³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

England against New Zealand in truth is not box office stuff and is really a simple starter before the mouthwatering prospect of South Africa later in the summer.

It doesn't help that they have just played each other on the other side of the world and ticket sales have reflected this.

There will still be a limited number of tickets on sale on the day but the MCC spokesman ensures me it will be "near to capacity" for the first three day's play.

So there should be a crowd of well over 20,000 to witness Michael Vaughan's England take on Daniel Vettori's New Zealand.

Vaughan says England will be aiming to win in convincing fashion, even without Andrew Flintoff, and called the Kiwis a "workmanlike" team.

He admits he is under pressure to make runs with the bat and has pushed Andrew Strauss up to opener with himself dropping down to three.

Vettori is well aware of the underdog tag his side has, with two debutants and , in the team and admits "we will need to be on top of our game all of the time if we are going to be successful".

The last time England beat New Zealand at home was the catalyst to a very successful couple of years which culminated in the Ashes success in 2005 - so England fans will be hoping history repeats itself.

It may be the day before the game but Lord's has been buzzing with last-minute preparation as the caterers bring in all the beer, champagne and pies they will need while sponsors tents have also gone up.

The groundsmen have been working on the pitch and the wicket since 9am and were still going around with a lawnmower at 4pm.

And it's not just the pitch which has undergone meticulous preparation, every bit of grass around the ground has been mowed, weeds removed and flower beds packed full of red and white flowers symbolising the colours of England.

Lord's has seen many cricketing legends come and go - and there were a few here on Wednesday, the likes of and , who were attending in their capacities as members of the MCC world cricket committee.

All had fond memories of playing at the home of cricket and agreed it had a special place in their hearts.

It's now time for new legends to be made.

The excitement is building...bring it on!