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Ross Taylor bludgeoned England�s attack with a career-best 154 not out to leave New Zealand well-placed on the second day of the second Test at Old Trafford here on Saturday.

At tea, England were 42 for one in reply to New Zealand�s first innings 381, a deficit of 339, after pace bowler Iain O�Brien, in for the ill Tim Southee, had Alastair Cook lbw.

Andrew Strauss was 17 not out and England captain Michael Vaughan, who made a century in the drawn first Test at Lord�s, unbeaten on four.

Taylor struck five sixes and 17 fours in his 176-ball stay as he recorded his second Test hundred after making 120 against England in Hamilton in March.

Together with Kyle Mills, whose 57 was his maiden Test fifty, he rebuilt the innings with a seventh-wicket stand of 89 after Jacob Oram and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori were both run out in the space of three balls.

Taylor, 24, paced his innings superbly. His third fifty, the majority of which came after Mills was out, took him just 42 balls with four sixes and four fours.

James Anderson, on his home ground, picked up three late wickets to end the innings when New Zealand were nine down � Daniel Flynn who had two teeth knocked out by the Lancashire quick on Friday couldn�t resume on Saturday and was taken to see a neurosurgeon amidst fears of concussion.

Taylor�s century was his second in his seven Tests following his 120 against England in Hamilton in March.

He spent 47 minutes in the 90s but Mills kept the scoreboard ticking over before Taylor upped the tempo by driving Ryan Sidebottom over long-on for six and picking him up over deep square leg for another.

It wasn�t until he�d made 142 that Taylor gave a chance when he thrashed left-arm swing bowler Sidebottom through the covers and Ian Bell dropped a tough catch.

He went to 150 in the grand manner by hoisting Sidebottom, who took 24 wickets during England�s 2-1 series win in New Zealand in March, for six high over square leg.

Taylor and Oram had added 113 before giving their wickets away. There seemed little danger when Taylor pushed a ball from Stuart Broad behind square on the offside. But Oram, on 38, failed to beat Cook�s direct hit.

Two balls later, Vettori was even more careless. Coming back for a second, he crossed the crease but didn�t ground either his bat or foot before wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose took the bails off following Monty Panesar�s throw from square leg.

Score board

New Zealand won toss

New Zealand 1st inns (overnight 202-4)

J M How c Ambrose b Anderson 64

A J Redmond b Sidebottom 28

J A H Marshall lbw b Sidebottom 0

L R P L Taylor not out 154

�B B McCullum c Collingwood b Panesar 11

D R Flynn retired hurt 4

J D P Oram run out (Cook) 38

*D L Vettori run out (Panesar/Ambrose) 1

K D Mills b Anderson 57

I E O�Brien c Bell b Anderson 5

C S Martin b Anderson 0

Extras (b4, lb11, w3, nb1) 19

Total (all out, 90.3 overs) 381

Fall: 1-80, 2-86, 3-102, 4-123, 5-249, 6-250, 7-339, 8-368, 9-381

Bowling: Sidebottom 27-6-86-2 (1nb, 1w); Anderson 20.3-0-118-4 (2w); Panesar 22-1-101-1; Broad 20-3-60-0; Collingwood 1-0-1-0

England 1st Inns

A J Strauss not out 17

A N Cook lbw b O�Brien 19

*M P Vaughan not out 4

Extras (b1, nb1) 2

Total (one wkt, 15 overs) 42

Fall: 1-33

To bat: K P Pietersen, I R Bell, P D Collingwood, �T R Ambrose, S C J Broad, R J Sidebottom, M S Panesar, J M Anderson

Bowling: Martin 7-2-18-0; Mills 3-0-15-0 (1nb); O�Brien 4-2-8-1; Vettori 1-1-0-0

Series: 3-match series level 0-0

Umpires: D B Hair (Australia) and S J A Taufel (Australia). TV umpire: I J Gould. Match referee: R S Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

First Test: May 15-19 Lord�s, match drawn

Third & final Test: June 5-9, Nottingham

Note: D R Flynn retired hurt at 136-4 (4, 40.3 overs)

Source:Cricket News