Chris Harris might be New Zealand's leading One-Day International wicket taker but his desire to be a serious bowling option for the Test side has seen him develop a new bowling style.

The 31-year-old has been working during the winter on a new action which sees him bowling with his left foot on the ground, instead of his familiar left-foot-in-the-air style that he has used throughout his career.

The new style results in him bowling quicker and produces more spin. Harris started out as a medium-slow inswing bowler who then developed a leg roller option.

While those two options were effective in one-day play, it is the Test arena which still beckons for him.

"I have been seriously working on it. After last season I enquired of the selectors where they saw me and I was told to be considered for the Test team I needed to be a wicket-taking option," he told CricInfo today.

Harris is eyeing a role for himself similar to what Colin Miller fills for Australia.

"I wouldn't have changed otherwise," he said when confirming his desire to become more of a Test regular.

Harris has played 19 Tests for New Zealand but his 15 wickets have been at a cost of 66.93 compared to his 164 ODI wickets at 35.95.

Making the change hasn't proved easy.

"After 25 years of bowling in one way it is pretty hard to change. It has been pretty tough but I am getting their slowly," he said.

He will not be trying his new style in one-day cricket in Sri Lanka next month and it is more likely to be the New Zealand domestic season before it is unveiled.

"It could be that in the future I could bowl both styles during one-dayers but that would depend on conditions," he said.

Harris was happy with how his one-day summer finished up last season, and especially after the treatment he received during the home series when Andy Flower unleashed his reverse sweeping on Harris.

"That's not happened to me before. But I was happy with the way I came back against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. I just went through a little phase when things didn't go too well against Zimbabwe," he said.

NZC's director of player development Ashley Ross, who has been working with Harris said that Harris' delivery style meant he wasn't getting as much power into his bowling as he could.

"His lower body power was not being transferred to the trunk and the bowling arm. He always released the ball with his left foot in the air and he was getting his power from a very small portion of his body.

"His new style will be more efficient and while it is hard to quantify, he has probably picked up 20km in speed, and bowls more at Nathan Astle's speed.

"By bowling medium pace leg rollers he is also working at utilising the extra power on the side of the ball to bowl a genuine leg spinner.

"Once he has it worked out he will have more variety in his bowling.

"Chris is a very talented guy and he will have to see how it happens in the heat of battle," Ross said.

Shayne O'Connor had a similar problem, but not to the same degree, and like Harris, once his left foot was in the correct place he had a lift in the speed he could bowl.

Harris also has another change coming in his life. He and wife Linda are expecting their first child in two months.

© CricInfo