Swann strikes before Cook piles on Kiwi agony

LEEDS, United Kingdom (AFP) –

England batsman Nick Compton plays a shot during the third day’s play in the second cricket Test match between England and New Zealand at Headingly in Leeds on May 26, 2013. Graeme Swann took four wickets as England established a commanding position on the third day of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Sunday.

Graeme Swann took four wickets as England established a commanding position on the third day of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Sunday.

At the close, England were 116 for one in their second innings — a lead of 296 runs — after Swann starred in New Zealand’s second straight batting collapse.

England captain Alastair Cook, who opted against enforcing the follow-on, was 88 not out and Jonathan Trott 11 not out.

Earlier, fast bowler Steven Finn took the first three New Zealand wickets to fall before Swann followed up with four for 42 in nine overs.

Swann, England’s premier spin bowler, missed the recent tour of New Zealand because of an elbow injury and this was only his second Test since surgery on the troublesome joint.

England batsman Alistair Cook plays a shot during the third day’s play in the second cricket Test match between England and New Zealand at Headingly in Leeds on May 26, 2013. Graeme Swann took four wickets as England established a commanding position on the third day of the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley on Sunday.

Thanks mainly to Finn and Swann’s efforts, New Zealand slumped to 174 all out on the stroke of tea in reply to England’s first innings 354, which included Joe Root’s maiden Test hundred.

That left the tourists 180 runs behind, with New Zealand needing to be within 150 of England’s first innings to deny Cook the follow-on choice after Friday’s first day washout.

New Zealand’s total may not have been as bad as their second innings 68 in England’s 170-run win in the first of this two-match series at Lord’s last week, but it was again well short of what was required.

They were though 55 without loss Sunday before Peter Fulton, trying to turn Finn legside, got a leading edge and was caught and bowled for 28.

Then a superb over to Hamish Rutherford, the other opening batsman, saw Finn beat the left-hander three times in a row outside off-stump.

Rutherford did not heed the warnings and a loose drive saw him edge Finn to Ian Bell in the gully for 27.

Ross Taylor fell for six after playing on to a fast Finn delivery that cramped him for room.

And 72 for three became 79 for four when Swann struck with his sixth ball on Sunday to bowl Dean Brownlie for two, a sharp off-break beating the batsman between bat and pad.

Martin Guptill managed just one before he fell in similar fashion to Brownlie, with Swann turning the ball out of the rough created by New Zealand’s left-arm seamers.

“I didn’t get much of a bowl at Lord’s, I felt I missed out there and I was very keen to get on early here,” Swann told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special.

“Getting wickets is important for any bowler, and to get a few bowled through the gate pleased me greatly. You only get three or four of those in a calendar year and I got two (Brownlie and Guptill) in two overs.”

Swann defended Cook’s decision not to enforce the follow-on by saying: “There is an awful lot of cricket to be played in this game and there are no demons in this pitch.”

New Zealand’s Doug Bracewell leaves the crease after being caught by England’s Ian Bell off Graeme Swann’s bowling during the third day’s play in the second cricket Test match between England and New Zealand at Headingly in Leeds on May 26, 2013. England were 116 for one in their second innings, a lead of 296 runs, at stumps on the third day of the second Test.

New Zealand were 122 for nine before a last-wicket stand of 52 between Neil Wagner (27) and Trent Boult, who hit Swann for three sixes in his 24 not out, boosted the total.

“The middle-order struggled again,” said Taylor.

“Test cricket suggests it’s pretty tough to win from here, but we need to show more fight over the next couple of days,” the former New Zealand captain added.

Left-hander Cook set about justifying his decision to bat again with a 63-ball fifty including nine fours.

But at the other end Nick Compton, under threat of losing his Test place, continued to struggle for runs.

Compton contributed just seven to a first-wicket partnership of 72 before he was caught at short leg by Rutherford off part-time spinner Williamson.

His exit meant that in five Test innings since his back-to-back hundreds in New Zealand in March, Compton -had managed a mere 54 runs in a shade over six hours at the crease.

Left-arm quick Boult, who took five first innings wickets, bowled just two overs when England batted again Sunday after aggravating a side strain.

And after stumps an already tough day for the tourists became worse when a New Zealand team spokeswoman said it was “unlikely” Boult would be fit to bowl on Monday.