ENGLAND will remain under orders to take New Zealand on shot for shot, because Paul Farbrace is convinced that is the perfect test for his team.
Caretaker coach Farbrace will hand control to Trevor Bayliss for this summer's Ashes, after the ongoing Royal London Series. He is hoping to do so after a notable success against the World Cup finalists, who have levelled the series at 1-1 - with the first of three more matches at the Ageas Bowl today.
England were beaten but unbowed at the Oval on Friday when they came so close to pulling off a spectacular run chase - far in excess of anything they have achieved before, in pursuit of 398 for five. Rain interrupted home progress, and brought a Duckworth-Lewis recalculation which proved 13 runs beyond them and left captain Eoin Morgan expressing qualms about the long-trusted system.
Farbrace is more inclined to set aside those issues, however, and look ahead to watching England continue on the front foot - as they were with a record winning total of 408 for nine at Edgbaston, and then again in London.
"It's almost the perfect series for us, playing against a team that play the way they do - because we're learning all the time," he said. "The opposition plays in such a way that we have no choice but to try to ... it is almost the perfect opposition."
Brendon McCullum's Kiwis are hardly likely to take a backward step, having proved they are at their best when they attack.
Farbrace added: "They're a fantastic side ... [who] set great standards. It makes it a little bit easier for us to try to match them, go past them, because they're setting standards we want to achieve. We want to be one of the best teams in the world ... that has to be your aim when you play international sport."
Even in defeat, Farbrace dwelt not on what had gone awry but what he believes England are doing right.
"I'm as pleased as I was after the game at Edgbaston," he said. "Obviously I want to win ... that's what you play the game for. But I'm really, really pleased with how the guys went about it."
England are set for an enforced change, with seamer Chris Jordan expected out with injury - and they have already called up Somerset's Craig Overton as cover.
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