Centuries from Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell helped England build a huge lead on day three of the deciding third Test against New Zealand in Napier.

Strauss, whose position in the side had been under serious threat, and Bell put on 187 for the fourth wicket.

Bell (110) fell to Daniel Vettori, who also took Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood to return figures of 3-135.

But Strauss made his highest Test score (173) as he and Tim Ambrose led England to 416-5 at the close, a lead of 501.

By Oliver Brett

Get involved. E-mail tms@bbc.co.uk (with 'For Oliver Brett' in the subject), text 81111 (with "CRICKET" as the first word) or use 606 between 0900-2300 GMT. (Not all contributions can be used).

ENGLAND SECOND INNINGS

STUMPS

0430: 415-5 A couple more for Strauss gives England that psychologically valuable 500-run lead. Strauss pulls for a single to end his day on 173, a magnificent effort by a man who began this innings under some serious pressure. Ambrose blocks the last ball of the day.

0428: 413-5 Vettori completes his 40th over of the innings, and the penultimate one of the day. England need two from the last one for a lead of 500. Aggers rates Bell's century above Strauss's, by the way.

"Sitting in A&E resus, looking after the typical Bank Holiday party goers who've enjoyed one too many and thought I'd look at the cricket scores. I'm pleasantly suprised for the first time tonight."
Richard from Southend (text message)
Hmmm. Thought mobiles were banned in hospitals.

0422: 412-5 McCullum, standing up to Elliott, is struck on the collar bone as a delivery, ignored by Ambrose, takes an unpredictable bounce. That's nasty and there's a long delay as the physio checks out the Black Caps' wicket-keeper.

0420: 410-5 Patel, a fine fielder, dives gamely on the long-off boundary to save one run - Ambrose just denied a boundary. Then Strauss brings up the half-century partnership.

0418: 406-5 Strauss and Vettori have been sparring all day and in an interesting over, Strauss twice fails to get past mid-off attempting big drives and then almost loses his wicket when short midwicket dives - and just fails to reach - an on-drive before it bounces.

0414: 405-5 Just 15 minutes to go, and New Zealand will be desperate not to bowl more than the minimum four overs required. Elliott bowls some kind of weird, slow, high full toss which a non-plussed Strauss defends.

"I don't know what Michael Vaughan and Steve Harmison are laughing about (0355). Both are as crap as each other. They should be consoling themselves."
Chris, Dunedin

0408: 402-5 Ambrose goes for a risky single, Sinclair's throw hits the stumps and New Zealand think they've grabbed a wicket. But third umpire Gary Baxter says "not out". Geoffrey Boycott says he's a chicken but in truth the excellent replays made it very hard to be 100% certain the batsman was out.

0404: 400-5 Vettori's gone defensive for both batsmen now, so the boundaries have pretty much dried up. This match has lost its edge somewhat. The Barmy Army don't think so - they're absolutely belting out their favourite numbers. Patel appeals for lbw against Strauss. No way sunshine, says umpire Koertzen.

"I'm bored out of my skull here at work. Must keep the brain ticking over or I'll fall asleep and lose my job"
...says someone who works for Her Majesty's Prison Service (might be better if I make him anonymous)

0355: 394-5 A bit of a late afternoon lull is broken by a beuatifully-timed clip for four by Ambrose off Patel. Harmison and Vaughan find something amusing to laugh about.

And Steve Herbert wins the non-existent prize by correctly guessing Pietersen is the slowest scorer in England's second innings. You are an honest lot, as there were quite a few wrong answers before Steve chipped in.

0348: 386-5 Patel drops short, and Ambrose cuts him exquisitely for four. He's ticking along nicely, our Wellington centurion. Where would England be without that contribution?

"Am very much enjoying your commentary, perhaps because anything seems to be more exciting than 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus."
Lachlan Kerr, Malaysia
L'Etranger is much easier meat than La Peste, which single-handedly reduced my predicted A in A-level to a B. - OB

Without looking, can you guess which England batsman has the slowest scoring rate in this innings? First to e-mail in gets a mention - no prizes any more at the BBC!

0342: 376-5 Taylor, at second slip, drops Ambrose. Not what Patel wanted to see at all. But New Zealand are almost past caring now. 0337: 376-5 Lovely cover-drive from Ambrose for four, Patel suffering. Kevin Pietersen's facial hair is quite remarkable. He looks like an Elizabethan courtier. Sunglasses spoil the appearance a bit, though. Ambrose whacks a boundary through the on-side, and Stuart Broad, who still looks 12, picks his nose.

0331: 368-5 Strauss gets the single to take him to his highest score in Tests, 148. Ambrose gets the single that gets him off the mark. Strauss uses his feet to hit Vettori over mid-wicket for four and that's his 150, with 25 fours.

0329: 362-5 Ambrose looks totally solid, but equally thoroughly determined to stay at the crease, hence the fact that he is still on nought after 10 balls. Can't be much fun being the England wicket-keeper, never knowing whether your place is safe.

0321: WICKET 361-5 (Collingwood 22) A slower ball from Vettori is punched back to the bowler for the sort of caught-and-bowled chance that Monty Panesar could accept with his eyes shut. A tame ending for the Sunderland supporter who looks sunburnt, or just red-faced with embarrassment, as he trudges back to the sheds.

0319: 361-4 Showing the hunger for runs that has generally eluded England's willow-wielders in recent times, Strauss calmly defends the last four balls of Patel's latest over. "This pitch is too good, it's getting better and better," opines Vic Marks on TMS.

"I'm curious. Do you base all this on the radio commentary or are you watching Sky with the volume down and listening to the radio?"
Emma, Auckland
Now, now Emma. Some things in life will forever be secret... And like the whereabouts of Lord Lucan, my audio-visual aids are not publicly revealed. - OB

0315: 358-4 The lead will soon by 450 as Strauss plays a late, late cut - later than a Spanish lunch - for four off Vettori. Collingwood wants to be aggressive but not recklessly so and is content with a single to the on-side.

0309: 352-4 Southee completes the 104th over of this England innings, with 18 left to go in the day. Strauss cuts again, but the field is back and he has to accept a single. Cameras cut to a very overweight Barmy Army fan standing up, singing loudly, and then Collingwood booms a drive over mid-on for four. It was nearly a six.

"After a quick online search I can see why Toledo appeals, doesn't look flat enough for cricket though."
Anwar, Preston, text message
You're right, and in any case there is not much enthusiasm for cricket in Spain, beyond the areas populated by English ex-pats - OB

0303: 343-4 Southee gets his line wrong, and Strauss taps into the wide-open spaces on the one-side for three, moving to 139.

0259: 340-4 Collingwood gets himself in a right old mess as he tries to force Vettori somewhere - and edges over the slips for four. Now a proper shot, a one-day "launch" of a length ball into the stands behind midwicket for six.

0257: 329-4 New Zealand are on the defensive to Strauss, Southee bowling exclusively outside off-stump to a packed field on that side. Strauss has to place his drive well just to get a couple.

0250: WICKET 327-4 (Bell 110) Bell rather gifts his wicket away, but it has to be said he's done his job today. An attempted lofted drive off Vettori does not get the right elevation and Sinclair takes an easy catch at mid-off.

0245: 325-3 Strauss skips down the track and hits Vettori high over mid-on for four. He moves to 130, and then boosts his score further, pulling Vettori for four more.

Geoffrey Boycott is calling Aggers a "dipstick" for losing a round of crazy golf to Boycott's wife Alison. Aggers says it's confusing negotiating windmills and goblins.

0239: 316-3 The lead goes past 400 as Strauss starts to open up. He guides Vettori fine down to third man for four and then slams Southee through point for another boundary.

"I need to say that it felt terrifically bizarre (and perhaps not entirely healthy) to be applauding stark text on a screen as Ian Bell just reached his century. I mean, I was actually clapping. What in the name of all that is holy is going on here? Surely this is both dirty and wrong?"
Jamie, on e-mail.
I am not sure about dirty, but bizarre yes - OB

0231: 303-3 Southee has the ball after tea, Strauss cuts to deep point for a single.

TEA

"Toledo (see previous entries) is Durham with better food, better weather, and more organs in the cathedral."
Alan in Mexico.
I have a great story about Toledo. When back-packing in Spain as an 18-year-old I was sleeping in the same room as a Swiss bloke who kept me awake with his snoring. In the middle of the night, I decamped to an empty bedroom in the same youth hostel, only to be woken up a few hours later by three Spanish girls, night-shift workers, who walked into the room, calmly got into their night "things", giggled about seeing me there and got into bed. - OB

Well - 135 runs in the session and not even the merest sniff of a wicket. England won't lose this match, trust me.

0204: 302-3 Bell puts the new bowler, Vettori, away behind the square on the off-side for his 18th boundary. I think he will overtake Strauss assuming they both stay in for another hour.

About half a dozen of you have mentioned the most obvious example of winning a series when losing the first Test was the small matter of the 2005 Ashes. Thanks for that. I was kind of thinking of three-match series when the query landed in my inbox, but there we go.

0204: 296-3 Strauss carves Elliott away for another boundary, the 19th of his innings. He and Bell would find the Easter egg hunt I arranged for my three-year-old more challenging than facing this bowling.

0200: 292-3 Martin drops short and Bell pulls, and pulls safely and away from the fielder in the deep for his four. More importantly he has his first century since the Lord's Test against West Indies last summer.

"Why, thank you. You've a bed in my spare room any time - as long as you can stand me on the history of the place. Oh - and my cooking! hehehe
David Wallace, Toledo, (scroll down a few paragraphs)
There's a bit of evil malice about the "hehehe" I think, but David where will the wife and kids go? OB

0157: 287-3 The partnership moves on to 147 as Strauss plays a leg-glance for four off Martin. England lead by 372 but I can't see a declaration any time soon. You don't need more than two days to bowl this New Zealand side out, surely.

"Never mind being dropped after scoring a century, Jason Gillespie hit 201 for Australia against Bangladesh in 2006 and hasn't played since."
Neil in Western Australia

0153: 283-3 Bell goes to 98 with a neat little deflection for four off the new bowler Elliott. Fill, fill, fill yer boots England.

Mike - to answer your question "Have England ever won a series after losing the first Test?" - They did exactly that in Sri Lanka in 2001 (Graham Thorpe was the hero).

I am very jealous of e-mailer David Wallace, because you live in what I think is the most beautiful city in the world. Thanks to Glen who tells me John Wright is tipped to be the new Black Caps coach. Looking at John Bracewell recently, he doesn't exactly look 100% focused on the job in hand. Chile is due east of Napier, TMS have worked out. It's taken them all day to do that.

0146: 277-3 Nobody has said this on the radio, so I will. England have been really lucky in this match. They won the toss, and have batted in sunny conditions on days one and three. New Zealand had to bat under thick cloud cover on day two, and Sidebottom made the ball talk. He wouldn't bowl like that today. Meanwhile, Bell plays the most delicate of leg-glances for four. Southee grimaces. Bell cover-drives for four. Southee clasps his neck with both hands.

0140: 269-3 Former New Zealand captain and India coach John Wright is on camera. He is staring wistfully out into the distance, lost in some private thoughts methinks. Anyone know what he does these days?

0137: 266-3 Strauss drives an out-of-sorts Southee pleasantly for yet another boundary.

"Strauss now has 11 fifties and 11 centuries. This means, when he reaches 50, there is a one in two chance that he will take it to 100."
Duncan, California - What a terrific grasp of maths you have!

0134: 261-3 Strauss fences at a good ball from Martin and wicket-keeper McCullum claims a catch. Umpire Harper is as unperturbed as a man can be...

"Has an England player ever been dropped directly after hitting a century?"
T Lloyd
I believe it may have happened to one G Boycott, actually - OB

0128: 260-3 Bell's own century will not be long in coming, surely. He drives Southee confidently, if a bit loosely, over the man at gully, and adds a second one along the deck through the covers.

0123: 251-3 Now Strauss does get his cover-drive away, and it hits the ropes just in front of point. That's his century, his first for 16 Test matches and will pretty much guarantee his continued presence in this side. Vic Marks on TMS says he "could have wrenched his elbow ligaments" in his celebration, as he flung his bat without releasing it in the emotion of the moment. Now he wipes away the sweat, smiles and gets a lovely hug from Bell.

0121: 247-3 Goodness gracious. Strauss nearly gives it all away on 97, driving at Martin outside the off-stump. The ball isn't there for the drive, but he tries the shot twice and misses twice. The gods are smiling on him because he could have nicked either of those.

"Cricketing wives and girlfriends - CWAGs; Tennis wives and girlfriends - WOWs (Wives of Wimbledon); CHAPs - Celebrity Husbands and Partners. Thought you'd like them."
Mike, TMS inbox
Oh I do, I do - OB. One of the Aussie websites ran a cracking CWAGs photo gallery once. I am afraid we wouldn't do that at the Beeb - this is the closest we have come >>>

0112: 247-3 Well, Rob in Edinburgh, I can reveal that the new ball has elicited an lbw appeal from Martin against Bell. Umpire Harper correctly rules that that one was missing leg-stump. This pitch has become soooo flat now.

"This is far more interesting than a dissertation on Philosophy of Mathematics, can't wait to see what's gonna happen with the new ball."
Rob, Edinburgh
If I made this as dull as a maths dissertation I would have to go into accountancy, surely - OB

0108: 244-3 Strauss is loving his cut shots like a fast-food fiend loves chips (try saying that quickly). He goes to 97 with a four off Patel and New Zealand take the second new ball; Martin has it.

0104: 240-3 That's the 100-run partnership, as Bell's single off Vettori takes him to 67. He really has dominated this stand with Strauss and with the lead on 325 New Zealand's grip on this Test is really slipping away.

0100: 235-3 Vettori sends down a maiden, and that's followed by a quiet over from Patel with the new ball due very soon. New Zealand seem to be waiting for somebody to do something foolish at present.

"Is it just me or is Ian Bell a ringer for Mickey from Eastenders?"
Glen, on e-mail

0055: 235-3 Two fours in a row from Bell off Elliott - one drive off the front foot, another off the back foot - this is so easy for England now.

Keith Smith in Nottingham e-mails to says the first journalist to coin the phrase WAGs was one Niamh Bugler, writing on local papers in south Wales in June 2004. A colleague of mine tried to coin the word "Kolpakker" but let's just say it hasn't quite caught on in the same way.

0048: 226-3 Strauss cover-drives Elliott beautifully for four to go into the 90s. He's playing very nicely; let's hope he can produce big scores against better bowling attacks than this, and on worse pitches (assuming he now does stay in the side).

0045: 222-3 The worst shot of Bell's innings to date, a top-edged cut that flies over slip for four, takes him to his half-century and England on to double Nelson.

0042: 217-3 Facing Elliott on this featherbed, with an old ball, is about as pleasant as diving into a bath of Radox. Bell indulges himself, bashing him twice over mid-wicket for four.

"I refuse to hear criticism of Jonathan Pearce, the man who voiced the immortal word relating to Tony Adams 'Ey-Aw... Ey-Aw... He always scores for Arsenal'. If you add that to his description of Tony Cottee as 'Hot-shot, Tiny-tot, Tony-Cot' the man should be given a knighthood... not ridiculed!"
Kevin Murphy

0039: 209-3 I'd have to say Bell is playing quite magnificently right now. Nothing waggish about this back-foot drive through the covers for four off Vettori. Now Strauss plays his third cut shot for four since lunch and England are ticking again.

Cameras keep cutting away to the England WAGS, all over-size sunglasses, strappy tops and mini-skirts. I keep thinking of that circus in Baden Baden involving Cheryl Tweedy, Posh Spice (they hated each other, allegedly) and all the other football WAGS that received more coverage than the England team at the 2006 World Cup.

0033: 195-3 They say you shouldn't cut balls that are close to your off-stump and not short of a length. But Strauss is seeing the ball like a butternut squash and despatches Patel to the fence anyway. He's reached 82 now.

0031: 191-3 There's a picture of Phil Mustard (reserve keeper) holding a baby/toddler. Maybe that was the one we heard screaming earlier as it now has a dummy firmly lodged in situ. The general consensus from you lot is that - assuming Flintoff does return to the England side - we look to substitute a bowler rather than a batsman. So Anderson would come out of the side, possibly. The batting would be vastly improved.

0028: 189-3 After a flurry of 16 runs in two overs, Bell and Strauss drop back down into second gear, as though hitting Henlys Corner after haring down from Bounds Green on the A406 (sorry if that means nothing to anyone).

0023: 188-3 As though hearing my very words, Bell drives Patel smoothly for a boundary through the covers and follows up with a most effortless flick over midwicket for six off a "length" ball on middle stump. Really classy stuff from the Warwickshire man.

0018: 178-3 Strauss moves to 76, cutting Vettori for four behind square. The new ball is still more than 20 overs away and this is the time for England to cash in.

0016: 172-3 Patel rattles through a maiden, Strauss facing, while Aggers on the radio admits to wearing a Radio Sport "giveaway" shirt straight out of the wrapper. He hates having to do that, but the laundry service at his hotel is on an Easter break or something.

0014: 172-3 Bell goes to 22 with a boundary soon after lunch, but it's one of the luckiest ones he'll ever get. An inside-edge off Vettori's arm ball almost shaves his leg-stump on the way to the fence. 0005: And with the news that it is now Monday in the UK, and that play will resume in Napier (the world's most easterly Test venue) in 10 minutes time (and where it has been Monday for some considerable time), here's an interesting e-mail from one Danny Morris:

"Which England batsmen will be replaced by Freddie for the Test series against New Zealand in May? On form, surely it should be Vaughan, but he's the captain. Bell? Strauss? What do you think?"

LUNCH

And that's lunch in Napier, England having the best of the session even though runs have not come all that quickly. They lost only Pietersen and Strauss has moved to 71 now.

2327: 167-3 Strauss finally gets bored, cutting Elliott hard despite an assortment of gullys and points in place. He gets a single, the ball bouncing short of one of the catchers.

2325: 166-3 Bell takes no liberties against Vettori so close to lunch, and why should he? England lead by 251 with eight sessions still to go.

"What happened to Dirs then?"
Colum in Oxford
Took a night off at late notice, the cheeky swine, leaving us pretty short-handed at Television Centre. The last two days will be covered by Tom Fordyce, by the way

2322: 166-3 The medium pace of Grant Elliott gets its first airing of the day. Strauss negotiates smoothly.

2318: 165-3 It's pretty quiet out in the middle, with lunch coming up in 13 minutes. Some very comfortable defensive stuff from Strauss and Bell. Now Strauss tucks into an attempted sweep off Vettori and whacks Matthew Bell at short-leg on the back of his leg, a really brutal blow.

"Poor Jonathan Pearce, I think he was so much more comfortable dealing with commentating when robots were mangling each other in Robot Wars than he ever will be over the football. Names like Psychosprout, Pussycat, Razor and Tornado probably aren't so hard to remember as 22 surnames."
Chris on e-mail
That's the last dig I can possibly publish about a BBC commentator I'm afraid

2313: 165-3 After Strauss plays out a maiden from Vettori, the first ball of Patel's over is punched off the back foot through the covers, timed and placed quite exquisitely by Bell for four.

"England need to get a rush on today, rain is forcast for Napier overnight and tomorrow morning, showers in the afternoon."
Phil on e-mail
Bang goes my night off on Tuesday then! - OB

2305: 160-3 Oh that's a really good shot by Bell off Vettori, giving the bowler the charge and lofting him high back over his head for six. That ball spun quite a bit, but Bell watched it and middled it. The lead is fast approaching 250.

2302: 154-3 Bell almost gives Taylor at slip a chance off Patel, then fails to capitalise on a juicy full-toss. Incidentally, Stephen Fleming is ill and is not fielding at the moment, otherwise he would probably by the slipper to the spinners.

2259: 151-3 England get off the 150 thanks to a pre-meditated sweep shot from Bell, collecting a single off Vettori.

"Jonathan Pearce's 'Lamparr' confusion has to be the most annoying, he thinks that Frank Lampard is related to Anders Limpar!"
Millsy, via text

2257: 150-3 Patel completes his second over, which is a maiden, and now Bell needs the sightscreen shifted as he prepares to face Vettori.

2252: 150-3 Strauss advances down the wicket to Vettori, gets to the pitch of the ball, and plays a very effective checked drive between mid-off and extra-cover for four. Now he is beginning to show some confidence and look good at the same time.

"With Pietersen out, now Strauss needs to show all his experience to post a massive score and prove the selectors were right to choose him for this series. Anything less than New Zealand chasing 400/450 would be a disaster on this pitch, especially with two full days to go."
Aaron from London

2247: 145-3 New Zealand have a double spin attack now, and the new man Bell is unperturbed, crafting a neat cover-drive to collect a boundary off Patel, who has two slips and a short-leg in place.

2244: WICKET 140-3 (Pietersen 34) Pietersen hammers Vettori over mid-off for four but then falls to a quite stunning catch by Ross Taylor at slip, diving miles to his right to scoop a thick defensive edge. That was a surprise and fillip for the embattled Black Caps.

2240: 136-2 The fifty partnership comes up with a rather clunky thick-inside-edgy drive from Strauss off Southee for one. But now the old Strauss emerges, a handsome on-drive disappears for four and then we see that signature shot from 2004 - the back-foot force square of the wicket through point for four. Very nice. Southee must be taken out of the attack now, poor lad.

2237: 126-2 England are ticking along efficiently like a Swiss clock. It's not the most riveting of passages of play that I can remember, but hey ho - pretty much what we needed from an England point of view.

"All talk of phonetical faux-pas aside, a moment should be taken to remember that Jack Charlton struggled to recall the actual names of players in his squad. Bless."
Cen, on e-mail
That was what made him such a natural on TV. How many times did he refer to "the big lad"? - OB

2230: 122-2 Pietersen whips Southee through the leg-side with a sprinkling of panache for another boundary. And it's time for drinks.

2226: 118-2 Vettori opens with a maiden of the non-threatening variety.

"I'm lucky enough to have a boyfriend that comes complete with Sky Sports, but he has the cheek to a) not like cricket specifically and b) currently be in Scotland. Tragedy."
Angharad, Brixton
You make him sound like something you picked up in Homebase! - OB

2222: 118-2 KP cracks the last ball of Southee's sixth over of the day straight down the ground for four, like a pistol shot. The lead goes up to 203 and Vettori brings himself into the attack.

"While we're on the subject and have dual linguists on line, can you please confirm Portuguese/Brazilian pronunciation of Sim�o should be Sim-awn (like S�o Paulo is Sawn Paulo�)"
David Cunningham, on e-mail
Don't know where you got that David, but it's definitely Sim-OW as in "Ow, you bit my finger", only a bit more nasal.

2215: 114-2 Shot of the day from Strauss, a lovely, elegant off-drive off Martin which brings him his first half-century in Tests for eight innings. Ex-county colleague Gus Fraser immediately chirps that he still "hasn't done enough" to guarantee selection for England's next Test. Harsh.

2213: 110-2 Southee sends down a maiden to Pietersen. He's bowled impressively all match, the 19-year-old, and will surely be one to watch.

"Do you pronounce all the Indian cricketers' names in the correct Hindi/Bengali/Urdu/Punjabi/Tamil accent?"
Philip Mayall, Czech Republic
Almost certainly not, but if I was going to do radio commentary I would make sure I had all the right pronunciations in front of me.

2210: 110-2 Strauss plays a crisp on-drive off Martin, but straight to a fielder. Then he bottom-edges an attempted pull, but it bounces safely on the way to the keeper. Straussy has scored just five runs today...

"While we're on the subject of mispronounced footballers' names, I have to add that it always annoyed me the way Sven used to pronounce Steven Gerrard as G-errard (rather than J-errard). If you know what I mean."
Nick, TMS inbox
Wasn't Sven himself supposed to called Sven Yuran Eriksson or something?

2205: 108-2 "There's a very unhappy child somewhere" says CMJ, as a howling toddler can be heard quite audibly on TMS. This time KP allows Strauss three balls of an over, and it's all gone very, very quiet.

2159: 107-2 Again! KP has pinched a single from the last ball of an over for three overs on the trot... CMJ wonders what the longest period anyone has held the strike for is in a Test. I can just imagine Bearders giving him the look of death.

"Southee looks vey much like Justin Marshall (ex-All Black rugby union scrum-half) - think it's the teeth that remind me - do you not think?"
smart on 606

2155: 106-2 KP manufactures a single from a ball wide of of off-stump to steal the strike once again. Used to really annoy me as the non-striker when people did that.

I'm loving your e-mail, James Haslett (see below). Another one that really used to grate was the Jose part of Jose Mourinho. We had to endure something like 'Joe-zay' when it should have been Je-ZE (the 'Je' as in the French 'jeune'). Can you tell I did a degree in Hispanic Studies?

2150: 105-2 Martin appeals for a catch at the wicket, Pietersen the batsman. Umpire Harper says not out, and a chastened KP buckles down a bit, playing out a few dot balls and running a quick single to pinch the strike.

"Re Javi Mascherano, yes the radio pronunciation is irritating. Many Argentines have Italian-origin surnames (like the racing driver Fangio) and therefore should be pronounced like an Italian word. Mascherano is therefore pronounced 'MAS-ke-RA-no' (not forgetting to shorten all the vowel sounds) instead of the radio-preferred 'mash-ur-ano'. The latter sounds like some kind of weird Chav threat. Can you tell I'm a linguist?"
James Haslett, TMS inbox

2146: 104-2 Strauss plays the kind of shot he has played too often in recent years, and never played in 2004 - an attempted cover-drive with the feet in the wrong place and the balance askew. He could easily have been caught at gully, but it missed the fielder and he collects four runs. Southee curses.

2141: 100-2 Pietersen is in the mood for some quick runs today, and why not... He hooks Martin sweetly for six, between two men on the boundary, but then tries to force a good ball through the off-side and misses.

"Simon Lewis (2123) spends the day in the pub, watches a live football match, then wants to watch cricket on Sky, AND he has a wife that lets him do all this? Lucky man!"
David in Illinois
Ah yes, but does Mrs Lewis cook her husband as sensational a roast dinner as I enjoyed earlier today? Some would say roast pork and crackling plus Yorkshire pudding is a bit excessive, but it went down well...

2136: 94-2 Another couple of singles at the start of Southee's first over, and the ball ain't doing an awful lot.

"With the new vogue for respecting officials (or not Mr Mascherano) what are the odds on the umpires dishing out red cards every time there is an appeal!"
Martin, Sheffield, TMS inbox
About 1 million to one, Martin. But the reason I include your e-mail is to relay my frustration about the way the Argentine midfielder's name is pronounced on radio.

2130: 92-2 Martin bowls the first over of the morning, and Strauss begins with the most comfortable of singles on a sunny day in Hawkes Bay.

"Watching the text from a seismic vessel in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico... Sidey with his Medusa-like locks will hypnotize the opposition into giving him another big haul in the second innings"
Paddy S on e-mail
Blimey, what ever is a "seismic vessel"? Something that predicts tsunamis or something? I like the "Medusa" mention - happy memories of school Latin lessons, the fun ones where you didnt have to conjugate verbs

"If Matthew Hoggard gets a number of matches at Yorkshire I think he would be a help for England. If you get him and Sidebottom bowling for England you have two bowlers of that sort and as a captain you're confident you're hanging onto the game. Jimmy Anderson can be a bit up and down."
Geoffrey Boycott, on TMS, makes it clear who his ideal new-ball pairing is

2123: Nice little interview with Ottis Gibson on Test Match Special - he's England's bowling coach by the way... The groundstaff have got the wicket ready and we'll be under way very soon. Ottis sounds more optimistic about Matthew Hoggard returning to England duty some time soon than he does about that other prominent discard Steve Harmison.

"Having spent the day in the pub watching the Man U game and then going to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea, I'm not daring to ask my wife if I can watch the cricket on the TV so it's the PC and Mr Brett for the next couple of hours at least."
Simon Lewis, south London in the TMS inbox
Well Simon, I'm not even allowed to have Sky Sports at my home such is my wife's loathing for cricket, and the fact that I am a cricket journalist does not hold much water!

2110: England are in such a strong position this morning, but can they blow it? Well of course they can, though I am quietly optimistic. A reminder that play starts in 20 minutes and I look forward to receiving your e-mails.