WELLINGTON, March 10: England head into the second Test against New Zealand here on Thursday facing more than just a 1-0 series deficit.

Michael Vaughan’s team have not won in seven Test matches and the captain admitted they may be suffering in confidence.

“There is a little bit of a lack of confidence in that dressing room, and the performance shows (that),” Vaughan told reporters after the 189-run loss in Hamilton on Sunday.

“A lot of talking had been done and some talking will be done between now and Thursday.

“But it’s all down to the inner strength of the individual to come out and perform on Thursday.”

Apart from rebuilding his side’s confidence, another concern for Vaughan will be the form of strike bowler Steve Harmison, who was ineffective, admittedly on a flat pitch, at Hamilton.

Harmison has been struggling to recover the form he produced in the West Indies in 2004, and bowled 27 overs in both innings at Seddon Park, taking just one wicket and conceded 121 runs.

He bowled just four overs in the second innings and was given the ball by Vaughan after all-rounder Paul Collingwood.

“It is a worry because I want to see Steve back to what we all know...getting the ball going away from the right hander, and getting the ball in decent areas,” said Vaughan.

“He’ll be the first to admit he hasn’t done that in this game (and) the sooner we can get Steve to do that, the better.”

His speed, normally pushing 145kph (90mph), dropped to around 130kph at Seddon Park, which was noticed by the New Zealanders.

“He has been operating down on the pace he has bowled at, but he’d be a hell of a bowler to face if he’s bowling 145-150 kph,” said New Zealand’s Ross Taylor, who scored his maiden Test century in the first innings.

New Zealand, whose pace attack was underrated prior to the test due to Shane Bond’s signing with the rebel Indian Cricket League, can take heart from their pace bowlers’ performance.

Of considerable interest would be the bowling in England’s second innings when Kyle Mills and Chris Martin reaped the rewards for creating pressure on a pitch that was expected to favour the spin of Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel.

Mills ripped the heart out of England’s potential run chase by taking four for nine off seven overs to reduce the visitors to 36 for four at lunch on Sunday chasing 300 to win the match.

Martin then took two wickets in one over after lunch to end any hopes England had of batting out a draw, and finished with three for 33.

“We bowled pretty well to them,” Mills told reporters.

“They respected our good balls and didn’t make a play at them. They have got world class players, fantastic batsmen and that’s testament to how well we bowled at them.”—Reuters