England seem certain to stick with their under-performing batsmen for this week's deciding Test against New Zealand. Despite a successful shake-up of the bowling department in Wellington, coach Peter Moores has effectively ruled out trying something similar among his batsmen, even though the top six have managed only one century between them in five Tests this winter.

"We don't think we will be changing a great deal in the batting department," said Moores, which sounds like management speak for a determination to change nothing at all.

After losing in Sri Lanka before Christmas, and topping 300 just once in six innings, England axed Ravi Bopara and immediately recalled Andrew Strauss, who was himself dropped last September following a year-long struggle for form.

But while Middlesex's Owais Shah wanders from venue to venue as the squad's spare part, Alastair Cook's match-saving 118 at Galle in December remains the only hundred scored by a member of the top six since last summer.

What has changed slightly, however, is the order, with long-time opener Strauss trying to reinvent himself at No3 while Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood are now down at No5 and No6. And England seem determined to give them at least the whole of this series to show what they can do in their new slots.

"Realistically, yes," was the response from Moores today when asked whether his batsmen deserved a good chance to settle in different roles.

"There's a time frame to give everyone a chance to show whether they can or they can't; a period of time where you need to give people the opportunity to succeed or fail.

"We will look at the team for the next Test, because that's the sort of thing you should do. That's what we did last time and made a couple of changes because we thought it was right.

"They [the top six] have all got clear goals of what they are trying to achieve and are working very hard to do it.

"We know we are in the performance business, and we know we have to win Tests and perform individually to survive. We've seen that in the bowling department."

Although Strauss and Bell are the most vulnerable members of England's batting line-up, even Kevin Pietersen must be starting to feel the pressure after failing to score a ton all winter in Test or one-day cricket.

"He's having a tough run, and players have tough runs," said Moores. "It happens to the best. Ricky Ponting had one in Australia's recent one-dayers. It happens to good players but their talent doesn't go away, and how he [Pietersen] has played in the past will return.

"He's just got to stick in there, keep doing his work, knowing it will turn around. Napier is the sort of place where he can get himself a big hundred.

"You don't average 50 and score 3,000 Test runs without being a fine player." His point about Napier being a welcoming sight for batsmen will not be lost on Pietersen. He saw how flat the McLean Park pitch can be while making exactly 50 a month ago during the tied one-dayer.

The visitors scored 340 for six and still almost lost. Four of the five Tests played in Napier have been drawn.

"I'm very happy with the track," said groundsman Phil Stoyanoff. "I think everyone will enjoy themselves, perhaps the batsmen slightly more than the bowlers. But there can be a positive result."

After being given a helpful pitch in Wellington, young pace bowlers Jimmy Anderson and Chris Broad can expect plenty of hard graft this time. Their combined 20 overs a month ago went for 161 runs.