Auckland, NZ, Mar 26 : South African-born fast bowler Neil Wagner dismissed Ian Bell for 75 in the last over before tea Tuesday, ending the Englishman's six-hour innings and sharply reviving New Zealand's hopes of an historic match and series victory in the third test.
England's hopes of saving the match climbed as tea approached as Bell and Matt Prior — England's last recognized batsmen — continued a 108-minute partnership that steered England to 237-6.
But they went to tea, critically, at 237-7 with their tail exposed and with New Zealand needing just three wickets in the final session to complete its first series win over England since 1999 and its first at home since 1984.
England had ridden its luck throughout the final day of a dramatic match and was clinging to its hope of saving the match as the second session drew to an end. Both Bell and Prior had given chances and had survived and with the second new ball aging, it seemed New Zealand's best hopes of breaking their seventh-wicket partnership were receding.
With the tea break due and Bell 75 not out with Prior 45 not out, the umpires looked at their watches and ordered one more over to be bowled. Wagner took the ball and, with his third delivery, found the edge of Bell's bat and had him caught by Tim Southee at third slip.
Bell had batted through all of the first two sessions on Tuesday and seemed the rock on which New Zealand's hopes of victory would founder.
After starting the day at 90-4, with no ambition of reaching the record victory target of 481 imposed on it by New Zealand, England sought to bat through the last day to leave the series level at three draws.
Bell, who was 8 not out when play began Tuesday, manfully helped England toward that goal, shrugging off a period of poor form and batting through the first two sessions to reach by tea and to make a draw loom larger. In his previous innings in this series, Bell had scores of 24, 26 not out, 11 and 17.
England had lost only one wicket in each session — Joe Root before lunch for 29 and Jonny Bairstow soon after for 6 — and seemed to have lessened the serious threat of defeat they faced at the start of the final day until Bell's wicket.
Prior was left to fight on, with only Stuart Broad — an able batsman but out of form in this series — James Anderson and Monty Panesar to support him in his last, rearguard effort.
Both Bell and Bairstow were earlier dropped in the slip-gully cordon in the final over before lunch, but Prior, particularly led a charmed existence throughout the afternoon.
He was given out lbw to Tim Southee when he was 16 and England was 189-6, providing the vital breakthrough to New Zealand that likely signaled the end of the tourists' serious resistance. Then only the tail remained.
Prior immediately referred the decision to the television umpire and a replay clearly showed the ball came off an inside edge onto the front pad. Prior then skied an attempted hook off Tim Southee when he was 20 and watched anxiously as Neil Wagner, running back, flung himself and got his fingertips to the ball but couldn't hold the catch.
Prior's most astonishing let off came just after drinks when he was on 23 and England was 207-6. Wagner surprised the England wicketkeeper with a bouncer which, unexpectedly on a relatively docile pitch, reared sharply. Prior swayed back and thrust his bat at the ball...the delivery struck his bat, cannoned onto his helmet, dropped onto the shoulder and then fell heavily onto his stumps. Remarkably, the bails were not dislodged and Prior and England survived.
New Zealand was able to make its first breakthrough of the day with the first delivery with the second new ball and to make its second five overs later while the ball was still fresh. But as the ball aged, Bell and Prior became more comfortable and New Zealand's prospects of defeating the partnership that stood between them and victory receded.
