Skippers beware, Jade Stadium's portable pitch may be a throwback to the Lancaster Park pitches of old which fooled many a Test captain, several of them New Zealanders, into making a wrong choice after winning the toss.

That's the conundrum ahead for whoever wins the toss on the first morning of the second New Zealand-Pakistan National Bank Series Test tomorrow in Christchurch.

Like this pitch, the strips of the past were presented as grassy looking offering a hint of sideways movement, but in actual fact proving straight, fast and true, with good carry, to be good batting strips.

Groundsman Chris Lewis said all the characteristics were there that the same would apply on this occasion.

Both teams are looking at taking three seam bowlers into the game with one spinner.

That means Canterbury's Chris Martin could miss out on playing his first Test on his home ground while Jacob Oram is selected as a third seamer, capable of reverse swinging the ball and strengthening the batting, to follow Daryl Tuffey and Chris Drum with the new ball.

Whatever the final New Zealand choice, it is clear the home team has a huge amount of catch up work to do.

"We will have to fight a little harder than in the last Test. There will be a little bit of tension when we first come out, especially if we are batting first," he said.

Players just needed to have positive thoughts out in the middle although it is a tough attack the side is facing.

"They have to rely on the positive experiences they had against Pakistan, even though it was in one-day stuff. Nathan Astle got a century, and so did Craig McMillan.

"We can't be bowled to, or dictated to, and while there is an element of risk to that, we have to be very selective in our shots," he said.

There wasn't a great deal of history about the pitch for the match but it would probably have a little more pace.

Fleming didn't think it would be hard for New Zealand to come back from the hiding of the first Test.

"It will be easier because we haven't had longer to ponder on it and create more self-doubt," he said.

He was also satisfied that New Zealand had done all it could in the time between the Tests to try and work on ways to contain Pakistan. The batsmen had to choose their own method of handling the reverse swing, whether it was standing out of the crease or using a shorter back lift.

While a good deal of computer analysis had been done on off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq by the side.

The game would be a test of the New Zealanders, but that was what it was all about, a test, and he was looking forward to taking on the tourists with what he feels is the best side available under the circumstances.

But if they need any motivation at all, the players needed to be aware that the collapse on Monday in Auckland provided New Zealand with another unwanted Test statistic, the loss of nine wickets for 26, and eight wickets for 10 runs, were the respective worst collapses of any team which already had 100 runs on the board.

© CricInfo