The swinging conditions and seaming pitch at the Leeds venue might also lead to team changes, with England spinner Ashley Giles in particular not assured of his place.

New Zealand have injury concerns over batsman Craig McMillan and all-rounder Jacob Oram, who played well with bat and ball in the first Test defeat at Lord's.

Oram looks set to play as a specialist batsman in the second of the three-match series, as a side strain incurred in a tour match with Leicestershire on Monday will prevent him bowling. Kyle Mills is primed for his debut.

McMillan has broken the same finger he fractured earlier in the tour. A decision on his fitness will be taken on Wednesday.

Opener Michael Papps could replace him, leaving captain Stephen Fleming to revert to number three.

Fast bowler Shane Bond, who missed the Lord's Test, is still ruled out as he recovers from a stress fracture of the back.

England won the first Test by seven wickets but the victory was far from easy after New Zealand set the home side 282 to win. It was only the third time a team chasing above 200 had won a Test at Lord's.

Debutant Andrew Strauss played a major part in England's free run scoring at Lord's, calmly stroking a first-innings century and then adding 83 before being cruelly run out by colleague Hussain.

Strauss made such an impression that he has kept his place opening the batting at the expense of Vaughan. The England captain, whose wife is due to give berth to their first child during the Test match, missed his side's win due to a knee injury and has decided to move to four rather than disrupt Strauss.

Vaughan's batting average as captain is 33.91, while his overall Test average is 45.44. He said the idea of dropping down the order was mooted even before Strauss' arrival.eping the same fast bowling line-up.

New Zealand will look to their bowlers, including Chris Cairns, to exploit Headingley's often overcast conditions. Cairns, in his penultimate Test before retirement, took one wicket at Lord's.

TEAMS
ENGLAND (from): Michael Vaughan (captain), Andrew Strauss, Mark Butcher, Graham Thorpe, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Geraint Jones, Ashley Giles, Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, Martin Saggers.

NEW ZEALAND (from): Stephen Fleming (captain), Mark Richard-son, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey, Chris Martin, Kyle Mills, Mathew Sinclair.