'Eden Park or bust' is New Zealand's mood

New Zealand know they have to make all the running if they are to square the National Bank Series with England when the third Test starts tomorrow in Auckland.

That is weather providing.

It has been a catchcry of New Zealand's summer that the weather will have a say. It did in the first two Tests and the forecast is not good for Saturday and Sunday in Auckland. That increases the pressure on New Zealand to succeed in a Test match and Test series that it expected to be much better placed in coming into the final game.

New Zealand has not shown its true colours in the series and it faces a big task to take a match-saving tie from this game.

Captain Stephen Fleming said he had been presented with some aggressive options in the team selected for the game, especially in all-rounder Andre Adams, who should make his debut, and both he and Chris Harris who is to bat at No 4, had the ability, along with others in the side to turn a game quickly.

Of Adams, Fleming said: "He's dynamic, he's aggressive and he's in good form. He's been bowling well for Auckland, he's been in a few runs and that's the type of player you want in a situation like this."

Adams had been playing a particular way for Auckland and it was only right that he should be expected to continue to do that. If some other form of play was wanted then a player to play that way should be selected.

"How aggressive that is, is up to Andre on the day, and I trust his ability. If he makes a mistake being too aggressive then that's his nature. There is a fine line between being reckless and aggressive and he's got to work that out more than the team plan.

"We'll be talking to him, explaining his role in the side and then I just trust the player."

Harris on the other hand has been selected not as an all-rounder but as a batsman and that is the reason he has been placed at No 4.

Fleming said Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan had been successful at Nos 5 and 6 and there was no point in changing that.

"It's an opportunity for me to slide up to No 3 and do the work with the new ball.

"I like No 4 but I like the challenge of No 3 and to do the job, I've just got to do it," he said.

More pressure was going on the batsmen to get the runs required to place pressure on England.

Fleming acknowledged that when he said: "I've probably been a little too critical of the bowling in the first two Tests but we had opportunities with the bat to create pressure too, but didn't take them, so all aspects of the game need to be improved.

"Whatever we do first, we've got to start off and do it well so we can get in a position later on in the Test to create some pressure and try to force a result.

"The situation is probably pretty similar to the last one-dayer.

"If we finish the season well, and win this Test, then we can look back on it and say there have been some good moves. If we lose it, I'd be extremely disappointed. This is one series that I really wanted to win. We haven't played well enough to do that but now we've got to salvage the series and that is just as important to me."

Fleming did not like to think that the worth of the season should be measured on this game. That would be unfair, especially after the quality of some of the cricket played in Australia but it was very important to finish the season well.

That is both collectively and individually with the carrot of opportunity in front of players with tours during the remainder of the year.

The onus will be on the side's bowlers to eliminate the no-balling problems that have surrounded their efforts in the first two Tests.

New Zealand even went to the level of having Test umpire Brent Bowden attend practice to check the bowlers in the same way as he would during a match.

In fact, New Zealand has made a policy of inviting all umpires to practices this season so they could work on their decision-making in a live practice situation.

"England are playing very good cricket so we do have to lift out standards in all departments to create some pressure. We understand that and we have understood it all the way through, but we just haven't delivered.

"The pressure is on us, which is good as we often perform our best when we are up against the wall.

"The beauty of it is that it is a one-off scenario. And it's one last shot. That's the way we're looking at it.

"I expect there to be a result which is good for us, we've got to be on the right side of it. In some ways knowing you have to be aggressive and positive can help you. On the flip side I'd much rather be 1-0 up which points to the fact we've got the work to do," he said.