New Zealand win toss and send England into bat

Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum said he expected the wicket to offer early bounce and he wanted his seam attack to pressure England's batting-line up from the outset.

"With our strength lying in our bowling we want to give those guys the greatest opportunity to use any sort of assistance they can get," he said.

"We feel that with conditions a little overcast as well, day one provides the best opportunity for that."

Both sides are unchanged from the rain-affected first Test in Dunedin, which ended in a draw.

England captain Alastair Cook said star batsman Kevin Pietersen, who failed to fire in Dunedin, had recovered from a slight knee twinge and was looking for a big score.

Despite the first Test draw, the tourists remain firm favourites for the three-Test series.

New Zealand, ranked eighth in Test cricket, have not won a series against England since 1999, with their sole series victory on home soil back in 1984.

Teams:

New Zealand: Peter Fulton, Hamish Rutherford, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Dean Brownlie, Brendon McCullum (captain), BJ Watling, Tim Southee, Bruce Martin, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Steve Finn, James Anderson, Monty Panesar.

Umpires: Asad Rauf (PAK), Rod Tucker (AUS)

TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS)

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)