New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has insisted that participation in the Indian Premier League will not be used as an excuse if the tourists make a poor start to the series with England.
McCullum, Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult only recently arrived in England ahead of the beginning of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday, but the Black Caps skipper claims that a lack of preparation for a switch to the longest format is not on his mind.
"You always want more, but you have to understand the landscape of your season," he told reporters. "We are happy. Yes, the IPL players would have liked a bit more but we have been playing cricket in pressure environments. The guys are very professional.
"There are challenges coming from the IPL but it was only last year when he went to West Indies and got 500 in the first innings, so it can work as a positive as well. It's certainly not an excuse."
New Zealand's last Test series ended in a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka in the winter.
