New Zealand's greentops usually make England feel at home, but today was still a shock to the system. Five days after silencing a fanatical crowd of over 40,000 in sweltering Mumbai, England were confronted with 3000-odd semi-enthusiastic burghers of Hamilton on a mild, drizzly afternoon. The Maori call their country Aotearoa, which means land of the long white cloud; thick and grey somehow felt more appropriate. If Sunday had been an orgy of noise and colour, today was a convivial garden party. Spectators picnicked on the grassy verges, kids played tip-and-run in front of big, blue bins, and a quintet of locals dressed as convicts barracked gently from the boundary edge. Hamilton is New Zealand's fourth-biggest town, but until the lights came on at 5pm, it all felt like some old-fashioned up-country match where the occasion matters more than the result.

But this is the 21st century and results do matter, apparently. Marcus Trescothick did what Trescothick does, spanking a quick 35 and leaving you gasping for more. Nick Knight made the most of the generous boundaries to belt four sixes in a dashing run-a-ball 126. And Owais Shah, the forgotten man of the Indian tour, took out his frustrations by hoicking the Balkan-sounding seamer Joey Yovich straight onto the head of a cowering spectator at square-leg.

The real violence, though, was still to come. Simon Doull has batted at No. 11 for New Zealand's Test team, but he's been pinch-hitting in pyjamas for the ND Vikings all season - without much success. Until now. In the third over of the innings he laid into his ex-compatriot Andy Caddick: successive deliveries disappeared for six (over midwicket), four (over mid-on), and six (pulled behind square). Trescothick, standing in both as keeper and captain, jogged up dutifully from behind the stumps to have a quiet word with Caddick.

The convicts were dancing now, and Doull's feet were moving too as he took 16 off a Matthew Hoggard over. His half-century took just 30 balls. A gaggle of girls in red horns waved their tridents and Doull celebrated by pulling Hoggard devilishly for four, then straight-driving him with whiplash timing. By the time he lifted Paul Collingwood to deep midwicket, he had thrashed 80 in 47 balls.

Warm-up games are supposed to be strolls in the park for international teams. But England were getting stuck in the mud.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com. His reports will appear here throughout England's tour of New Zealand.

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