Another piece in the jigsaw fell into place for England yesterday. They were always destined to beat New Zealand if they played to their potential and they should complete a worthy comeback on the final day after the timely shock administered to them in the first Test in Hamilton.

It was important, however, that in the process a callow team should develop and Stuart Broad’s impressive performance on a day made poignant by Stephen Fleming’s attractive final Test innings confirmed that progress has been made.

Monty Panesar had his most profitable spell of a disappointing winter, delivering the first three wickets on a flat pitch, but it was the all-round performance of Broad, especially during a sustained spell of 11 overs either side of tea on the fourth day, that nurtured the hope that England can build an attack to give Australia a serious contest again next year.

True pitches call for accurate bowlers with young legs. Broad, the youngest of the three fast men, was just the man, bowling with fire as well as the control that so many recent England fast bowlers have lacked. He gave the necessary support to Panesar as the sheer weight of their task gradually crushed New Zealand.

The home side had started well on the long road towards what they hoped might be the fifth draw in six Tests on this ground, but the emotional moment when Panesar ended Fleming’s typically elegant innings with a catch at the wicket ended any lingering speculation that New Zealand might become the first team in history to score more than 500 to win a Test.

Memories of Nathan Astle’s astonishing double century on the “drop-in” pitch in Christchurch during England’s previous series here six years ago prompted some optimism in the home camp. Scores in the first three innings of this match were uncannily similar to those at Lancaster Park, where Astle and the injured Chris Cairns put on 118 for the last wicket and New Zealand finished only 99 short of their target of 550.

Yesterday the distant goal for victory was 553 after England had bustled to a declaration in the first ten overs of the day. Andrew Strauss holed out at mid-off for 177, by one run the highest of his 25 first-class hundreds, and Tim Ambrose succumbed to a leading edge, but Broad’s straight bat and long levers again supplied useful runs. They culminated in a six, driven over long-on off Jeetan Patel.

A more dominating team than England would have made faster progress after tea on the third day to give themselves 20 minutes’ bowling against a tired team, but a minimum of 168 overs gave them ample time to win the match and the series. If they were to do it quickly, however, they needed wickets with the first new ball. They could not get them. There was no swing for Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson and no seam movement.

New Zealand, moreover, buckled down well. Matthew Bell, whose hope of a place on the tour to England hangs in the balance, struck four fours in succession off short balls outside off stump from Anderson. He loves the square cut, although a fallibility close to his off stump suggests that he might struggle if he finds any juicy pitches in the English spring.

Bell helped Fleming to add 99 for the second wicket after Jamie How had been given out leg-before playing half-forward to Panesar in the second over of the afternoon session. Only three balls after tea, however, he tried to pull a Panesar long hop and top-edged to square leg.

Fleming’s innings was so characteristic that it needed only to be recorded ball by ball for him to have a precise microcosm of his career in a single DVD. Nonchalant of bearing, cool as a snowflake, elegantly upright whether hitting with a straight bat off back foot or front, he stroked nine fours, either side of cover or through the gap between mid-wicket and mid-on. Eight of them came in his fifty from 69 balls. Four runs later, he was assured of a final average in Test cricket the right side of 40.

Anything less would have been unworthy, but a tenth Test hundred would have made his walk back to a standing ovation much sweeter after a misjudgment of length and a low edge into Ambrose’s safe hands.

Fleming, the most astute New Zealand captain since Jeremy Coney in the 1980s, departed the scene almost bashfully, a reluctant celebrity. In 111 Tests, he reached fifty on 55 occasions, only nine times going on to three figures. Yet three of those were double centuries. It is the fate of most batsmen who make their art look easy to give the impression that they might have achieved more with a grittier mien, but an assiduous professional was hidden behind Fleming’s dignified public persona.

His switch to the Indian Premier League leaves New Zealand dangerously short of batting resources. His fall yesterday, soon followed by Broad’s removal of Mathew Sinclair and Grant Elliott with nasty lifters that would not have been disowned by Curtly Ambrose, brought out the best in Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum. But the new ball will only be in its third over when the final day begins.

England 2nd innings

AN Cook c McCullum b Patel 37

MP Vaughan c McCullum b Martin4

AJ Strauss c Bell b Patel 177

KP Pietersen c Taylor b Vettori 34

IR Bell c Sinclair b Vettori 110

PD Collingwood c & b Vettori 22

TR Ambrose c & b Vettori 31

SCJ Broad not out 31

RJ Sidebottom not out 12

Extras (lb 3, w 1, nb 4) 8

Total (7 wickets declared; 131.5 overs) 467

Did not bat: MS Panesar, JM Anderson.

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-77, 3-140, 4-327, 5-361, 6-424, 7-425.

Bowling: CS Martin 18-2-60-1; TG Southee24-5-84-0; GD Elliott 14-1-58-0; JS Patel 30.5-4-104-2; DL Vettori 45-6-158-4.

New Zealand 2nd innings (target: 553)

JM How lbw b Panesar 11

MD Bell c Broad b Panesar 69

SP Fleming c Ambrose b Panesar 66

MS Sinclair c Ambrose b Broad 6

LRPL Taylor not out 34

GD Elliott c Bell b Broad 4

BB McCullum not out 24

Extras 8 (lb 4, w 3, nb 1)

Total (5 wickets; 82 overs) 222

To bat: DL Vettori, TG Southee, JS Patel, CS Martin.

Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-147, 3-156, 4-160, 5-172.

Bowling: Sidebottom 14-3-41-0; Anderson 10-2-54-0; Broad 23-9-40-2; Panesar 31-14-49-3; Collingwood 2-0-20-0; Pietersen 2-0-14-0.

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