Wellington's weather, wet and windy, will have both the New Zealand and England camps pondering their options before play starts in the second National Bank Series Test at the Basin Reserve.

Just when the Test will start is another matter of conjecture.

Both teams were forced inside to complete their preparations before the scheduled start time of 10.30am tomorrow but rain is forecast for tomorrow, and even heavier rain in the long range forecast for Friday.

The Basin pitch, which is a shadow of its former self, a tired, and prospectively slow and turning deck, is the only natural wicket in the series. It has provided several outright results in the local domestic competition, the State Championship.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said the knowledge of how the pitch plays would be the closest thing to home advantage in the series and while a wind would blow it was just as difficult for New Zealand to cope with as it was for opposing teams, the only benefit for New Zealand being its bowlers knew what to expect.

"We've played on this wicket whereas at Jade Stadium we hadn't played on that one.

"But we know how this one, pretty much, will perform on the way the results have gone this summer and most players have played here this summer. It's pretty much as home as it gets. This is our home of cricket," he said.

Just what the into-the-wind options would be were not definitely revealed by Fleming but he did say: "It depends which way the wind blows. It has suited Dan [Vettori] here, the amount of drift he can get in the last few Test matches but Nathan [Astle] also can do a job, but Chris Drum with the new ball will probably have that role."

Meanwhile, the match represents, much more than the first Test, a return to the bad old days of injury concerns with Chris Cairns out, Vettori under pressure with his back and now Fleming himself suffering after dislocating a finger at fielding training yesterday.

The absence of Cairns has not made preparing for the match harder, and Fleming said if anything it had steeled the side up.

"I've got a group of players that I believe can win the Test match and I believe, and openly said it in the first Test, that might not be the way to go, apparently, I still believe nothing's changed and we'll be playing the same type of cricket looking to win the Test match and the series.

"Chris Cairns is a world-class player and we will miss him but often that puts responsibility on other people's shoulders and they step up and that's what I'm asking them to do.

"Not having the first choice attack is a big disappointment because when they're on song it is a very good Test attack.

"We've been in this situation before and the players that have come into the side have performed for me in Test cricket in the past, last season against Pakistan, and I have confidence they will do it again.

"They're not probably as dynamic as some of the players we've lost but they bring strengths and qualities as well and that's what I'll tap into and that's what they'll tap into," he said.

New Zealand had absorbed the lessons from the first Test defeat.

"There has been a look at the way we played the game.

The side had fumbled through the first three and a half days and were disappointed in one of their areas of pride, their fielding. So they have been working on sharpening that area.

"If we had taken our chances, [Nasser] Hussain in the first innings and [Graham] Thorpe in the second then the Test could quite easily have been a different scenario.

"I've always found Jade Stadium a hard place to catch.

"I've dropped two catches there that 90% of the time I would expect myself to catch and Nate [Astle] said the same.

"It was one of those games that was tense also and you knew every ball had a significant outcome and I guess sometimes that frame of mind can get a little bit nervous and a little bit tighter in the hands.

"Twelve months ago we had the same scenario and we've introduced some players who have Test experience and we can call on them now with them having the knowledge of what they need to do.

"There are some qualities these players bring into the side that may be very important on this type of wicket," he said.

Fleming also commented on the heart surgery Lou Vincent had before the first Test.

"That was a bit of a shock, Louie has had a bit of a racing heart for a while and he's pretty active as it is. The ins and outs of the surgery were that it went well and his heart beat is back to normal.

"It did seem rather dramatic when I heard Lou was going to be delayed coming to Christchurch because he was having heart surgery.

"I knew the games were close but not like that. He seems fine, it went well," he said.

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