went the same way from the second ball, before Panesar ripped one past his outside edge.

McCullum tried to sweep Panesar’s fourth ball and was hit square in front on his knee, departing for a three-ball duck.

Daniel Vettori survived the remaining two balls of the over before trying to sweep Panesar when he returned, only succeeding in getting a top edge to Stuart Broad out at deep square-leg for just four.

Taylor, the hero of New Zealand’s first innings, went in Panesar’s next over, prodding forward to offer the spinner his 100th Test wicket and eighth five-wicket haul.

When New Zealand came back to bat after tea at 99 for six, Kyle Mills and Jacob Oram, batting at number eight due to a shoulder problem, were their last hopes of pushing the target beyond 300.

Oram lasted 17 balls before fencing at Sidebottom, Tim Ambrose taking a fine catch in front of first slip.

O’Brien and Mills hung around until the 41st over before Mills tried to loft Panesar over square-leg but hit straight up in the air to offer Ambrose an easy catch.

Daniel Vettori wheels away in celebration as Darrell Hair rules Paul Collingwood leg before for just two

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O’Brien followed in the next over, hitting out to Anderson off Sidebottom.

England had started the day at 152 for four, but found the Black Caps’ own left-arm spinner impossible to handle, despite a breeze that forced him to bowl downwind.

Vettori took his 15th five-wicket haul in Test matches, and his figures of 31-5-66-5 included the key wickets of Kevin Pietersen (26), Collingwood (two) and Ambrose (three).

Pietersen escaped a muted bat-pad appeal before perishing in the eighth over of the morning, playing from the crease at Vettori and nicking to slip where Taylor took a straightforward catch to leave England 160 for five.

The recalled O’Brien had caused plenty of problems, and finally got his man in his sixth over of the day, when Ian Bell fenced at an angled delivery and edged to slip where Taylor juggled but held the catch.

Collingwood followed five balls later, missing a Vettori arm-ball pushed through slightly quicker.

Ambrose added 15 with Broad before he was defeated by a sharply-turning ball from Vettori, offering Taylor his third catch of the morning.

The highlight of the session followed, with McCullum taking a brilliant one-handed catch taken in front of first slip to dismiss Panesar, following a similarly brilliant dive on Saturday that did for Andrew Strauss.

Broad played with courage and conviction for his cameo knock of 30.

He guided England past the follow-on target with an assured push for two through the covers off Vettori, which would prove crucial when New Zealand collapsed later on.

Broad hit Mills for successive fours through the covers in the 82nd over before holing out to substitute Jeetan Patel.