England need steely resolve in Auckland Test

Though he won't allow himself to dwell on it, Nasser Hussain should be particularly proud of his England team after their performance in Wellington. The significance - or lack thereof - of the cricket was brought starkly into focus with the tragic loss of Ben Hollioake, yet England showed admirable professionalism amidst their obvious grief.

Ghastly though it was for them, the team should take positives from Wellington. As was the case in Christchurch, individual efforts were backed up by a strong team spirit. Hussain, along with Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and the rapidly-improving Andrew Flintoff set up the chance for victory. With the ball, Andrew Caddick and Ashley Giles bowled in the right channels, and secured rewards in a poor New Zealand first innings effort.

Hussain looked good for successive centuries, only to fall to one of many questionable umpiring decisions, with only served to highlight the good sense of the ICC's elite panel.

Trescothick and Butcher batted positively in both innings, and the foresight to promote Flintoff - whose blistering knock was a clinical demolition of below-par bowling - surely confines England's 'boring' tag to the past. Many captains would have been content to bat for half of day five, and whilst Hussain's declaration did not give New Zealand a realistic chance, the manner in which it was reached showed a desire to win a Test from an improbable position.

England still have a long way to go. They remain a quantum leap away from Australia, but are - as has been the case for two years - a decent side.

Auckland will be a difficult task. Nobody can suggest England will be in the right mind-set for international cricket. But they know they will have to treat the game with dedication and professionalism.

The team for the third Test appears to pick itself, although inevitable questions about James Foster will continue as long as he continues to spill simple chances. Foster is likely to keep his place, and should do. After his nightmare debut, his batting has improved massively. The flair with which he plays his attacking shots indicated class and potential superior to Warren Hegg's. Hegg is the better keeper, but Foster will only improve if given the chance to do so.

England may consider replacing Mark Ramprakash with Craig White. Ramprakash has struggled on tour, although in a Test which England only need to draw, he looks a more solid prospect at six than White or Flintoff.

Michael Vaughan also needs a score, though his starts in the first innings at Christchurch and the second in Wellington underlined his potential.

There is virtually no competition for bowling places and, barring injury, the attack will be unchanged. The development of Steve Harmison and Steve Kirby (both bowlers with genuine pace) has been encouraging, and they should be pushing for places in the English summer.

Despite their inexperience, England have performed admirably so far in the series. There is no indication that a weakened Kiwi side will pose more of a threat in Auckland.

Hopefully, cricket will edge back towards normality at Eden Park. Certainly no one who was at the Basin on Saturday as a numbing silence fell on the ground would want to repeat the experience.