ENGLAND set New Zealand a daunting target of 553 to win after adding 51 quick runs in the first 35 minutes of play in the deciding Test.

Resuming the fourth day at McLean Park already 501 runs ahead on 416 for five, the tourists declared on 467 for seven after Andrew Strauss failed in his bid to score a double century.

Middlesex left-hander Strauss had resumed overnight on 173 and England had hoped to give him enough time to reach 200 but instead he fell to the 11th ball of the morning.

Strauss had added just four runs before attempting to hit offspinner Jeetan Patel over the top and allowed Matthew Bell the opportunity to run back from midoff to take the catch.

Wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose, who had resumed overnight on 28, added just three runs before falling in the next over when he attempted to turn Daniel Vettori off his legs and gave a return catch to the bowler.

But Stuart Broad took on the challenge of scoring quick runs and added a quickfire 31 off only 26 balls, which included a six off the final ball of the innings from Patel, before captain Michael Vaughan called a halt to the innings.

It gave England a minimum of 168 overs to bowl out New Zealand and claim a series triumph, their first in three, and their first back-to-back overseas Test triumphs in three years.

Strauss had responded to the pressure of playing for his Test future the previous day by delivering the biggest hundred of his international career and guiding England into a commanding lead in the deciding Test.

Recalled for this tour after missing the pre-Christmas trip to Sri Lanka, the Middlesex lefthander knew he was playing for his place in his final innings of the series against New Zealand, having scored only 97 runs in his previous five outings.

Strauss's previous highest Test score was the 147 he scored against South Africa in Johannesburg three years ago, and this was his first century for 31 innings since scoring 116 against Pakistan at Headingley in 2006.

That innings meant a lot to me,'' revealed Strauss, who hit 25 boundaries.

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.

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 days you enjoy.'' Also reaching three figures on day three was Ian Bell.

While Strauss battled through to his 11th Test ton, Bell looked assured from the start and reached his half-century off only 84 balls, nearly overtaking his partner in the race to three figures.

Strauss just beat him to the milestone with an extra-cover drive off Chris Martin just one over after New Zealand had taken the new ball.

Andrew has worked as hard as anyone to get there and for all the hard times he has been through, it's great to have him back in the side and hopefully we can move forward and develop these hundreds as we have in the past,'' said Bell.

The team have definitely rallied round him. A good thing about this team is that everyone is in it together. We've turned up here at one-all and we want to win it for each other.

It's nice to prove some of the critics wrong. Certainly for the whole squad things hadn't been going so well, despite all the work we'd put in.

It's why Straussy and everyone who got to 50 or 100 pointed their bat to the dressing room because we know how much hard work has been put in by everyone to get here.

It was also great to repay the faith in us as a batting unit by the selectors. Things have been talked about, but every time I look at our side I see a top six that all average over 40 and on paper that looks quite intimidating to an opposition.

It's nice that they've stuck with us and shown the faith in us that the players have earned over the years, but it was a big relief for us all at the same time.'' Bell, who at 25 probably had more time to prove his case than Strauss, recorded his last century 13 Tests ago when he hit an unbeaten 109 against West Indies at Lord's last May.

He played with far more composure and hit 17 fours and two sixes in three hours at the crease.