England’s Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell scored centuries to lead their side to a massive 501-run lead and all but end New Zealand’s chances of winning the deciding third Test on Monday.

Strauss, who had not scored a hundred in his last 30 Test innings, was on his highest Test score of 173 not out and Bell made 110 to guide the tourists to 416 for five at the close on the third day.

The hosts have scored in excess of 400 only twice before when batting fourth, both times against England but they lost on each occasion. Their highest successful run chase was 324 for five against Pakistan at Christchurch in 1994.

Tim Ambrose was the other not out batsman on 28. Daniel Vettori had figures of three for 135.

The England batsmen applied themselves throughout the day on the batter-friendly pitch and demonstrated how easy it could be to accumulate runs in the near-perfect conditions. They scored 325 runs in 90 overs for the loss of three wickets.

Strauss, recalled for the series after being dropped last year, surpassed his previous highest score of 147, made against South Africa in 2005, and the biggest individual total (160) at McLean Park.

He had brought up his 11th Test century with a cover drive off Chris Martin for his 16th boundary shortly before tea.

The 31-year-old’s last Test century was the 116 he scored against Pakistan in Leeds in August 2006.

Aggressive Bell

Bell was the more aggressive and scored 88 runs between lunch and tea. However, he was dismissed after the break for 110 when he hit the ball straight to Mathew Sinclair off Vettori to end his 187-run fourth-wicket partnership with Strauss.

Paul Collingwood produced a cameo 22 before he popped a return catch to Vettori, though the wicket was barely celebrated by the New Zealand team.

Kevin Pietersen, who scored 129 in England’s first innings, was the only other wicket to fall when Ross Taylor made a fine reflex catch at first slip off Vettori to dismiss him for 34 in the morning.

SCORE BOARD

ENGLAND (I Innings): 253

NEW ZEALAND (I Innings): 168

ENGLAND (II Innings, o/n: 91/2):
Cook c McCullum b Patel 37
Vaughan c McCullum b Martin 4
Strauss (batting) 173
Pietersen c Taylor b Vettori 34
Bell c Sinclair b Vettori 110
Collingwood c & b Vettori 22
Ambrose (batting) 28
Extras (LB-3, W-1, NB-4) 8
Total (for 5 wkts, 122 overs) 416
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-77, 3-140, 4-327, 5-361.
Bowling: Martin 18-2-60-1, Southee 24-5-84-0, Elliott 14-1-58-0, Vettori 40-6-135-3, Patel 26-4-76-1.