Harmison slows Kiwi advance

Stephen Harmison took two wickets in two balls as England checked New Zealand's progress in the third Test on Thursday.

Stephen Harmison took two wickets in two balls as England checked New Zealand's progress in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

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But at stumps, on the first day, New Zealand were still reasonably well-placed at 295 for four after winning the toss with captain Stephen Fleming making 117.

His fellow left-handed opener Mark Richardson weighed in with 73 while, at the close, Scott Styris was 58 not out and Jacob Oram 10 not out.

But Harmison, the spearhead of England's attack with 15 wickets in the series already before play Thursday, pegged New Zealand back with the new ball.

Harmison struck with the new ball 11 deliveries old when he had dangerman Nathan Astle playing on for 15.

Next ball 272 for three became 273 for four when Craig McMillan, returning from a finger injury, was lbw.

That was the last ball of Harmison's over and he was close to a hat-trick at the start of his next when Styris almost edged a drive through to wicket-keeper Geraint Jones.

New Zealand began the final session on 196 for one with Fleming 107 not out and Styris unbeaten on 12.

But Fleming added just 10 more runs to his total before he edged all-rounder Andrew Flintoff through to Graham Thorpe in the slips.

"England came back well and picked up some wickets but at the start of the day we would have settled for having almost 300 on the board by stumps," said Fleming who believes his team's defeat in the first two Tests are not a true reflection of the series.

"They have played extremely well and we haven't underestimated them. I don't think we are too far off the pace. It's just at crucial times they have played a lot better."

Fleming put on 62 with Styris to leave New Zealand 225 for two.

But Styris carried on to a chanceless fifty off 86 balls with five fours. In four previous series innings Styris had managed a mere 44 runs.

Up until Harmison's double strike, it had been a largely frustrating day for England with several appeals rejected by Australian umpires Simon Taufel and Daryl Harper.

Harmison thought he had Richardson lbw for 54 with a full-length ball that hit the batsman's back leg but Taufel was unmoved with New Zealand on 119.

The tourists had added seven runs to their total when Flintoff had an lbw shout against Fleming (64) playing no stroke also turned down by Taufel.

Fleming then on-drove Giles for four and lofted him for six off successive balls to bring up New Zealand's 150.

England captain Michael Vaughan, an occasional off-spinner, brought himself on in in a bid to break the partnership.

But it was as a fielder that Vaughan ended the stand when Richardson chipped a catch straight to him at short mid-on off Giles.

It was an unusually soft dismissal for the obdurate Richardson who had now batted for over 20 hours in the series.

On Thursday he faced 169 balls with 11 fours, putting on 163 for the first wicket with Fleming.

But his captain kept going and reached his seventh Test hundred in style by turning Martin Saggers off his legs for six.

Fleming, who faced 161 balls with two sixes and 12 fours, celebrated by punching the air having come close to a century with 97 in the second Test.

England missed a chance for an early breakthrough when short leg Strauss failed to hold on to a right-handed chance offered by Richardson off Harmison when New Zealand were 11 without loss.

Richardson had moved on to 16 when England were convinced they had him caught behind off Matthew Hoggard but although replays suggested Richardson had nicked the ball Harper ruled in the batsman's favour with New Zealand on 35.

England already had the series wrapped up at 2-0 after a seven-wicket victory at Lord's and Monday's nine-wicket win at Headingley.

New Zealand were trying to avoid the fate of their 1978 predecessors who lost 3-0 in England - the last time England achieved a clean-sweep in a major Test series.

England: Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Mark Butcher, Michael Vaughan (capt), Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones (wkt), Ashley Giles, Matthew Hoggard, Stephen Harmison, Martin Saggers.

New Zealand: Mark Richardson, Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Craig McMilan, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum (wkt), Chris Cairns, Kyle Mills, James Franklin, Chris Martin.

Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS) and Daryl Harper (AUS).

TV umpire: Mark Benson (ENG).

Match referee: Clive Lloyd (WIS).