WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP):

England took 90 minutes today (yesterday evening Caribbean time) to complete a 126-run win over New Zealand in the second cricket Test and tie the three-match series 1-1.

New Zealand resumed its second innings at 242 for six, needing a further 196 runs to reach an imposing winning target of 438 and were all out 25 minutes before lunch for 311. Brendon McCullum was the last man out for the innings' top score of 85.

Ryan Sidebottom, who took a hat-trick among 10 wickets in the first Test at Hamilton - won by New Zealand by 189 runs - finished with five for 105 as the leading member of a dominant England bowling attack. Stuart Broad took two for 62 and James Anderson two for 57.

The England win means the series will now be decided in the last Test at Napier starting on Saturday.

New Zealand went to stumps at 242 for six yesterday, having lost Jacob Oram in the last over of the fourth day. They held out for only 19 more overs on the last day before England sealed its win.

"The defining moment was Tim Ambrose's maiden hundred in the third session on day one," England captain Michael Vaughan said. "That 150-odd partnership with Paul Collingwood was the defining partnership of the match, on a wicket which batsmen never felt entirely in on."

"Scoring 350 batting first on that kind of wicket was a great effort, then bowling New Zealand out for 198 put us in the box seat from then on."

Vaughan said England played strongly except in the field, where there were several dropped catches.

"We bowled exceptionally well, batted well, we didn't catch well," he said. "We didn't get it all together but hopefully in Napier we can give an even better performance."

New Zealand had England in a tenuous position at 136 for five between lunch and tea on the first day but never recovered from Ambrose's superb assault on their bowling in the last session Thursday.

"I think if we reflect on the match, the teams were pretty evenly matched apart from Ambrose's hundred," New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said. "That really took the game away from us. We bowled pretty poorly to him (Ambrose), bowled to his strengths and he punished us for it. Having said that, England still performed very well. They had to perform on the same pitch we did and they did it much better than us."