Duncan Fletcher was not making any excuses. "They definitely looked flat," he said, echoing Nasser Hussain's comments about England's performance in the second one-dayer. "They were never in the game." Fletcher is always to the point, and this morning that point kept cropping up again and again. "When they're flat, it's a mental aspect," he said. "It's very difficult: if you could get inside these guys' brains, you'd be able to see the reasons for it. This is the part of the game you really worry about."

Fletcher said there had been no indication before the game that the players weren't in the right frame of mind. "There was a bit of energy in there. It wasn't as though they were just sitting in the changing-rooms, waiting to get the game over with. They seemed pretty cheerful." A contrast, then, to the post-mortem: "It was one of the first times we sat in the changing-rooms for about half an hour afterwards just going through a few things, getting guys to put their hands up. A few things were discussed."

Asked whether the players were suddenly confronted with too many off-field distractions after spending most of their time in India cooped up in hotels, Fletcher chuckled and returned to his theme: "If I could get inside their brain, I could tell you. It's all about the mental side of it. It's the most difficult part of getting a side right."

Fletcher admitted there wasn't much time left to finalise the first-choice team before the World Cup. "The decision's got to be made soon after this what the squad's going to be," he said, grim-faced. "We were hoping to have a good idea after this winter tour – that's why we said we wanted the India and New Zealand one-day tours put together."

Certain questions, though, remained unresolved. Fletcher insisted that James Foster had been rested rather than dropped. "He looked pretty lethargic the day before," he said. "He's a very slight individual. We thought it was a good time to give him a rest." Then, the crux of the matter: "Whether he's capable or not, that is what we're trying to find out."

Fletcher was full of praise for New Zealand. "They batted effectively up front, took advantage of the first 15 overs on a relatively good wicket and played some good cricket." He also felt England gave away too many runs. "It was a 200-wicket," he said, before adding, "Maximum 200. The bowlers could be a bit more consistent."

But in the cold light of morning, it wasn't all doom and gloom. "Take a look at South Africa," said Fletcher. "They had two shockers [in the VB Series], and they went on to win it. It wasn't long ago New Zealand were in South Africa and they were thrashed for six games. Here they are now, having turned things around."

If England are going to turn things round, they've got to do it quickly, starting with the third game at Napier on Thursday. If they lose that game, then the first leg of this tour will be as good as over.

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