New Zealand mount home defence against England's 'Bazball'

A diminished New Zealand will battle to bring high-flying England back to earth in a two-test series starting in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, having been the first casualties of Brendon McCullum's 'Bazball' last year.

The Black Caps were steamrolled 3-0 as England swept to nine wins in 10 tests with an attacking mindset under new captain Ben Stokes and head coach McCullum, the former New Zealand skipper.

The hosts have since started their own rebuild under Kane Williamson's successor Tim Southee and split their away series with Pakistan last month.

However, they face a stiff challenge to halt the English juggernaut without their best pace lineup.

Neither Kyle Jamieson nor Matt Henry will be steaming in during the pink ball series-opener at Bay Oval, the former quick ruled out of the series with a back problem and the latter on leave for the birth of his first child.

Former pace spearhead Trent Boult has been overlooked as a replacement because he opted out of his national contract last year.

With seam bowling all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme also lost to the lucrative global T20 circuit, selectors are left with only rookie quicks to lend support to fast bowling captain Southee and Neil Wagner.

Blair Tickner, and one of either Jacob Duffy or Scott Kuggeleijn, are expected to debut on Thursday.

It bodes poorly for a team whose descent from winning the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021 has been rapid and jarring.

While New Zealand have not lost a test series at home to England since 2008, Stokes's men have little respect for the record books.

Their last history-making effort came in Pakistan where they became the first team to complete a 3-0 whitewash of the South Asians.

If New Zealand have a sliver of hope it may lie in