Kiwis admit batting will be the key

New Zealand know they need to sort out the team's top order if they are to match their 1999 predecessors by winning a series in England.

In the three home Tests against England a couple of months ago they failed to post a half-century opening stand and vice-captain Brendon McCullum admits: "If it wasn't for our inability to score runs at the top of the order in the last two Tests then I'm sure we'd have run them a lot closer. Our bowling is pretty sound, but the times where they have struggled is when we haven't given them enough rest with the bat."

Their failure to do that resulted in the selectors dropping Matthew Bell and Mathew Sinclair from their tour party and calling up Otago opener Aaron Redmond.

He justified his selection with 210 runs in two innings against England Lions at the Rose Bowl last week and McCullum has high hopes for him on his Test debut.

"He's been fantastic, he's been brilliant," said McCullum. "To score 150, back it up with 12 overs with the ball and then score 60-odd in the last innings is great."