KEY POINTS:
Andrew Strauss and Mathew Sinclair haven't quite breezed through their test dress rehearsal at Dunedin but they are likely to feature when New Zealand and England start their three-match series in Hamilton on Wednesday.
Two contentious selection issues were probably resolved today as the tourists and a New
Zealand Invitation 11 ended a rain-interrupted day with honours shared and a day to play - weather permitting.
England were 155 for three in their second innings - an overall lead of 15 - when bad light stopped play shortly before the scheduled close. Strauss was unbeaten on 55 and Ian Bell on 21.
Earlier New Zealand, who resumed at 177 for four, were all out for 271.
At risk of being denied a test recall of his adopted home ground, Seddon Park, Strauss responded with a patient and composed 108 ball innings including seven boundaries.
Strauss, whose predatory instincts in the slips cordon clearly already count in his favour, warrants a test recall in the unfamiliar position of first drop by drastically improving on his five in the first innings.
His knock in overcast conditions was timely, especially after Alastair Cook (12) and Michael Vaughan (13) failed a second time as Mark Gillespie produced a venomous opening spell to place some belated pressure on Iain O'Brien as the Black Caps' third seamer.
England's bowling attack is now all but settled after rain wiped out the morning session. Once play resumed Chris Tremlett - picked to pressurise Steve Harmison - aggravated a side strain seriously enough to see him return home.
It is unlikely he would have featured next week regardless after Harmison showed brief glimpses of the form that saw him rated as the world's No.1 test bowler in 2004.
Harmison's five wicket haul - albeit for a neat 100 runs and off a typically erratic 22 overs - was just the tonic after his rival cried off after taking one for 62.
Grant Elliott's demise when a loose leg side flick was gloved by Tim Ambrose suggested Harmison's luck might be in and when new batsman Mark Orchard shouldered arms to his first ball and had off stump disturbed, the Durham right armer was on something of a roll.
"I've got marginally better the more and more I bowled," Harmison said after his four-wicket burst.
"I'm still trying to find me feet and find a length on these wickets.
"I'm the sort of bowler that takes time to being in a different country. I've been here on eight days, I'm reasonably happy."
The Invitation side cobbled together just 94 for their last six wickets though there were saving factors after Sinclair and Elliott restarted the innings on a solid 177 in seam friendly conditions.
Sinclair, uninspiring against minnows Bangladesh in January, was the chief contributor after lunch, improving from 14 to 47 before he edged Monty Panesar to Strauss at first slip.
Disappointed not to prolong his 114-minute vigil, Sinclair's knock was at least more assured than the identical score he somehow eked out at the Basin Reserve against a vastly inferior Bangladeshi attack in his last test.
Candidly confessing that innings as remained a blight on his career, Sinclair felt he was on the road to recovery despite scores of two and nine not out against the tourists earlier this week.
"A lot of pressure has been out on me from Bangladesh and that dreadful 47 I guess. I feel like I'm not far away now," he said.
The jury is still out on Peter Fulton however, though he has been given every chance to rediscover his touch. Should the weather hold he may have one last chance to justify his retention as New Zealand's first drop providing his bowlers chip England out in reasonable time.
England's ODI captain Paul Collingwood was out of action today after aggravating a hamstring strain though he will bat tomorrow while Matthew Hoggard had food poisoning before the match and bowled within himself.
Encouragingly Ryan Sidebottom gave his right hamstring a work out during warm-ups indicating he should be available.
- NZPA
