ANDREW STRAUSS admitted he was relieved after ending his long wait for a Test century as England progressed into a commanding lead in the series decider against New Zealand in Napier.
The Middlesex left-hander was under considerable pressure going into his final innings of the tour having scored only 97 runs in the previous two matches. But he responded to the pressure by hitting an unbeaten 173, his first Test century in 31 innin
gs and his highest Test score, to help the tourists establish a 501-run lead by reaching 416 for five by the close of the third day at McLean Park.
Strauss shared a 187-run stand with Ian Bell, who claimed his first Test century in 23 innings before falling for 110, as England dominated the third day and lost only three wickets in ideal batting conditions on a flat pitch.
"That innings meant a lot to me," revealed Strauss, who hit 25 boundaries and has so far spent nearly eight hours at the crease.
"It's been a pretty long time since I last got a Test hundred so there was a lot of emotion in it, a fair amount of relief but more than anything a lot of joy to be contributing. Having got nought in the first innings, you feel like you need to contribute to the side and there was a lot of relief to see that ball go away through the covers. It was one of those happy days."
His innings overhauled his previous best score of 147 against South Africa in Johannesburg three years ago and was particularly timely having only just been recalled after missing out on the pre-Christmas tour to Sri Lanka.
"Once I got left out of the side for the Sri Lanka tour, I made quite a conscious decision not to think too much about what's happening in the next Test match," he said.
"I think that was one of my problems prior to Sri Lanka because I was thinking a little too much about what would happen if this or that happens. I know I'm a good enough player to score Test hundreds and it's just a question of getting the opportunities and taking them when they arise."
Strauss finished the day within reach of a double hundred, but admitted he did not think England would bat on for very long before declaring and attempting to force the victory which would seal their first overseas Test triumph in three years. "We'll have to have a chat in the morning about how we go about things," he added. "I wouldn't have thought we'll bat for a huge amount of time."
The full article contains 452 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
