Stuart Broad has insisted that the upcoming fixtures against New Zealand will be a tough start to a huge summer of Test cricket for England.
The Kiwis visit UK shores for a two-match series, which begins at Lord's on Thursday, before Alastair Cook's side face old adversaries Australia in the Ashes later in the year.
New Zealand came within one wicket of claiming a surprise victory in the reverse series this winter, and Nottinghamshire seamer Broad has said that England must improve on the performances of that tour to defeat the Black Caps this time around.
He told Sky Sports News "We're very focused and we know we have a big job on our hands. New Zealand played fantastically well in New Zealand and we were a little under par but we are very determined to put that right.
"We've got a huge summer ahead of us, but nothing more important than the first hour here on Thursday. We know the challenges New Zealand offer, we know they're a tough fighting team, but we know that we can perform better (than in New Zealand).
"We're a team that are hard to beat. We haven't been beaten so that's we can take very positively out of that series and hope we can perform a little bit better here."
England are ranked second in the ICC Test Championship standings, with New Zealand ninth in the table.
