By Matthew Henry

ENGLAND captain Joe Root was dismissed on the final ball of day four as New Zealand took a big step towards victory in the first Test at Auckland.

Root gloved a bouncer from Trent Boult through to wicketkeeper BJ Watling, leaving England on 132-3 at the close.

They trail New Zealand by 237 runs after the hosts declared their first innings on 427-8 with Henry Nicholls finishing on 145 not out.

England must bat out the final day for a draw.

New Zealand need seven wickets to inflict England’s 10th defeat in their past 12 Test matches overseas.

Root’s wicket fell on the fifth ball of the final over with no time for a new batsman to take to the field.

It also came one ball after he took a nasty hit to the glove from another bouncer by Boult and had to receive lengthy treatment.

Root had looked uneasy at times during his innings – he got off the mark with a top-edged pull for four – but settled the England innings by growing into his knock which brought up a 38th Test half-century.

But once again Root fell between 50 and 100, a problem which has plagued him in recent times, having not converted any of his past eight half-centuries into a hundred.

The wicket-taking delivery from Boult bounced more than Root expected and, in attempting to fend the ball into the leg side, he gloved it through to the wicketkeeper.

“That was really good bowling from Trent Boult,” former England spinner Graeme Swann said on BBC Test Match Special.(BBC Sport)