New ball breaks England resistance

Trent Boult struck with the first delivery with the new ball to damage what had otherwise been a promising morning for England in their fight to save the third Test against New Zealand.

Ian Bell and Joe Root had survived the majority of the morning session comfortably while adding 60 to England's overnight score of 90-4, with spinner Bruce Martin offering little wicket-taking threat.

Three overs prior to lunch, Boult gave the Kiwis some momentum heading into the interval when he was handed the new ball, immediately trapping Root lbw for 29.

The left-arm seamer then had Bell and new man Jonny Bairstow dropped in the final over of the session as the tourists struggled with his movement of the ball in both directions.

Bairstow was also fortunate to escape when Boult struck him on the foot in front of the stumps, but New Zealand believed that he had hit the ball and chose not to appeal.

Kane Williamson and Dean Brownlie were the guilty parties in the Kiwi slip cordon, with the latter shelling an outside edge from Bell, who ended the session unbeaten on 43.