Wednesday, 27 March 2013

England struggle avoid series

          
Fulton (110) followed his maiden century three days ago at Eden Park with an increasingly brutal display, including 14 fours and five sixes in the Kiwis' 241 for six declared on the fourth afternoon.Captain Alastair Cook, on the back of a rare first-innings failure, took it upon himself to try to put things right on a pitch still favouring the batsmen - but was gone by stumps after a painstaking 43 from 145 balls.Fulton and Dean Brownlie, who had batted out seven successive maidens yesterday, were soon operating at a very different tempo. The tall opener tucked into James Anderson and Stuart Broad from the outset as England went full in search of elusive swing and were regularly driven. His stand of 117 in 101 balls either side of lunch with Brendon McCullum (67 not out) was an embarrassing passage of play for England in which the short straight boundaries at this peculiar ground took a relentless hammering.England set out with hopes of either bowling New Zealand out cheaply, or alternatively restricting the run rate. Haplessly, they achieved neither as Fulton and then McCullum made a mockery of last night's stumble to eight for three by the hosts. The tourists were left needing to bat four and a half sessions to rescue a third successive draw - and in notional pursuit of a world-record 481, with three still to go they were 90 for four.

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