New Zealand coach Rob Walter says his side must improve despite defeating England by 253 runs in the second Test at The Oval.
The Black Caps can seal a series win when the third Test begins at Trent Bridge on Thursday, which would be only their fourth in England after victories in 1986, 1999 and 2021.
But Walter said the team was not as clinical as it could have been in the previous Test and warned against looking ahead to a series triumph. "The idea of keeping to the process is quite cliched, but rings true," he said. "We do know that for us, if we think too far ahead, then we tend to not play as well as we can."
The visitors face selection decisions with Kyle Jamieson rested as part of workload management following his recovery from a back injury. Fast bowler Blair Tickner is in contention to replace him, while spinner Mitchell Santner is also an option as the heatwave in England could produce a dry Trent Bridge surface that might suit spin bowling.
Matt Henry has taken 12 wickets in the series, form that has lifted him to number one in the Test bowling rankings. England have named spinner Shoaib Bashir in their side, but New Zealand will not confirm their final selection until the toss.
"We'll be trying to do it all over again and that is the true nature of test cricket, to find the strength and endurance to go again and hopefully for our sake do it better," Walter said.