Expect a better performance from New Zealand's batsmen in the second National Bank Test with England after the lift they got from Nathan Astle's display on the last day in Christchurch.

That's Craig McMillan's feeling going into the Wellington match at the Basin Reserve, a ground that has been good for him in the past.

"The knock that Nathan played was great.

"It gave other guys a lift, some confidence after two or three pretty tough days where we had been behind the eight ball for most of the game after that first over that Cairnsy (Chris Cairns) bowled.

"You could just see perhaps a little momentum that hopefully we can show on Thursday," he said.

The onus was on the more experienced players to lead the way, especially now that the firepower of Cairns had been lost.

The senior batsmen in the side had failed to score enough runs in the first innings and had not achieved any of the game's disciplines well enough, or for long enough, he said.

"It's a big game and it is going to take a big effort from everyone.

"I love playing here, I've had some really good innings here and Hamilton are my two favourite grounds in terms of runs scored, I've had two of my Test hundreds here.

"It's a cricket ground, I enjoy the atmosphere, the people come in to watch us, it's a good place to play cricket," he said.

In contrast to his home ground at Jade Stadium, he expected more people to turn out to watch the match.

"The crowd was hugely disappointing in Christchurch. I was also disappointed with the one-day crowd. It is a rugby town.

"But it disappoints me they don't come out to watch especially when there are four or five Canterbury players in the side.

"And after the success we've had all summer you wouldn't think there would be many more reasons to come out and watch us."

"In the end we didn't play well so people may say that justified not coming to watch but in saying that they missed what from the first over to the last over was an enthralling Test match.

"I'm sure those who did go along thoroughly enjoyed it.

"I was disappointed as were most of the other guys."

Of the bowlers they had been up against there was respect for Matthew Hoggard who had shown he could be dangerous when the ball was swinging.

"We played him better when it wasn't swinging around and if it doesn't continue to swing we will continue to play him well.

"Take nothing away from him, he bowled well and to get seven wickets is a great achievement.

"Hopefully if it does swing then the guys have made the necessary adjustments. You need to be a little more patient and a little more selective because all he really did was bowl in that channel.

"He didn't give us a lot to hit but because of the pressure they built by bowling dot balls, he didn't go searching then we went searching and that was the difference.

"When we bowled, we went searching and they didn't have to go looking because we were serving it up to them and that is probably shown in the number of boundaries hit, especially in that partnership between (Andrew) Flintoff and (Graham) Thorpe.

"We've got two days to turn it around."

It came back to basics and if you didn't do them well then any side could knock you over

"It starts in the nets here and that is what the guys have been trying to focus on.

"If they can't do in the nets then they are not going to do it out in the middle," he said.

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