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England eye series win ahead of the Ashes

Team look to complete victory over New Zealand before heading Down Under

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England captain Andrew Strauss holds the Ashes urn after England beat Australia on the fourth day of play in the 5th Ashes Cricket Test match played at the Brit Oval cricket ground in London in 2009. Photo: EPA
Reuters

Buoyed by Stuart Broad's match-winning burst at Lord's, England will look to seal a series win over New Zealand in the second and final test starting at Headingley today before turning their attention to Australia in July.

Broad's seven-wicket haul in the second innings of the first test bowled England to a 170-run victory as New Zealand were skittled for just 68 having matched the hosts for three days on a slow and difficult batting pitch.

Conditions at Headingley should be more favourable to run-scoring if the sun is shining, but can be equally unpredictable and favour seam and swing with Broad, James Anderson and New Zealand's Tim Southee, fresh from his 10-wicket haul at Lord's, ready to exploit any cloud cover.

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England have named an unchanged squad with batsman Ian Bell having recovered from a bout of tonsillitis. Foremost in captain Alastair Cook and coach Andy Flower's mind will be deciding whether to keep faith with inconsistent paceman Steven Finn or bring in fit-again Tim Bresnan on his home ground.

Finn, despite taking four wickets in the first innings at Lord's, bowled too short and minutes after England had completed victory was back out practising on an adjacent pitch.

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"He probably isn't bowling as well as he could, but he's getting wickets," said England bowling coach David Saker.

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