Christopher Martin-Jenkins, The Times Cricket Correspondent, today said that Michael Vaughan must lead by example if England are to win the Test series in New Zealand. They are sentiments that the touring captain himself agreed with - and called upon the rest of his recognised batsmen to do the same.

With the the recent series defeat in Sri Lanka still fresh in the mind, Vaughan believes the key to success in Hamilton, where the first Test begins tonight, is with fifties being turned into big hundreds. Both Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell helped themselves to centuries in last week's drawn tour match in Dunedin, but Vaughan admitted it is an area England need to improve upon during these three Tests.

"We've talked about that and it was nice for Strauss and Bell to get those hundreds," he said. "I thought they both played with a great tempo in that innings and that's exactly the type of tempo we're going to require in Test match cricket if we're going to get 150s and 200s.

"We know we haven't done that as a batting unit consistently over the last year and there's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't because we've got a talented set of batters.

"We have spoken as a batting unit and there's a real hunger to get big runs and hopefully starting [tomorrow] we'll have a big series and there'll be plenty of hundreds to cheer."

In the last ten Tests England have played, only Kevin Pietersen has scored a double hundred despite 13 centuries being scored during that period. England will attempt to improve that record over the next few weeks with a changed batting line-up after Vaughan decided to maintain his opening partnership with Alastair Cook from Sri Lanka. That decision means Strauss will bat at No 3 for England for the first time in his career after being overlooked for Sri Lanka, while Tim Ambrose, the wicketkeeper, makes his debut batting at seven.

"My gut feeling after the two-day game is that myself and Alastair should pick up where we left off in Sri Lanka," Vaughan said. "We felt it was a reasonably successful opening partnership.

"Strauss has come back into the side and looks mentally refreshed and he's playing well. Playing at No 3 is a new position for him and he seemed to fit into it nicely in the three-day game so hopefully he can take that form into the Test."

England have also decided to stick with a tried and tested attack with Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom making up their seam force while Monty Panesar provides the spin option.

"As a whole squad we have to deliver," Vaughan added. "The senior players have to pass on as much knowledge as they can to the other players but collectively we all have to perform. You don't win Test series with individuals, you win them by everyone mucking in together, working hard and really fighting for each other."

Vaughan shrugged off fears about his fitness for the Test despite being given further treatment for a stiff neck at nets today, while reserve wicketkeeper Phil Mustard broke his nose after a ball ricocheted out of another net into his face.

England side for first Test: MP Vaughan (Yorkshire, capt), AN Cook (Essex), AJ Strauss (Middlesex), KP Pietersen (Hampshire), IR Bell (Warwickshire), PD Collingwood (Durham), TR Ambrose (Warwickshire, wkt), RJ Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), MJ Hoggard (Yorkshire), SJ Harmison (Durham), MS Panesar (Northamptonshire).