KEY POINTS:
England are marching towards victory in the third and deciding test against New Zealand here at McLean Park as Stephen Fleming's farewell to international cricket turned sour.
Set a mammoth 553 for victory, or more realistically 168 overs to survive, New Zealand reached stumps on the fourth day
at 222 for five.
New Zealand's hopes rest on Ross Taylor, on 34, and Brendon McCullum, on 24, to prolong their 50-run stand for the sixth wicket deep into tomorrow's final day.
Solidly placed at 146 for one at tea, New Zealand lost Matthew Bell and Fleming inside four overs, setbacks which triggered their slide towards defeat.
Bell and Fleming, in the last innings of his 111-test career, added a fluent 99 for the second wicket but New Zealand started unravelling once Bell fell to a rash pull shot for 69 three balls after the resumption.
It was a soft dismissal after Bell had batted doggedly to keep his team in the game.
For former captain Fleming a classy 66 was his signoff after 14 years on the international stage.
He smoothly composed his 46th test half-century off 69 deliveries with his eighth boundary and looked typically unruffled until he feathered an edge from spinner Monty Panesar to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose.
Panesar, who ended the day with figures of three for 49 from 31 overs, was also the catalyst for Bell's downfall when Stuart Broad accepted an easy catch at deep backward square.
Jamie How had been the first wicket to fall when Panesar had him leg before wicket for 11 two overs after lunch when New Zealand were 48, their highest opening stand of the series.
Fleming, given a guard of honour by England as he strode to the middle for the last time, ended his career with 7172 runs at 40.06, an average he craved.
The significance of Fleming's demise was not lost on England as the left-hander was given a warm round of applause as he acknowledged a standing ovation.
Fleming's exit saw New Zealand wobbling at 156 for three and the home side's predicament worsened before Taylor and McCullum combined.
Mathew Sinclair made seven before gloving a short ball to Ambrose, while debutant allrounder Grant Elliott was the other wicket to fall in the final session for four when he spooned an attempted hook to Ian Bell at short leg off Broad.
England briefly toyed with New Zealand in the morning session before Michael Vaughan declared the tourists' second innings closed on 467 for seven.
Having resumed on 416 for five, they extended their lead to 553 by plundering 51 in 9.5 overs despite the loss of overnight batsmen Andrew Strauss for 177 and Ambrose for 31.
After resuming on a career-best 173, Strauss caught by Bell at mid off. He batted more than eight hours and struck 25 boundaries.
Daniel Vettori had Ambrose caught and bowled in the next over and ended with four for 158 from 45 overs.
- NZPA